SAN JOSE — It wasn’t quite the statement performance the Merced College football team was looking for, but it was a step in the right direction.

Dallon Muse scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 1-yard run with just over 5 minutes to play and the Blue Devils held on for a 24-17 victory over San Jose City College on Saturday night.

MC (1-2) got off to the ideal start, driving 75 yards for a touchdown on its opening possession. Muse (19 carries for 55 yards) punched it in from 1 yard out to make it 7-0.

The Blue Devils looked poised to score again on their next possession, but a turnover showed a road win would not be that easy. Quarterback Trevor Mew was intercepted by Rossiano RaBon at the San Jose 10-yard line and returned it 90 yards for a score.

It was the beginning of a tough night for Mew.

He threw interceptions on three of four possessions, setting up a second San Jose City score, and exited the game after the last one.

The MC defense picked up Mew after the last interception, with Jose Jolly getting a pick-six of his own. The 89-yard interception return tied the game at 14-14 and gave the Blue Devils new life.

“The first drive was good, but after that we just got real sloppy,” MC head coach Bob Casey said. “I don’t know if it was a hangover from a tough, physical loss to Fresno, but we just didn’t play very well in a lot of areas.

“We only had the ball for 1minute and 59 seconds in the second quarter. Jolly’s interception allowed us to take a breath, and get back to what we needed to do to win.”

The Blue Devil defense turned the game around in the second half, limiting the Jaguars (0-3) to 99 yards of total offense.

Rudy Monteon came on in relief of Mew to lead the MC second-half charge. Daniel Mouro hit a 43-yard field goal to give the Blue Devils the lead for good about midway through the third quarter and Muse put the game away with his second TD run in the fourth.

“We felt like we needed to make a change to try and get some momentum going,” Casey said. “Rudy came in and did a good job of managing the game.

“We didn’t play a great game, but we got our first win. It’s nice to get that out of the way, but we know we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Water polo

STOCKTON - Merced College split a pair of games on the final day of the San Joaquin Delta Tournament.

Luke Baum paced the Blue Devils (3-5) with seven goals as they defeated Santa Rosa 12-7 and fell to Sierra 17-9.

Cross Country

OAKLAND - Daniel Pena placed sixth and Andrew Pierce finished ninth to lead the UC Merced men to a fifth-place showing at the Mills College Invitational. Sofia Rios (30th) paced the UC Merced women as they placed seventh.

Volleyball

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical 3, UC Merced 1

PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Justina Keith and Kathryn Blake each had a team-high 14 kills, but the struggling Golden Bobcats (3-11) dropped their seventh straight contest.

Soccer

UC Merced 5,

Mills College 1

OAKLAND - UC Merced recorded its first ever intercollegiate soccer victory with a convincing road win.

PREPS

Cross Country

SAN FRANCISCO - Izzak Mireles placed seventh and Isaias Contreras finished 29th to each medal and lead the Livingston boys to a ninth-place showing at the Lowell Invitational in Golden Gate Park.

Adriana Morales (56) led the Livingston girls, which placed 13th.