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Orange Coast anxious to unveil its offense

Mike Taylor is tired of practicing. The Orange Coast College football coach has had his fill of scrimmaging as well. Just like his players, he is ready for some real football.

Taylor and his team, after an August filled with testing each other, taste competition that counts tonight at 6 against visiting Santa Barbara.

“I want to get the season started,” Taylor said. “I want to hear the crowd. There is nothing like a football game.”

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Without having seen his team in an actual game situation, the Pirates enter the season with a few uncertainties, namely the special teams which did not get adequate work in an Aug. 25 scrimmage against Santa Monica.

“Without having any live special teams, it’s a little scary going into the season,” said Taylor, who would not change anything about the way the scrimmage was run. “There are some question marks.”

There is one area in which Taylor is confident: the potency of the offense. Last season, the Pirates ranked 67th among 72 teams in the state in total offense, averaging just fewer than 290 yards a game.

It was the No. 15-ranked defense, surrendering 292 yards a game, that carried the Pirates in 2005.

Last season’s opener against Santa Barbara was an example of offensive ineptitude and defensive fortitude as the Pirates won ,11-0, without scoring an offensive touchdown.

Taylor understands the Vaqueros will remember the shutout.

“To start off the season with a shutout is not good,” Taylor said of Santa Barbara, which finished 4-6 and is currently on a four-game losing streak.

The offense this season should be more dynamic.

Quarterback Kekoa Crowell is a year more experienced, 6-foot-4 sophomore receiver Damola Adeniji was second-team all-division last season and was MVP of the East County Bowl with 171 receiving yards.

Then there is newcomer Andrew Banks who was All-CIF at North Torrance High while rushing for approximately 2,000 yards and 31 touchdowns.

“We’re going to try to get the ball into the hands of our skill players,” Taylor said. “The quarterback needs to make plays and move the chains. I expect our offense to be better than last year”

Expect the Pirates to run out up to five receivers at a time.

“[Kekoa] has to make quick decisions,” Taylor said. “We call it chuck and duck.”

On defense, OCC will blitz only occasionally, hoping the defensive line provides the pash rush on its own.

From experience, Taylor knows the importance of starting the season with a win. In 2004 the Pirates lost a close home opener, 24-17, to Glendale and ended up starting the season 0-5.

“It was just close loss after close loss,” Taylor said. “They said ‘We’re the best 0-4 team ever.’ That’s not good.”

Last season, four of the Pirates’ five losses were by eight points or fewer and Taylor plans on the offense changing that margin.

“The harder you play, the luckier you get,” Taylor said. “I don’t care if we win by one point.”

The opener also means starting jobs aren’t set in stone for the remainder of the year. Taylor said he told his players the best way to keep their starting jobs or to earn one is to give maximum effort.

“We’re a young team, so there’s constant competition,” Taylor said.

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