JC Football Preview: Orange Coast vs. Saddleback

Orange Coast (3-6, 1-3) vs. Saddleback (8-1, 3-1)

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

Key Pirates: Sr. QB Kody Whitaker; Fr. WR Joey Cox; Fr. DE Daniel Garcia; So. S Sherrod Page.

Key Gauchos: Fr. RB Edward Vander; Fr. QB Nick Robinson; So. WR Remy Wasserbach; Fr. WR C.J. Harris.

Breakdown: The Gauchos are ranked No. 1 in the state and have won three straight since losing their Southern Conference opener against Golden West…Saddleback is tied for first with Golden West and Fullerton and can earn at least a share of the conference title with a win…OCC has an opportunity to earn its biggest win since it upset Golden West, then ranked No. 1 in the state, in the eighth week of the 2015 season…Whitaker has 15 touchdown passes this season and a school-record 31 in his career…Whitaker is 166 yards shy of breaking the school career passing yardage record of 4,003 set by Jared Flint in 1998-99…Cox has 45 receptions for 579 yards and eight touchdowns…Garcia leads the Pirates with 45 tackles and four sacks, while Page has 44 tackles and three interceptions…Vander has 1,049 yards rushing and receiving and all 14 of his touchdowns are rushing…Robinson, a Georgia bounce-back, has thrown for 1,344 yards and 13 TDs…Saddleback is averaging nearly 41 points per game and ranks fourth among 37 Southern California schools with 3,930 yards of total offense…Orange Coast has 19 turnovers and is minus-four in turnover ratio, while Saddleback has 10 turnovers and is even in that department….OCC has one win over Saddleback in their last nine meetings, a 55-48 overtime verdict in 2013.

— Barry Faulkner