Delta College’s football team was unable to overcome Sierra during its Sept. 25 matchup.
The Mustangs (0-4) fell to the Wolverines with a score of 63-37 in a game that had most of its outcome determined during the first quarter.
It didn’t take long for the Wolverines (1-2) to get on the scoreboard after Sierra quarterback Qyntyn Pilcher-Colbert threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Matt Smart on left field during the second play of the game in the first 40 seconds.
The Mustang defensive unit started off the game being overwhelmed in the first quarter, conceding 35 points, 28 of them in just the first 10 minutes. Delta only managed to force Sierra to punt the ball once for the Mustangs’ lone turnover of the first 15 minutes.
Things weren’t much different for Delta’s offensive unit.
With the exception of two rushing touchdowns from sophomore running back Jaylyn Session, the Mustangs found it difficult to move the ball forward and were only able to cross the 50-yard line three times during the first half.
“We didn’t start off well. We had a couple of good plays here and there but those mistakes cost us,” Delta head coach Gary Barlow said.
Sierra forced the Mustangs to turn the ball over five times during the first half, including two interceptions from Wolverines Tyson Ybarra and Imari White.
Despite a slight improvement from Delta’s defensive unit during the second half, the Wolverines were able to continue picking up yards with a diverse offense ranging from precise passes, long running plays and a couple of quarterback scrambles.
The Mustangs also saw some improvement on offense, scoring 23 points during the second half.
However the damage done during the first half had already taken its toll and Delta was unable to rally points to narrow Sierra’s lead.
“We have to stay focused the entire game, we can’t just play well for one or two quarters,” Mustangs quarterback Justin DeMello said.
Keeping possession on every drive was a major problem for Delta.
DeMello pointed out that holding on to the ball is important if the team wants to get results.
“We have to work on taking care of the football whenever we have it,” said DeMello.
Things have been complicated for both of the Mustangs’ units.
Delta has allowed a total of 172 points in four games and have scored 97 points.
With a roster mostly consisting of freshmen Barlow thinks the results show that the team’s current group of players still has things to learn.
“Our freshmen are still learning how to play football on the college level, play after play,” said Barlow.
Despite the loss, DeMello admires the team’s reaction during the second half.
“We pulled it together and talked it out during halftime,” said DeMello. “There’s no quit in this team, no matter how large the deficit is we keep on going.”
Delta will square off next week on Oct. 2 against Reedley in the team’s next matchup.