The Jaguars finished their first home game of the 2019 season the same way they ended their 2018 season, with a 28-24 home victory over Palomar College in Devore Stadium.
After struggling offensively in their first game against San Diego Mesa scoring only four points, the Jaguars were able to lean on their rushing attack to fuel a hard-fought victory.
SC captured its first lead with just 1:08 left in the half on a 21-yard passing touchdown from sophomore quarterback Joshua Owen to freshman wide receiver Tyler Saikhon. SC took a 14-10 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Jags were re-energized in the third quarter, scoring 14 unanswered points in two minutes on a 42-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Keylan Chapman and a blocked punt by freshman linebacker De’Aundre Cruz returned for a 23-yard touchdown by sophomore defensive back Atoatasi Fox.
Head Coach Ed Carberry pointed to the back-to-back big plays as the turning point.
“Anytime you get a blocked punt, statistics show you win the game about 80 percent of the time,” he said. “Then you pick it up and run it back for a touchdown, that fires everyone up. Then to drive the ball right down for a touchdown after struggling against Mesa. It kind of shows that you are functional and it gives the team confidence.”
That 18-point cushion did not last long as the Comets went on a streak of their own. Sophomore quarterback Shea Morales connected with sophomore wide receiver Johnny Armentrout on a 72-yard touchdown to make it 28-17. Palomar scored again as sophomore defensive back Jay Craft intercepted an Owen pass and returned it 78 yards
Defense rescued the Jaguars in the final quarter and held the Comets offense to 61 total yards.
SC’s offense relied heavily on Owen, who led the team in passing (13-25 for 124 yards and a touchdown) as well as rushing (nine carries for 82 yards and a 53-yard touchdown).
After struggling mightily against San Diego Mesa, Owen said familiarity and a change of mentality allowed the Jags offense to blossom.
“At this level you usually have a brand-new team every year,” he said. “We just had to come together and figure out we can really win. We did not really have any momentum going into Mesa, but coming to Southwestern no one is going to beat us at our house.”
While the offense was able to have a turnaround performance from the four-point output against San Diego Mesa the prior week, the defense continued to exhibit its dominant defensive front. The Jags defensive line set the tone from the first drive getting into the backfield and pressuring the quarterback, resulting in an injury to Palomar sophomore quarterback Rodney Thompson early in the second quarter.
Freshman defensive lineman Brian Williams finished the game with four tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Williams said the attitude and talent makes them impact players.
“Our mentality is to dominate,” he said. “When everyone dominates and does their job, everybody can have a good game. That night it was just my turn.”
The Jaguars have been able to build on that performance, sparking a four-game winning streak taking them into conference play with a 4-1 record.
