San José falters in second half as Sequoias pulls away, 28–14

SAN JOSÉ, Calif. — College of the Sequoias used a dominant ground game and timely strikes through the air to seize control in the second half, defeating San José City College 28–14 on Saturday night at Jaguar Stadium.

Quarterback Payton Faker threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Mookie Gosby ripped off a 64-yard scoring run that turned the momentum early in the third quarter. The Giants (2-1) piled up 489 yards of total offense and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, grinding down a Jaguars squad that struggled to sustain drives.

The loss dropped San José City to 1-2 on the season.

A back-and-forth start

The teams traded defensive stops through a scoreless first quarter before Sequoias put together a bruising 12-play, 38-yard march midway through the second. Faker capped the drive by hitting Dontae Gentles on a 5-yard fade route with 10:30 left in the half. Matt Garza added the first of his four extra points for a 7-0 lead.

San José answered quickly. Quarterback Cedeno Chavez, who finished 26 of 38 for 189 yards, engineered a nine-play, 78-yard drive capped by a 16-yard strike to Cody Ahola. Gabe Mederios converted the extra point to even the score at 7 with 7:31 left before halftime.

Neither side could break the deadlock before the break, setting the stage for Sequoias' decisive third-quarter surge.

Giants seize control

On the Giants' first possession of the second half, Gosby took a handoff off left tackle, burst through a crease, and outran the Jaguars' secondary for a 64-yard touchdown. The sophomore back finished with 85 yards on seven carries, averaging more than 12 yards per rush.

Faker continued the assault minutes later, connecting with O'Bryan Flanigan on a 17-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 21-7 at the 8:54 mark of the third quarter.

Flanigan struck again in the fourth, this time on a 37-yard deep ball that pushed the margin to 28-7 with 9:40 remaining. The wideout hauled in three catches for 67 yards, both touchdowns highlighting his big-play ability.

Jaguars fight late but fall short

San José showed life when backup quarterback Joey Campanga entered late in the fourth quarter and lofted a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kai Wilson with 7:01 to play. That trimmed the deficit to 28-14, but the Jaguars never threatened again as Sequoias' defense forced punts on the final two possessions.

Campanga completed 3 of 4 passes for 27 yards and a score, but also threw an interception.

San José's offense never found balance. The Jaguars mustered just 36 rushing yards on 27 attempts, with leading rusher Nathaniel Garcia limited to 24 yards.

Numbers tell the story

The Giants dominated statistically:
• Total offense: Sequoias 489, San José 274
• Rushing yards: Sequoias 184, San José 36
• Time of possession: Sequoias 39:33, San José 20:27

Faker's efficiency stood out despite 20 incompletions. He spread the ball around, hitting Gentles seven times for 38 yards and a score, while Gage Armbruster led all receivers with 96 yards on six catches.

Defensively, Sequoias registered five sacks, including 1.5 from Josiah Harris, and intercepted one pass. Linebacker Paki Crawford contributed six tackles and a sack.

For San José, linebacker Nate Goldsbury led all players with 12 tackles, while safety Kai Preisendorf notched an interception.

Special teams and penalties

Kicker Matt Garza was perfect, drilling all four extra points. The Giants' return game also set up strong field position, with Kenyan Simpson adding a 25-yard kickoff return.

San José's special teams struggled, with negative yardage on three kickoff returns. Punter Preston Conrad averaged 33.8 yards on four kicks.

Penalties hurt both sides, though Sequoias was flagged 17 times for 190 yards. San José drew 10 penalties for 68 yards.

Looking ahead

The Giants will try to build on their momentum as conference play looms, while San José faces questions about offensive consistency after producing just two touchdowns for the second straight week.

Despite the loss, Chavez found positives in the Jaguars' passing attack, which saw eight different receivers catch a pass. Jaalen Mhoon led the group with seven receptions for 62 yards.

Sequoias (2-1) will return home next week, while San José (1-2) begins a two-game road swing.

Attendance was announced at 523 on a sunny 71-degree evening.