Aggression, execution, and determination had the Tigers lighting up the scoreboard with touchdown after touchdown.
That was the key to success for The Tigers after a high-scoring affair against the Cougars, winning 57-54 on Sept. 13.
The Cougars got the first possession of the game after gaining zero yards on three straight plays. The Cougars would punt, and the Tigers would start their first possession at their own 45-yard line. It took two minutes for Riverside to march down the field. Quarterback Jared Doolittle hit fellow sophomore wide receiver Ross Nickson III for a 14-yard touchdown.
After another Cougar punt, the Tigers took over two minutes to move the chains over to the Cougars’ six-yard line. Sophomore running back Jonathan Marshall capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to put RCC on the board again.
The Tigers scored again before the end of the first quarter with Doolittle hitting Nickson for his second touchdown of the game and RCC extending their lead to 21-7.
The Cougars would not go away without a fight. They carried the ball down the field and capped it off with a one-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Jazel Riley.
On the Tigers opening drive of the second quarter, defensive lineman Jake Pikor sacked Doolittle, forcing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, knotting the game at 21-21. After a couple of short runs, Doolittle connected with Nickson for a 35-yard touchdown, his third passing score. Resulting in Nickson’s third receiving touchdown of the game going up 27-21.
The Tigers swung the momentum their way late in the second quarter, scoring twice in the final minutes to head into halftime up 37-30.
Penalties and turnovers defined the third quarter for the Tigers. Doolittle struggled, throwing three interceptions in the quarter while the Tigers committed six penalties. The miscues made it difficult for RCC to sustain drives, but the defense stepped up with key stops to keep the game within reach.
“We were beating ourselves up and down,” head coach Kevin Craft said. “We had some spectacular plays and then we would make some really bad mistakes.”
Before the end of the third quarter, freshman running back Devon Nofoa-Masoe punched in a three-yard touchdown for Riverside to go up 44-37.
The miscues continued for the Tigers. Doolittle threw another interception, the Cougars sacked him in their endzone for a safety, cutting the lead down to six. After two straight Cougar punts, the Tigers’ drive started at their 23-yard line. A false start set them back five yards, but Doolittle hit sophomore wide receiver Dominic Cox for a 71-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 50-39.
The Cougars tried to get one last comeback drive. Still, Sophomore linebacker David Lene stopped them cold, tackling Cougar quarterback Jazel Riley for a tackle for loss, giving the Tigers amazing field position at the Cougar 12-yard line.
“We needed the defense to come through,” Craft said. “They got a stop that we really needed to win.”
The Tigers added another touchdown to push their lead to 57-39, but the Cougars fought back with a late scoring drive, closing the gap to 57-54. RCC held on for the win.
After two straight away games, the Tigers head back home to face off against Saddleback College at the Wheelock Stadium on Sept. 20.
