jag football

Through three weeks of play the Jaguars have yet to post a win and their biggest problem has been stopping their opponents.

The Jaguars have given up an average of 450 yards per game, including a game against Monterey Peninsula in which the Jaguars gave up 508 yards of total offense.

Defensive and special teams struggles have plagued the Jaguars and haves overshadowed some solid offensive play.

On the road in Gilroy for the first game of the season against Gavilan College, the Jaguars led by scoring 22 points through three quarters. However, early in the fourth quarter Gavilan was able to score on a 44-yard pass play.

On the ensuing kickoff, Jaguars kick returner Esteban Mosqueda fumbled and Gavilan was able to recover the fumble with great field position. Gavilan then proceeded to score the go-ahead touchdown six plays later.

Both offenses remained stagnant after that point and the game ended with the Jaguars falling to Gavilan 27-22.

“We left one down in Gilroy. That was one we probably could have won, and we made some key mistakes, but we have some young guys. So now this week we shouldn’t make the same mistakes,” said head coach Carlton Connor.

However, the next game against Merced showcased more defensive and special teams issues for the Jaguars. The Jaguars were blown out 47-0 in their first home game of the season. The Jaguars’ defense was unable to contain quarterback Andrew Trahan, as his dual-threat capabilities proved to be an issue.

The Jaguars’ offense was never able to form a rhythm as Merced’s defenders consistently got into the backfield and disrupted plays.

Merced’s team bus broke down on the road to the game, delaying kickoff by more than an hour.

Monterey Peninsula was also able to take the Jaguars by a comfortable score of 33-20. The Jaguars’ offense did put in a good showing, but Monterey Peninsula jumped out to a 20-point lead by the third quarter and was able to hold off the Jaguars despite Jaguars running back De’Jon Packer running for an impressive 124 yards on only 16 carries.

The Jaguars’ defense once again was unable to stop Monterey Peninsula, specifically on the ground. Monterey Peninsula was able to amass 214 rushing yards on a staggering 5.6 yards per rush average.