Gauchos looking to knock off nation’s No. 2 team in playoffs

The Saddleback football team took a rather circuitous route to the Southern California playoffs, but now that they are there has a lot of momentum heading into Saturday night's matchup with Mt. San Antonio College.  The Gauchos have won five straight games in must-win situations, and have played the Mounties very close in recent meetings.

Saddleback has been en eyelash from beating Mt. San Antonio in recent games, including a 51-48 loss in week one with six seconds remaining on the clock.  The Gauchos also fell to the Mounties in 2011 when Mt. SAC scored 29 points in the fourth quarter in snatching a 38-34 victory from the jaws of defeat.  The most painful may have come in 2010 when Mt. SAC scored with no time on the clock to beat Saddleback 34-31.  Even when the Mounties were at their best in 2009 when they won the national title, it was the Gauchos that provided their only blemish with a 24-14 win in 105-degree heat.  The 2008 game had a similar pattern, as Mt. SAC tied the game with three seconds remaining in regulation before kicking a 42-yard field goal in overtime for a 23-20 win.  In short, Mt. SAC has a 4-1 advantage over the past five battles, but holds only a three-point advantage in total points (160-157). 

Mt. San Antonio enters the game ranked No. 2 in the latest JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 national rankings.  The Mounties have won 10 straight games since losing the 2011 state title game to City College of San Francisco.  Mt. SAC has improved greatly from the team that surrendered a Saddleback-record 39 first downs and 525 yards to the Gauchos in week one.  The Mounties are fresh off a stunning 25-0 win over highly-powered Riverside, knocking the Tigers out of the playoffs.  Mt. SAC has recorded two shutouts in the past three weeks, and has given up 14 or less points on six occasions this season.  The Mounties have also improved to No. 17 in the state in total offense, led by sophomore quarterback Nick Montana.  The son of Hall of Famer Joe Montana has been very hot as of late, throwing five touchdowns against no interceptions in the past two games, completing 81% of his passes against Riverside this past weekend.

Saddleback enters the game ranked No. 27 in the latest JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 Rankings, and has been rolling on offense over the past five weeks.  The Gauchos have averaged 583 yards in the recent winning streak, rising to No. 6 in the state in total offense and No. 7 in passing yards.  Quarterback Tim Belman has been particularly hot, throwing 16 touchdowns while completing 66% of his passes.  The running game has also been very good, as the duo of Anthony Cade and James Marshall have given the Gauchos some balance in scoring 11 touchdowns on the ground. 

Game time is set for 6:00 pm at Mt. San Antonio.

Inside the Numbers:

Total Offense (w/state ranking)

Saddleback, 488 ypg (6)

Mt. SAC, 439 ypg (17)

Rushing Offense (w/state ranking)

Saddleback, 154 ypg (33)

Mt. SAC, 183 ypg (22)

Passing Offense (w/state ranking)

Saddleback, 334 ypg (7)

Mt. SAC, 256 ypg (23)

Total Defense (w/state ranking)

Saddleback, 397 ypg (40)

Mt. SAC, 303 ypg (4)

Rushing Defense (w/state ranking)

Saddleback, 106 ypg (8)

Mt. SAC, 80 ypg (3)

Passing Defense (w/state ranking)

Saddleback, 290 ypg (66)

Mt. SAC, 223 ypg (31)

Game Information:

Saddleback (6-4) vs. Mt. SAC (10-0)

@ Mt. San Antonio College

6:00 pm

Lifetime Series: Mt. SAC leads 10-8

(last meeting 2012; Mt. SAC 51, Saddleback 48)

National Rankings by JCGridiron.com

Saddleback (27)

Mt. SAC (2)

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