The SD Mesa College football team will go for its third consecutive win at home on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. against Golden West College. The Olympians are currently undefeated (2-0) along with Fullerton College and Riverside College in the National Southern League.
Last week, against Cerritos College, the Olympians defense secured the 14-10 victory after two game saving plays by sophomore Jordan Dwyer. On the last Falcons possession, on second down at the 19-yard line, Cerritos wide receiver Dillon Laurer was able to create space, appearing to be open, until Dwyer was able to get his hands inside and knock the ball away. On the next play, with four seconds remaining, Cerritos quarterback Dylan Eldredge had what appeared to be Gavin Porch open in the corner end zone, but once again, Dwyer closed quickly and once again knocked the ball away, securing the win for the Olympians.
The offense will need to play better against Golden West who brings a potent offense that's capable of putting up points in a hurry. "Coach Mitchell always brings a solid team every year," states San Diego Mesa College head coach Gary Watkins. "Not only do we have to be prepared to face a high energy, fast flying, and opportunistic defense, but also an offense that can get streaky and score at will."
The Rustlers are averaging 321 yards of offense per game. 94.5 yards on the ground and 227 passing. This will be a great match-up between the Golden West offense against Mesa's defense who have held both opponents under 100 yards rushing this year. The Olympians are only surrendering 60 yards on the ground and 130 yards passing.
The coaching staff continues to make adjustments with the offense. With nine new starting players, patience is a key until it's firing on all cylinders. "We pride ourselves at playing complimentary football," adds Watkins. There were times last week that we could have made aggressive calls on offense, which may have yielded some more yards or even points. However, the ultimate goal is to win the game and I was not going to put our defense or special teams in a stressful spot in the effort to have a better offensive showing. Don't get me wrong we have to score more points on offense, but ultimately we have to win the game as a team."
The Rattlers have had Mesa's number the past two meetings. Last year, Golden West beat Mesa 48-10, and the previous year, 35-7.
If you haven't noticed, there's something a little different about this year's team.
They are carrying themselves with a different type of confidence and swagger, and this is by design. "We have always come across as the loud team," adds Watkins. "I just don't see any purpose in engaging our opponents with trash talking. Our mindset this year is to let the talking happen between the lines. We are better off saving our energy and focus for sixty-minutes. We have the confidence, but our confidence will from our preparation throughout the week.:
The message this week:
Do our jobs better, harder and longer than our opponent. We must protect the ball and take it away from them. Lastly when adversity arises " don't flinch"
Tonight's game will be live streamed on the Official SD Mesa Athletics YouTube Page.
Official Link
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.