Cougars Give Up 30 Unanswered Points In Second Half

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - It was a tale of two halves. One very good. One very bad. It also seemed to encapsulate the entire College of the Canyons 2006 football season: which team would take the field – the very good one, or the very bad one?

With a 19-13 halftime lead build on strong running, sharp passing and solid defense, the Cougars took the field in the second half and watched as the Allan Hancock Bulldogs scored 30 unanswered points at will, all but eliminating any hope for a trip to a bowl game for College of the Canyons.

The Cougars started the game looking somewhat pensive as the Bulldogs blocked a Chris Chambers punt, returned it to the Canyons 29-yard line, then ran it in for a score just three minutes into the game.

College of the Canyons settled down from there, though. The defense kept the Bulldogs in check for the rest of the first quarter, and after a Hancock punt put the Cougars deep in their own territory, COC turned to their bread-and-butter man: Terence Scott. Quarterback Andrew Miramontes dumped a short pass to Scott who cut inside, found a hole, and out-ran everyone 92 yards for a touchdown. It was the second longest touchdown reception in school history, just short of the record of 96 yards set by Tyrell Smith in 2002, and tied the game at 7-all.

The Cougars took the lead when Paul Weinstein chipped in a field goal from 34 yards out early in the second quarter, then stretched it to 10 points when Miramontes found a leaping Jovonne Augustus in the back of the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown, and a 17-7 lead that quieted the Hancock crowd.

A somewhat controversial call fired up everyone late in the 2nd quarter. On second down from the Cougars own 10-yard line, running back Thomas Kyle took the ball, gained three yards, then was stopped by the Bulldog defense. No whistle blew, and he began to be pushed back. His forward momentum clearly stopped, Kyle was pushed back farther - and then was stripped of the ball. The Bulldogs recovered the ball and ran it in to the end zone for a score. But four members of the referring crew immediately signaled third down, pointing at the ground where Kyle's momentum had stopped. This was then changed by the head referee, who signaled a touchdown. Discussions ensued, and eventually the ball was given back to the Cougars, much to the dismay of the Allan Hancock crowd.

The Cougars couldn't take advantage, though, and had to punt from their own end zone. The Bulldogs powered their way back down the field, then Hancock quarterback Jonathan Dally found his tight end in the back of the end zone for a score with :41 seconds left in the half. College of the Canyons recovered a bit of their momentum, though, when during the point after attempt, Allan Walker blocked the kick, grabbed it and raced it back for a safety, and a 19-13 lead at half – and setting the stage for what looked like a classic second half of football.

Then came the actual second half.

The Bulldogs scored nearly at will, with two touchdown passes by Jonathan Dally in the third quarter and two Bulldog touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. Dally found Ty Munnerlyn on a 14-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter, then connected with Joseph Dally on a 23-yard touchdown pass late in the third.

The Bulldogs added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to put the score at 30-19. In the meantime, the Bulldog defense stopped the Cougar offense completely in its tracks, as Miramontes failed to complete a single pass in the second half, and had two interceptions.

Following the first interception, running back Andrew Hirsch broke through the middle of the field 19 yards for a touchdown. The final score was a 78-yard touchdown run by Andre Cirino that put the score at 43-19, and took the wind out of the COC sails for good.

The Cougars, now at 3-5 on the season, will host Santa Barbara City College on November 4 for their final home game before finishing the season November 11 at LA Valley College.