Riverside City College football team dominates second half, routs Palomar in conference opener – Press Enterprise

RIVERSIDE — The Riverside City College football team finished with 727 yards in its conference opener against Palomar College.

That is the number that certainly will catch the eye of most people. Equally impressive, if not more so, were three other numbers from Saturday afternoon’s game: 0, 3 and 28 — the number of points, first downs and yards the Tigers allowed in the second half.

Riverside scored 38 unanswered points, turning a tight game into a 52-14 rout in Saturday’s National-Southern Conference opener.

Brady Jones followed last week’s record-setting performance (535 passing yards) with another strong effort Saturday. He overcame two first-half interceptions to finish with 381 yards in the air and 99 more on the ground while accounting for five touchdowns.

The Tigers (3-1 overall) kept things balanced on offense, finishing with 395 passing yards and a season-high 332 rushing yards.

“I really have to give credit to the O-line. They set the tone, keep pushing and really wear out the defenses,” said Jones, who threw three touchdown passes and ran in two more scores. “The more diverse we can be on offense, the stronger we are as a team.”

And while the defense shined in the second half, one of the unit’s biggest moments came on the opening possession of the game.

Palomar (1-3) moved the ball down field with ease, including a pair of one-handed catches by receiver Jake Whitehead (19 yards) and running back Chris Bausch (24 yards). The Comets moved the ball to the Riverside 4, but the drive came to a sudden end when cornerback Ahamad Chapman jumped on an out route and intercepted Andrew Tapley’s pass intended for Whitehead on third-and-goal.

Riverside pieced together a 12-play drive drive later in the opening quarter to take the lead. Jones completed 5 of 7 passes on the drive for 48 yards and had a 17-yard run to pick up a key first down. Jones then capped the drive with a 4-yard scoring run.

Palomar’s Davion Green registered the first of his two interceptions early in the second quarter. The Comets had to punt on the ensuing possession, but Riverside’s Will Bond had the ball stripped from his hands on the return by Bishop Tumblin, who also pounced on the fumble. Two plays later, Tapley connected with Bausch for a 13-yard touchdown that helped knot the score at 7.

RCC needed only 54 seconds to come up with an answer, as Jackson Owens leaped over a defender for a 39-yard touchdown catch.

Green returned his second pick to the Riverside 2, and Jaiden Lune plowed in from there to put the Comets on level terms again.

It was all Riverside from there, starting with the 28-yard field goal by Luis Marin that gave the Tigers a 17-14 halftime lead.

RCC opened the second half in impressive fashion, going 73 yards in eight plays. Devyne Pearson carried four times for 30 yards, and Jones capped things with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Owens to help give the Tigers a double-digit lead for the first time.