Long trip no problem for Merced College football
Going on the road is always a test for any team.
Can the players get themselves mentally ready after a long bus trip? How will the group respond to a hostile crowd? Throw in an unexpected two-hour delay, and Bob Casey wasn’t certain what he’d get from his team when it stepped onto the San Jose City College field Saturday night.
Merced College made it only as far as Main St. before its bus broke down. What was thought to be a quick half-hour repair turned into a 2 1/2-hour ordeal as the Blue Devils waited for a second bus to arrive. Their 7 p.m. start was pushed to 9 p.m., and their entire pregame routine was accelerated.
Merced didn’t skip a beat. The Blue Devils outgained San Jose City 413 yards to 135 in a 47-0 rout. The victory improved Merced to 2-0 for the second consecutive season.
“It was a heck of a day,” Casey said. “I think I walked into my house at just after 3 a.m. We told the guys before the game that adversity is something they’re going to have to deal with at some point during the season, and it’s how they respond to it that’s going to define our success.
“We cut our pregame short, because we just wanted to get to the game. So we had to figure out how much time we needed to get dressed, how much time was needed to get taped, how much warmup we really needed. There wasn’t a lot of time for them to think once we were off of the bus. Sometimes, that’s a good thing.”
The Merced ground game got things going, as the Blue Devils rushed for 245 yards on 40 carries. Casey spread the work with W.R. Sanders (11 carries, 85 yards, two touchdowns), Prince Ikenador (6-50, TD) and Jaques Buchannon (12-38, two TDs) finding the end zone.
Casey said once the Jaguars (0-2) started trying to cheat on the run, Andrew Trahan (13 of 21 for 168 yards, two TDs) and the Merced passing game hit them over the top. Trahan’s 49-yard touchdown pass to roommate Nih-jer Jackson sent the Blue Devils into intermission with a 27-0 lead.
“I think I was most pleased with our balance on offense,” Casey said. “Our offensive line did a great job creating some big holes early on. They started to try and take the run away, and we were able to take some shots over the top.”
Those 27 points were more than enough for the Merced defense, which has yielded 17 total points in two games. The defense sacked San Jose’s Delmon Williams five times and got interceptions from Nathan Duran and Daiquan Kelly.
“Their quarterback is a super-talented guy, and we did a good job of getting hits on him early,” Casey said. “I think he started letting the ball go a little earlier afterward, and it threw off their timing. It’s a lot of fun watching these young guys running to the ball and making plays.
“We got a lot more in the rotation this week, and lots of guys stepped in and contributed.”
Men’s soccer
Westmont 3, UC Merced 2 in Santa Barbara – The Bobcats (1-3) received second-half goals from Derick Zamora and Cruz Trenado but gave up two goals in the final 10 minutes.
Westmont’s Matthew Lariviere struck twice 20 seconds apart to deny UC Merced a win on the road.
Women’s soccer
UC Merced 0, Eastern Oregon 0 (2 OT) in Merced – Goals continue to prove elusive for the Bobcats (2-1-3) early in the season as they’ve mustered five in six games.
Maggie Morales (two saves) and Gabby Vinco (four) combined to post the team’s fourth shutout.
Women’s water polo
Merced College 7, Allan Hancock 0 in San Luis Obispo – Hannah Groteguth scored five times, and Kim Canisso had a goal and an assist to help the Lady Devils earn a split on the final day of the Central Coast Invitational and their first win of the year.
Sydney Gerstenberg made eight saves for Merced (1-4) in the victory.
This story was originally published September 11, 2016 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Long trip no problem for Merced College football."