Bakersfield College’s final regular season football game required a performance needed to erase another close loss and a desire to finish above the .500 record and be in line for a playoff spot.
The Renegades trailed early but rallied in the second half to earn a 40-17 victory Saturday night against Santa Barbara at Memorial Stadium.
David Smith’s 1-yard run late in the second quarter gave BC a 13-10 halftime lead and the team never relinquished it. The Renegades (6-4 overall, 4-3 in conference) scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to fend off any Vaqueros comeback.
BC quarterback Malachi Statler finished 16 of 20 for 184 yards with touchdowns to Mekhi Smith and Ja’Daniels Nettles, Jalen Hankins rushed 13 times for 71 yards and two scores. BC kicker Carlos Villa missed his first extra kick of the game, but came back with four successful kicks and made field goals of 27 and 29 yards in the fourth quarter.
Santa Barbara (3-7, 2-5) opened the scoring on a 38-yard pass from Benni Collins to Tyreke Fortney. Nettles caught a 6-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-6. Santa Barbara increased its lead to 10-6 on Jackson Smith’s 43-yard field goal. David Smith’s touchdown to give BC the lead for good came with 54 seconds left in the second quarter.
Defensively, BC was solid, limiting the Vaqueros to a total of 204 yards of offense, including just 22 yards rushing. BC intercepted the ball twice and recovered one of three fumbles.
British Columbia is now waiting to find out if it will be placed in a playoff game to be played this Saturday. The Renegades made the Patriotic Bowl last season and lost 31-27 to East Los Angeles.
