SANTA ANA, Calif. - Santa Ana College Football hosted Pasadena City College (1-0) in their 2024 season opener at Eddie West Field on Saturday night. The Dons (0-1) got off to a slow start and never fully recovered, resulting in a 46-28 loss to the Lancers. 

After three punts and a turnover, SAC finally got on the board in the second quarter thanks to a 10 play, 86-yard drive capped by a 12-yard pitch and catch from Nate Bento to James Farmer.

Unfortunately, the Lancers responded right away with a 92 yard kickoff return by standout Flip Fox to push the PCC lead to 24-7 with 1:41 left in the half. 

The Lancers added 19 more points on the board before the Dons scored again on a 17-yard rush by Bento in the third. 

From there, it seemed like SAC had finally hit their stride as they began to get consistent stops defensively while Bento started to find All-State wideout Malachi Pierce. 

Pierce caught two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and finished with seven catches and 107 yards. 

Owen Smith and William Saucedo took the bulk of the carries and combined for 61 yards on 19 touches. 

Bento finished his first collegiate game with 141 yards and three touchdowns in the air while rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown. The freshman went 12-22 and also had three interceptions. 

The Dons defense was led by sophomore defensive end Josef Oborny who recorded nine total tackles with a forced fumble and a sack. Jesse Vargas added six and a fumble recovery while Owen Tesch, Jake Bento and Christian Gabb finished with five tackles apiece. 

Reigning American Metro Player of the Year, Zamir Richardson also had a solid night, collecting four tackles including his first sack of the season and a pass breakup. 

Santa Ana will look to bounce back next week as they hit the road to face LA Southwest in week two of the season. The Cougars defeated West LA 20-18 in their opener.

In their last matchup, the Dons took a 41-16 victory over the Cougars, who went 6-4 last season. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.