Ventura, CA – Despite racking up over 500 yards of total offense, the Bakersfield College football team came up just short of knocking off No. 4 ranked Ventura College falling 45-38 on the road Saturday night.

The first quarter alone was an electric back and forth shootout as the Renegades and Pirates combined to light up the scoreboard with 63 points.

Sophomore Ian Jernigan's 1-yard touchdown run gave the Renegades an early 7-0 lead, but Ventura answered quickly with a pair of scores to go up 14-7. BC responded as sophomore Ja'Daniel Nettles and freshman Dylan Johnson each found the end zone, including a 41-yard strike from quarterback Malachi Statler to Johnson that put Bakersfield in front 21-14. The Pirates answered with two more touchdowns before Johnson connected again but this time on a 29-yard pass from Carson Woods to tie it at 28. A 29-yard run from Ventura quarterback the wild quarter, giving the Pirates a 35-28 lead after 15 minutes.

Both defenses settled in during the middle quarters. Ventura added a 32-yard field goal in the third, while Bakersfield's Carlos Villa knocked in one from 32 yards early in the fourth to pull within 38-31. The Pirates sealed the game late with a Koen Glover touchdown run, though Statler kept Bakersfield fighting until the end with a 47-yard touchdown to Chad Sabal with just 35 seconds left.

Bakersfield's balanced attack tallied 503 total yards, including 219 on the ground. Nettles led the rushing effort with 73 yards and a touchdown, while Woods and Statler combined for 284 passing yards and three touchdowns. Johnson (91 yards, 2 TDs) and Sabal (92 yards, 1 TD) led the receivers.

Defensively, freshman Drew Underwood (12 tackles) and sophomore Tyler Lewis (9 tackles) paced the Renegades, while freshman Turrelle Monk added an interception. The BC defense also tallied four sacks on the night.

Bakersfield (2-1) returns home this coming Saturday to host undefeated Golden West College (3-0). Kick off is at 4pm and admission is free.