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JC Football Preview: OCC vs. Santa Ana

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Orange Coast (1-6, 0-3) vs. Santa Ana (3-4, 0-3)

When/where: Saturday, 1 p.m. at OCC

Key Pirates: So. WR Mark Munson (47 receptions, 789 yards, seven TDs); Fr. QB Kody Whitaker (1,414 yards, 12 TDs, six INTs passing); Fr. WR Davaysia Hagger (30 catches, 450 yards, five TDs); So. DT Re’Shon Howard (55 tackles).

Key Dons: So. QB Shane Truelove (1,065 yards, nine TDs, eight INTs passing); So. RB Tyler Siudzinski (458 yards, five TDs rushing); Fr. WR Hayden Dunn (41 catches, 542 yards, four TDs); So. LB Troy Kurtz (53 tackles).

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Breakdown: Both teams are looking for their first Southern Division win of the season and the Pirates have lost five straight conference games, dating back to last season ... The Dons have lost two straight and four of their last five games ... OCC is trying to avoid posting fewer than two wins in a season for only the fifth time in the program’s 67-season history ... OCC was 1-9 in 1996, 0-10 in 1982, 0-9 in 1960 and 0-10 in 1954 ... OCC’s leading rusher, Kyle White, has 275 yards this season. Only twice in OCC history has its leading rusher failed to reach at least 308 yards (185 in 1980 and 202 in 1982) ... Munson ranks second in the state in receiving yards per game (112.7) and tied for No. 7 in receptions ... Hagger, who had eight catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 57-24 loss at Saddleback, was the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week ... Whitaker, who did not start the first three games of the season, needs just 137 passing yards to move into No. 8 in the school’s single-season annals. With 333 more passing yards, he can move into the No. 6 spot. Only three OCC players have passed for at least 2,000 yards in one season, topped by Keith Jarrett’s 2,524 in 1987 ... Despite their struggles, turnovers have not been killing either team. OCC is even in turnover ratio, while Santa Ana is plus-one ... OCC ranks No. 9 in the 37-team Southern California Football Assn. in passing yards per game (nearly 228), while Santa Ana is No. 30 (197.4) ... In addition to leading the team in tackles, Howard’s 3.5 sacks are also best among Pirates ... OCC ranks No. 34 in SoCal in yards allowed per game (448) ... OCC leads the series, 32-31, but the Dons have won the last two and three of the last four.

— Barry Faulkner

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