LBCC struggled badly on both sides of the ball as they suffered a 70-14 blowout loss against Mt. SAC, which worsens matters for LBCC’s chances of qualifying for a bowl game.
Mt. SAC started the game explosively scoring in only four plays on the first drive of the game.
That drive was capped off with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Mt. SAC quarterback Alex Flores to wide receiver Dedrek Taylor-Akins.
The duo connected once again for a 40-yard touchdown as the second quarter got off and running.
As for LBCC, quarterback Will Madonna’s struggles from the last game continued to this one, as he completed only four of his 13 pass attempts before being benched near the end of the first quarter in favor of freshman quarterback Jett Peddy.
“He (Madonna) was struggling and we decided we had to give Jett Peddy an opportunity,” said LBCC head coach Brett Peabody on benching Madonna for Peddy.
Peddy and the LBCC offense couldn’t muster much as Mt. SAC’s defense was stifling throughout the majority of the game.
Mt. SAC’s dominant defense was a huge part of their second quarter success after the Flores and Taylor-Akins touchdown.
Mt. SAC linebacker Katin Surprenant recovered LBCC running back Konyae Hunter’s fumble which led to Alex Flores connecting with wide receiver Ryan Boultwood for a 26-yard touchdown on the very next play.
Peddy’s woes continued the next drive as he gave up a 52-yard pick-six to Mt. SAC defensive back Branyden Hapner.
Peddy answered back after the interception as he drove his team down the field to have running back Konyae Hunter punch in a two-yard touchdown.
LBCC was able to score one more touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the first half as Peddy led his team down the field and topped it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Remil Brown as the clock expired.
Unfortunately for LBCC, that would be their last points chalked up on the scoreboard as Mt. SAC dominated the rest of the game.
Mt. SAC tallied three more touchdowns in the third quarter and another two in the fourth before ultimately ending LBCC’s nightmare of a game.
In Peddy’s first near-full game, he completed 15 of 41 passes for 171 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Although this wasn’t his ideal performance, Peddy was excited that he got his shot on the field.
“I just wanted to take this opportunity and do my thing. I have not been playing too much, but I’ve been backing up a great Will Madonna this whole season, but the opportunity came and I tried to do my best. The results didn’t come out the way I wanted, but I’m gonna take this game and move forward for next year for sure,” Peddy said after the game.
With this loss, LBCC needs to win their next game to have any chance at qualifying for a bowl game.
After the game, Brett Peabody described the quarterback situation as well as his team’s game plan for next week as they have their “backs against the wall”.
“We’re gonna play both of them, we’ll see how it goes out in practice. Whichever one plays better will get the start. We just have to get back to playing fundamental, consistent football. You can’t have the number of turnovers that we had and you can’t give up big plays and blow coverages,” Peabody stated.
LBCC’s bowl game hopes come down to their final game of the year as they play on the road against Citrus College on Saturday, Nov. 11.