JC Football Preview: OCC vs. Saddleback

Orange Coast (1-5, 0-2) vs. Saddleback (3-4, 2-1)

When/where: Saturday, 6 p.m. at Saddleback

Key Pirates: Fr. QB Kody Whitaker (1,125 yards, 10 TDs passing); So. WR Mark Munson (44 catches, 690 yards, seven TDs); So. DT Re’Shon Howard (46 tackles); So. OLB Paul Swanson (46 tackles).

Key Gauchos: So. QB Ricky Bautista (2,246 yards, 20 TDs passing); So. WR Roderick Dedrick (46 catches, 406 yards); So. WR Forrest Dunivin (30 catches, 608 yards, six TDs); Fr. LB Thomas Alono (36 tackles).

Breakdown: The Pirates stunned the Gauchos, 55-48, last season in overtime to end a six-game losing streak to their Southern Conference rivals … Saddleback, ranked No. 17 in Southern California, leads the state in passing (347 yards per game) and is No. 4 among 37 Southern California teams in total offense (459.4 yards per game) … It’s a matchup of two of the most productive receivers in the state. OCC’s Munson ranks third in the state in receiving yards per game (115) and total receptions and Saddleback’s Dedrick ranks second in receptions … Bautista is second in the state with 320.9 passing yards per game and touchdown passes … OCC is minus-three in turnover ratio, while Saddleback is minus-12 … The leading rusher for both teams has yet to top the 300-yard mark for the season and both teams are shy of 800 yards on the ground … Saddleback’s roster includes Newport Harbor High product Zach Wade, a freshman defensive back. Wade has 27 tackles … Former Costa Mesa High star Oronde Crenshaw, who played in three games as a defensive back and had eight tackles for the Gauchos, is on a medical redshirt this season after a foot injury, he said ... Saddleback leads the series, 24-13.

— Barry Faulkner