Trevor Mew said it felt like he was in quicksand.
Whatever the Merced College quarterback tried to do, it just seemed to make things worse.
After leading the Blue Devils down for a score on its opening possession last weekend, Mew threw interceptions on three of MC's next four possessions.
One pick was returned 90 yards for a touchdown and another handed San Jose City a short field as it took a 14-7 lead.
With the NorCal No. 17 Blue Devils (1-2) in need of a win, head coach Bob Casey had no choice but to make a change.
Backup Rudy Monteon came on in relief, and behind an excellent performance from the MC defense, the Blue Devils pulled out a 24-17 victory.
"I've had bad games before, but never anything like that," Mew said. "Never just back-to-back-to-back.
"I felt good during warm-ups, went through all my usual routines. Something was just off once the game started and I couldn't figure it out."
Dejected as he was, Mew didn't sulk on the sideline. He turned into an assistant coach and started feeding Monteon, the offensive line and the receivers every bit of information he observed.
Mew leads the team with 511 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Casey wasted no time announcing that he was still MC's guy.
"You look at the body of work he's produced last season and during the summer, he's more than earned his place on the field," Casey said. "It was just one bad game. He's put it behind him and is ready to focus getting another win this week.
"The one positive was we learned we have some depth at quarterback. Until guys get in and get some live reps, you never really know."
Mew will look to bounce back when No. 18 Feather River (1-2) comes to town on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Stadium '76.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a poor showing themselves. A swarming San Joaquin Delta defense forced eight turnovers and thumped Feather River 59-7.
Casey is expecting a better effort.
"They've played about as tough a schedule as we have and have taken some lumps," Casey said. "But they're a pretty good football team.
"They've got some dangerous athletes. They'll turn the ball over, but they're just as opportunistic on defense, so you can't take anything for granted."
The Golden Eagles are yielding more than 300 yards per game, so it does look like a good opportunity for Mew and the MC offense to get back on track.
"Last week was incredibly frustrating because I want to be the guy," Mew said. "Being a competitor and knowing you're not helping your team is tough.
"My teammates have tried to pick me up, but honestly I just have to put it behind and go back to the same things that I've done successfully over the last year."
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