SBCC football struggled to contain the high-flying Ventura College offense on Saturday night at La Playa Stadium, falling by a score of 76-25.
The 17th-ranked Pirates (3-2) scored early and often on the Vaqueros (0-5), putting up at least 14 points in all four quarters and totaling 849 yards of offense en route to the win.
Ventura opened the night with three unanswered touchdowns before SBCC got on the board at the end of the first quarter when Eli Gebbie stepped in front of a pass for an interception and returned it 65 yards for a pick-six.
The Pirates regained the momentum in the second with two more touchdowns, which the Vaqueros answered with a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Bishop Diego alum Oscar Anoia to make it 35-13.
That seemed to be the score heading into halftime, but Ventura put together a strong drive down the field and scored on a passing touchdown to extend the lead to 42-13 heading into the break.
SBCC struck first in the second half when Brooks Trimmer found Ayden Staricco for a 12-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 42-19.
The Pirate offense went right back to work, rattling off 27 unanswered points on four touchdowns, including two rushing touchdowns for over 85 yards apiece.
The Vaqueros put up their final points on the second touchdown connection of the night from Trimmer to Staricco, this one from 17 yards out.
However, Ventura put its finishing touches on the win with a final touchdown with less than a minute left to bring the game to its final score of 76-25.
The Pirates gained a whopping 464 yards on the ground in the win, averaging 11.9 yards per carry along the way.
SBCC will now head into its bye week before taking on Moorpark on the road on Thursday, Oct. 8.
