Merced College comes up short in bowl game as overtime gamble pays off for Los Medanos

Bob Casey was quick to tell his Merced College players they had no reason to hang their heads.

It was a tough ending to a stellar season for the Blue Devils. Los Medanos gambled in overtime, converting on a two-point conversion to defeat the Blue Devils 29-28 in the Living Breath Foundation Bowl Game on Saturday at Rabobank Stadium.

The Mustangs (9-2) celebrated after TJ Roberts hauled in the two-point conversion in the corner of the end zone from backup quarterback Tim Evitt.

Meanwhile, many Merced College players dropped to a knee in disappointment. Others slowly walked off the field.

The Blue Devils (9-2) had rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Merced College then scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Frank Cocio to open overtime.

“It’s one of those games where one team has to come out a winner,” Casey said. “Their kicker is not that good. They have their backup quarterback is in. They decided not to press their luck in overtime. They made a play and we didn’t.

“This game doesn’t take away from what we’ve did all year.”

It was tough sledding for the Blue Devils offense most of the game. Cocio and company were only on the field for 19 plays in the first half as the Mustangs dominated time of possession and took a 14-7 lead into intermission.

Los Medanos ran 44 plays and gained 256 yards in the first half to just 87 for Merced College.

Craijon Menefee started the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the game to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead.

The Blue Devils defense did their part to keep MC in the game as David Perales and Ronnie Reyes both finished with 1 and 1/2 sacks.

The Merced College defense also provided the first two touchdowns as Christopher Meneley returned an interception 82 yards for a score to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:31 left in the first half.

Sohail Mohsini found Jelani Davis for an 8-yard touchdown pass to give the Mustangs a 14-7 lead with 4:55 left in the first half.

Davis caught 12 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Mohsini was named the Offensive Player of the Game after completing 27 of 39 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

“It was tough,” said Meneley, who also led MC with 14 tackles. “We fought through adversity today to battle back. Our defense just came up short at the end.”

The Blue Devils trailed 21-7 in the fourth quarter when Chance Young returned a tip passed 26 yards for a touchdown to pull Merced College within 21-14 with 13:09 left.

The Blue Devils forced overtime with a 62-yard drive at the end of regulation as Cocio found Cole Brown for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 11.7 seconds left on the clock.

Momentum seemed to be on Merced College’s side as Cocio scored the 2-yard touchdown to give the Blue Devils their first lead at 28-21 in overtime.

Evitt came in at quarterback for Mohsini, who left with a leg injury. On third-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Evitt found Menefee for a touchdown to pull within 28-27.

The Mustangs decided to go for the win and Evitt found Roberts for the two-point conversion and the win.

“I was ready,” Evitt said. “I waited all game. I’ve been ready all season. I kept waiting, knowing when I got an opportunity I’d get it done.”

Casey quickly reminded his guys how special their season was, winning a conference championship for the first time since 1997. The Blue Devils followed up last year’s 8-3 season with a 9-2 record this season.

“It was an unbelievable season,” Cocio said. “We carried over what we did last year to this year. We did something we haven’t done in 20 years. We have nothing to hang our heads about.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Merced College comes up short in bowl game as overtime gamble pays off for Los Medanos."