Bakersfield College defeated Citrus College 31-13 and improved their record to 3-1 after controlling the Fighting Owls’ top-ranked passing attack on Sept. 24.

Citrus quarterback Blake Loncar was tops in the Southern California Football Association averaging 355 yards through the air per game.

The Renegades defense held Loncar to 179 yards and intercepted three of his passes including one that Ian Driskill returned 84 yards for a touchdown that put the game seemingly out of reach for the Owls.

BC safety Mercy Maston caught two of those passes, and helped shift momentum in favor of the Renegades after Citrus had came storming back to start the second half.

“I think Mercy is obviously one of our better players on defense,” said the team’s head coach Jeff Chudy after the win. “He did what he’s capable of doing. I’m proud of him because he stepped up and played and helped the team win the game.”

Quarterback Brian Duboski made his first start of his collegiate career after replacing Brian Burrell in the team’s 28-0 victory over Antelope Valley College due to a broken collarbone.

Chudy said that Dubowski did a great job in his first game facilitating the offense and taking advantage of the different looks the defense threw at it, and the running game benefited.

BC rushed for 231 yards on 53 carries, helping protect the team’s new quarterback as he gets acclimated with his new leadership position.

“[Dubowski] is putting us in the right situation when we’re running the football,” Chudy said. “I think from that standpoint he did an outstanding job; he just made a couple of careless throws that he can’t make, and that he’s got to learn from experience.”