The Bakersfield College football team has lost their last two games and now has started the season with a record of 1-4 (1-3 in the Northern National Conference), their worst start since 1986.
Head football coach Jeff Chudy said that the 1-4 start shouldn’t be blamed on lack of effort.
“We’re not executing like we need to execute. For us to get going, we have to execute better. That’s got to happen collectively as a group. We’ve got to do a better job of executing if we’re going to get rolling,” Chudy said.
Chudy mentioned that the kicking game has been a huge problem.
“We’ve had seven kicks blocked in the last three games. It’s just a matter of preparation. We’ve got to prepare with a lot more attention to detail,” said Chudy.
On Oct 4. the Reneagades lost to the Pasadena City College Lancers 31-28 in a game plagued by special team errors.
In the loss to Pasadena, the Renegades gave up a 74-yard kick return that set up a touchdown for the Lancers. Kicker Arturo Villia had an extra point and a 36-yard field goal blocked.
The Renegades special teams woes didn’t end there.
To add to the blown coverage and blocked kicks, freshman defensive back Chuckie Covington fumbled a kickoff in the first quarter that led to a score by Pasadena.
In that same game, sophomore running back Bruce Frieson had 23 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman running back Andre Smith Jr. added 97 yards rushing.
Quarterback Nick Gauthier threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver William Randle, which was followed by a two-point conversion also thrown to Randle.
On Sept. 27, the Renegades took on longtime rival El Camino in a game that ended in dramatic fashion as El Camino kicked a field goal with 10 seconds left in the game to defeat the Renegades 32-29.
Chudy said the inability to gain momentum contributed to the loss to El Camino.
“We lost the momentum. We had a lot of momentum early on. Some penalties kind of stymied us and a turnover costs us points off the board and put points on the board for them. Football is definitely a game of momentum. We had a hard time getting it back at the end of the game,” Chudy said following the game.
Chudy added, “It’s frustrating when you have an opportunity to gain some momentum and get things going. We shot ourselves in the foot. We don’t have anyone to blame. We played hard, and we played a good football team.”
In the loss to El Camino, Gauthier went 7-for-10 for 73 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception. The touchdown pass was a 5-yard pass and caught by sophomore fullback Justin Jackson.
Frieson had 15 carries for 95 yards and three touchdowns. For El Camino quarterback James Coy was 19-for-30 for 243 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, while wide receiver Dejarrius Adams caught eight passes for 73 yards.
The Renegades next game will be Oct. 11 against Hancock at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.