49ers come home seeking first win after 0-2 start
The Yuba College football team has been in both of its games in the fourth quarter, but penalties and turnovers have hounded the 49ers in the early going, and they have two losses to show for it.
On Saturday, they will look to fix those problems and give longtime head man Ted Hoal his 100th coaching victory when they welcome Gavilan College to Linda for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
Penalties have been the biggest problem for Yuba thus far with the 49ers committing 18 penalties in a 30-25 loss to Hartnell in the opener and another 12
WHEN: WHERE: WHAT:
in a 28-6 loss at Merced last week.
Hoal said his team fell out of rhythm offensively when fullback Nate Van Dusen went down with a shoulder injury early in the loss to Merced. To compound matters, the 49ers lost receiver Austin Thompson to an ankle injury later in the game.
Van Dusen will probably miss Saturday’s game for precautionary reasons, while Thompson dodged a bullet by not breaking his ankle but will miss a couple weeks, Hoal said.
Still, the 49ers had their chances to win, but were hampered by two red-zone interceptions before a pair of late touchdowns runs by Merced put the game away.
“I was really pleased with the defense. We just got tired at the end and gave up a long run,” Hoal said. “It was a lot closer game than you would have thought. We just got in a situation where we
didn’t help them out too much offensively.”
Wheatland High graduate Jackson Hopking has completed 17 of 31 passes for 202 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions through two games for the 49ers. Josh Pisik, of Lincoln, saw his first extended playing time last week and finished 12 of 18 for 94 yards and two interceptions as the two quarterbacks split the snaps.
The 49ers finished the game with 343 yards of total offense, but also had 92 yards of penalties and four turnovers.
“We were able to clean up the personal fouls, but once again the majority of the penalties were on offense. The younger kids weren’t lining up in the right spot, and when you throw in a holding penalty here and there, it adds up,” Hoal said. “We had a decent protection, but a couple of the holding penalties were due to our freshmen quarterbacks holding onto the ball too long. They have to have that internal clock and know when to get rid of it.
“We’ve spent the better part of the last three days at practice making sure the younger guys are ready to go. A lot of the mistakes are rookie mistakes, and I’m hoping those will be fixed this week.”
Sophomore Leroy Wilson leads Yuba in rushing with 172 yards on 31 carries, and Van Dusen is right behind him with 137 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Thompson is tops on the team with three receiving touchdowns, and Dylan Campbell has a team-high 10 receptions and a score.
Freshman linebacker Zack Moreland leads the defense with 16 tackles and a fumble recovery over the first two games. Defensive end Ashad Guice has a sack and three tackles for losses.
The 49ers will now turn their attention to Gavilan, which is also 0-2 after a 56-6 loss to Shasta in the opener and a 32-29 loss to Mendocino last week.
The Rams have struggled offensively and have totaled just 402 yards of total offense through their first two games. On the other side of the ball, Gavilan runs a high-risk defense that Hoal said could lead to a big day by the 49ers.
“Defensively, they’re a team that plays man-to-man and they’re going to blitz you. They’re going to live and die by that, and do whatever it takes to get to the quarterback quickly,” said Hoal, who noted that the Rams sometimes put everyone up in the box and line up with no safety deep. “They’re willing to take that risk and give up a touchdown to get a fumble or an interception. They’re going to get you once or twice, but you’re going to have chances to make plays.”