Riverside City College football routs Southwestern

RIVERSIDE – This was uncharted territory for Riverside City College this season. Why, someone – Southwestern College in this case – held the Tigers off the scoreboard on their first possession.

And their second, third, fourth and fifth possessions. In fact, the first time RCC scored as the co-No. 1 team in the state, quarterback Stone Smartt, running back Malik Walker and Co. weren’t even on the field.

It barely mattered. Once the quarter flipped from first to second, the Tigers’ offense flipped its switch, Smartt found his heretofore absent rhythm and order in the National Southern Conference was restored — along with 28 second-quarter RCC points and an eventual 36-6 victory over the game, but overmatched, Jaguars.

This one illustrated the symbiotic relationship between the Tigers’ offense and defense, which once again, played capable wingman. RCC broke a scoreless tie late in the first quarter by forcing a safety, forced 12 punts and held the Jaguars to nine first downs, 56 first-half yards and 145 yards total. The Tigers didn’t allow Southwestern (5-3, 1-2) to break 100 yards of offense until there was 7 ½ minutes left in the game.

“You’re going to get a good effort defensively against a team that struggles offensively,” RCC coach Tom Craft said. “Look at their stats. They’re really struggling on offense. We knew we would hold them defensively, but unfortunately, we only had one great quarter tonight.”

“Only one great quarter” was all it took for RCC (7-1, 3-0) to remove all doubt. That one great quarter featured two Smartt touchdown passes: 56 and 33 yards to Jammal Houston (which game 3:22 apart), a 7-yard Smartt touchdown run and a 1-yard plunge by Vic Viramontes that came with 1:22 left in the half and gave RCC a 30-0 halftime lead.

“That was a great second quarter for us but I am very disappointed about that second half,” Craft said about a half that featured only two John Garibay field goals. “I thought we got handled up front. Their two D-tackles did a great job; they dumped our guards and centers into the quarterback’s lap. We must have gotten sacked six or seven times.

Actually, the Jaguars got Smartt – who threw for 234 of his 269 yards in the first half – five times, while forcing him to run more than he normally does. Craft said the Jaguars’ dominating defensive line was taking Smartt out of his game and therefore the Tigers out of theirs.

“He got more in a rhythm and was seeing things; we talked about it, and he was making plays. He had a good second quarter and I thought he struggled a little bit and didn’t get any help up front,” Craft said.

“They really keyed in our run offense and we like to start off with a run to open teams up and get our pass going, but they shut down our run really well. They came prepared,” Smartt said. “Being the quarterback, it all starts with me, so I took that heavy on my shoulders and I said ‘I got to get this going myself.’ I told my team, ‘This isn’t us. We don’t come out like this.’”

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