Southern title up for grabs on GSN

The Saddleback football program will take on Golden West College on Saturday night looking for a Southern League championship.  The game can be seen live via streaming video on the Gaucho Sports Network.

When the Gauchos and Rustlers meet in any sport, it's often billed as a "shoot out" between two different sets of cowboys.  That's exactly what we're expecting to see as Saddleback (7-2 overall, 5-0 in conference) hosts Golden West (8-1 overall, 4-1 in conference) with the conference title on the line.

A win by Saddleback would give the Gauchos the conference title outright with an undefeated conference record.  A win by Golden West could create a three-way tie for the conference title with Orange Coast and then it would come down to the Power Ranking Index (RPI) and wins against the team with the best RPI.  Currently, Golden West has that advantage with a victory over Ventura (No. 7 in the current RPI) while Saddleback has a victory over Canyons (No. 10 in the RPI).  Orange Coast's best win is over No. 16 Moorpark.

Saturday's game should showcase two solid passing attacks as both teams average 270 passing yards per game.  Saddleback QB Johnny Stanton has thrown for 2,180 yards and 17 TD's this season while Golden West QB Adam Vance has thrown for 2,105 yards and 16 TD's.  Stanton has also run for 10 TD's, averaging over 50 rushing yards per game.  A strong passing attack usually means lofty receiving numbers.  Saddleback's Zach Davis (49 catches, 3 TD's) and Dominic Collins (44 catches, 7 TD's) lead the Gauchos but Cody White (24), Nathan Rodgers (23) and Remy Wasserbach (15) have added to the mix in recent games.  Golden West is led by Jordan Veasy (46 catches, 8 TD's) and Quest Truxton (46 catches, 7 TD's) while Denim Sansom (22 catches, 5 TD's) is also a viable target.  Both teams rush the ball about the same with Stanton leading the charge.  Saddleback's remaining backfield account for almost 100 yards each game as the Gauchos average 145 rushing yards.  Golden West also rotates several backs into the mix, averaging 112 yards as a team with no one averaging more than 35 yards per game.  In goal line situations, it looks like WR Josh Smith (6 TD's) gets to see the ball.

Defensively, Saddleback gives up a few more yards (350) than the Golden West defense gives up (315) and Golden West's defensive numbers look better on paper.  The Rustlers have accounted for 25 interceptions and 29 sacks, with Johnny Johnson getting six of those interceptions this season while Kory Garcia has four interceptions with 10 of the team's 44 pass break-ups and Justin Stewart accounts for 11 sacks.  Saddleback has just seven interceptions and 22 sacks with Carlton LaFrance and Jeff Holsinger accounting for 4.5 sacks apiece while Darryl Wyrick has 10 of the team's 45 pass break-ups.  However, Saddleback has played a much tougher schedule this year.  Saddleback's opponents have a combined record of 42-40 while Golden West's opponents have a 29-53 record.

After dropping the first two games of the season to Cerritos and Riverside, Saddleback has now won seven straight contests.  Golden West had won eight straight games to open the season before falling to Orange Coast, 17-14, last weekend.  Saddleback has historically controlled the matchups against Golden West, winning 20 of the previous 24 meetings and only losing three games.  One game ended in a tie.  Golden West did win the 2013 matchup, 30-6, before Saddleback bounced back last year for a 37-22 win.

If you cannot make it to the game, watch it live in HD on the Gaucho Sports Network for a one-time fee of $9.95.  All proceeds from the broadcast go directly back into the athletics department to help promote the athletes and teams. 

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