TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Bakersfield College had a wild opener Saturday night, posting a 52-41 win over Los Angeles Pierce College in Memorial Stadium.

The two things that stood out most in this game was BC's defensive struggles, and amazing breakdowns by the L.A. Pierce special teams.

First the BC defense:

The Renegades allowed, by my count, 601 yards in total offense and 33 first downs. The breakdown was 334 passing yards and 267 rushing yards.

Pierce was a playoff team last season, going 7-4 and losing its final game to eventual state champion Mount SAC in a first-round SoCal playoff game, 69-31. Before that game, Pierce had scored between 41 and 46 points in four straight games, had a 24-0 victory, then won in OT 62-55 over West L.A.

So Pierce has an offensive track record.

But the concern was the inability by BC to finish tackles on many plays, and the inability to contain the two athletic quarterbacks the Brahmas unveiled. The missed tackles reminded me of BC's first scrimmage 3 weeks ago.

That aspect of BC's game must improve, and quickly. Next Saturday, BC travels to Saddleback, a traditional SoCal power that opened with a 37-6 win over Orange Coast on Saturday.

With Saddleback, Mount SAC, El Camino, Cerritos, Hancock and Canyons on BC's schedule, the defense has to improve or it's going to be a long season.

Now the special teams. Maybe calling it breakdowns by Pierce is too simplistic. Let's give credit where credit is due: BC had a great special teams game.

Andre Smith had kickoff returns of 31 and 95 yards, Julian Dean-Johnson had a 94-yard TD on a kickoff return and BC also blocked a field goal and had a Tyler Dogins touchdown return when Pierce lost a fumble on one of its kickoff returns.

There were four BC touchdowns you could attribute to special teams. That's pretty remarkable. Kicker Josh Gallington was perfect, 7-for-7 on PATs and a 19-yard FG. Punter Curt Huge averaged more than 41 yards on five kicks and consistently pinned Pierce deep in its territory.

Other quick notes:

QB Lyle Negron was only 7-of-17 passing, but at least four balls were dropped. And it was nice to see BC work running backs into the passing game, something that hasn't been common in recent years.

But when you have players like Andre Smith, Julian Dean-Johnson and Lee West, getting the ball into their hands as often as possible seems like a recipe for success.

Other Saturday scores of interest involving teams on BC's schedule:

Mount SAC whacked Victor Valley, 61-14; Citrus beat West L.A. 36-25; Hancock crushed Santa Barbara 51-6, Canyons routed Antelope Valley (both are on BC's schedule), 35-7; El Camino dominated LA Southwest 56-7 and Cerritos beat L.A. Harbor 29-14.