COASTERS: Overachieving?

Steve Virgen

After winning its fourth straight game, a question has surfaced

about Orange Coast College’s football team.

Are the Bucs overachieving?

They have puzzled many with two road wins against nationally ranked

teams and two home wins over a pathetic rival and another nationally

ranked team.

Are the Bucs playing over their heads? Are they playing better than we

thought?

I say, yes.

Coach Mike Taylor and the rest of the Bucs will tell you different.

Even Palomar’s coach, Tom Craft, will also say OCC is not overachieving.

But, not me.

Hold on, though. Let’s get one thing straight -- an overachievers

label is not criticism, well, at least I’m not intending criticism.

The Bucs won their biggest game of the season with a 21-17 victory

over Palomar last week as most people began to ask the question: Who are

these guys?

Though the win was huge, the feat was a gift. Yes, the Bucs played

their hearts out. Yes, they made big plays. We can’t fault them for

taking advantage of certain situations.

Palomar had three touchdowns called back on penalties and a personal

foul call, that came before a third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, ended

another Comets’ scoring chance.

And get this: OCC had an offensive lineman score his first touchdown

ever as Adam Fisher scooped Rob Pate’s blocked field goal and ran four

yards for the score.

Still, Palomar’s coach knew the Bucs were hot coming into the game. He

knew they were for real.

“Overachieving?,” Craft said after his team’s loss. “With that

offensive line and quarterback? And that defense? Not a chance. We knew

they were the hottest team in the conference.”

So, I digress. The Bucs are playing great football. The defense is

nails. They have been consistently shutting down people during the

season. But, the offense -- that’s where the real mystery lies.

Quarterback Nick Higgs is probably the biggest reason for the

offense’s turnaround. His strategy for the improvement has been simple.

He says he just relies on his teammates, and those guys have been

stepping up. Receivers Justin Dale, Jonathan Jackson and Vince Strang III

have been clutch. Each has built good rapport with Higgs. And tight end

Ben Fredrickson always seems to be open.

The running game complements the aeiral attack quite nicely. The Bucs’

offense actually threatens teams. So are they really achieving? Were

those victories over Mt. San Antonio, Pasadena and Palomar really upsets?

Coach Taylor certainly doesn’t think so.

“They’re playing to their potential,” Taylor said. “As a coach you

always try to get the players to play up to their own level. We’re not

the most gifted group of guys. We just have guys who have started to

believe in themselves.”

There are two sides to the Bucs’ story of success. They are

overachieving. They are playing to their level, after overcoming a 0-3

start with one touchdown to show for themselves.

But the bottom line is: The Bucs are winning.

They have a chance to earn an appearacne in a bowl game for the first

time since 1993. They have a chance for a Mission Conference

championship, the first since 1990. And they have the opportunity to have

a winning season after six straight losing years.