Defensive Struggles Lead to Fourth Loss in a Row For Men's Football

It was hot. It was sunny. The conditions were perfect for football.

Except the Corsairs could not seem to get things going while having home field advantage against the Orange Coast College Pirates, losing 46-14. Coming off of a three game losing streak, it seems the Corsairs just haven't been able to find their rhythm.

"We spent an extra thirty minutes on the field to go over defensive and offensive strategies, and every player was watching tapes to see where they could improve," said Assistant Defensive Coordinator John Artozqui.

As the game got underway, early hopes of winning came alive when freshman quarterback Weston Massett ran the ball into the endzone, answering= a touchdown pass from the Pirates and a blocked extra point. But hopes of winning flickered away as the game went on.

As the two battled, the Pirates were penalized heavily for late hits and unsportsmanlike conduct. The Pirates were dead set on using their size against the Corsairs.

The second quarter is when the fortune started to change and the Pirates firmly took control of the game with four consecutive touchdowns. Corsair running back Kwame Duggins also experienced a brief injury scare after getting the wind knocked out of him from one of The Pirates big upfront defensive lineman.

It wasn't until the last quarter with four minutes left to play that the Corsairs sophomore defensive back and special teams player Carnell Lewis would score the second and last touchdown of the game on a 55 yard punt return, bringing the game to another L for the Corsairs.

During the game Corsair fans, and family members of players could be heard shouting their frustration at the coaching staff, and particularly at the new head coach Bill Laslett. "Fire Coach Laslett" was one of the chants coming from the stands. After the team huddle, Coach Laslett thanked all of the family members for coming out despite what some of them had to say, and he also individually spoke to players to give them encouragement.

"The defensive team must get back to basics with wrapping up and making tackles," Laslett said. "[We] gave away the game and allowed our opponent to capitalize on plays that shouldn’t have happened in the first place."

As for now, the Corsairs record stands at 0-4. They will face the 1-3 Los Angeles Harbor College Seahawks next Saturday, October 1st at home at 1:00 p.m.