BC football coach Chudy focusing on Canyons before playoffs
| Tuesday, Nov 10 2009 07:37 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Nov 10 2009 07:37 PM
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By JEFF EVANS
Call it the "P" word, and Bakersfield College football coach Jeff Chudy doesn't want any part of it -- until after Saturday night.
"P" is playoffs. The Renegades (8-1 overall, 5-0 National Northern Conference) have clinched a spot in the eight-team Southern California playoffs, but it's still unknown where they'll be seeded when the first-round pairings are announced Sunday.
But that's the distant future in Chudy's mind.
"Right now we're focusing on Canyons," Chudy said, referring to Saturday's opponent in BC's regular-season finale which will start at 7 p.m. in Santa Clarita.
From a playoff perspective, BC has clinched the NNC's top spot because of its head-to-head win over another playoff-bound team, Allan Hancock (9-1, 5-1), which has a bye this week. A BC win over Canyons would give the Renegades the outright NNC title.
Others who have qualified for playoff spots are Mount San Antonio (8-1), the likely top seed that has wrapped up the top spot in the National Central Conference; Fullerton (8-1), which is guaranteed to be the top finisher in the National Southern Conference; and two teams from the weaker American Division: 9-0 Los Angeles Harbor (the only unbeaten team in the state) and L.A. Pierce (7-2).
An interesting note: El Camino (8-1), the only team that has beaten BC this season (40-24 on Sept. 26) is in a must-win situation Saturday at Cerritos (8-1). That winner is in the playoffs, the loser is in a bowl but out of the playoffs.
The current Southern California poll's top teams: Mount SAC first, Fullerton second, Cerritos third, El Camino fourth, BC fifth and Hancock sixth.
In the last decade, BC and Canyons have gone toe-to-toe for several conference titles, whether it's been the Western State or National Northern conferences.
But Canyons fell out of NNC contention with losses to Hancock and Ventura. But Canyons can play spoiler: a win over BC would knock the Renegades into a conference co-championship with Hancock.
"They hang around and figure out how to win close games," Chudy said of Canyons, which beat Pasadena 29-22 in overtime last Saturday in a game Chudy watched. BC had a bye last week.
"They're a resilient group of guys who play well on defense," Chudy said, adding that Canyons was especially effective in the kicking game last week, blocking a punt and two field goal attempts and returning a punt for a TD.
BC has been hot, outscoring its opponents 145-31 in the last three games.
"We've got to keep doing what we've done those last three games," Chudy said. "Not turn the ball over, keep people out of the end zone and keep doing a nice job in the kicking game."
One category that has Chudy's interest is turnover ratio.
The Renegades are at plus-16 (seven interceptions and three lost fumbles vs. nine recovered fumbles and 17 interceptions by the BC defense).
Canyons is at minus nine (10 interceptions and 18 lost fumbles vs. the opponents' 11 interceptions and eight lost fumbles).
"They move the ball, they've just been turning it over a lot," Chudy said of Canyons.
"But they've found a way to win. They have two three-point losses (17-14 to Santa Barbara, 19-16 in overtime to Hancock) and one where they had a lot of turnovers (23-6 to Ventura)."
