Loss has Reisbig questioning Vikes' bowl status

Long Beach City College football coach Mike Reisbig still isn't sure if his team will play in next week's Central Division Championship Bowl.
On Saturday afternoon at Veterans Stadium, the Vikings suffered a 28-9 loss to Citrus in the final regular-season game for both teams. That dropped LBCC to 4-1 in the Central West Conference, where they can finish no worse than a tie for first place with Moorpark. And since the Vikings beat Moorpark in their head-to-head meeting, they are considered the conference champion.
But the problem lies with LBCC's overall record, which fell to 5-5. Southern California Football Association rules state a team must be at least 6-4 to qualify for a bowl game, although SCFA commissioner Jim Sartoris said earlier this week winning the conference would assure the Vikings a bowl berth.
"A 5-5 team does not got to a bowl," said Reisbig, clearly frustrated his team didn't remove any doubt as to its playoff status, which a victory over the Owls would have done. "It's written right in the SCFA constitution. You've gotta be (at least) 6-4. We're 5-5."
Reisbig said he's seen stranger things happen in the past, and won't believe his team is in the postseason when he sees it listed in this morning's bowl pairings.
"It's all gonna come down to a panel of people in Sacramento who decide who goes where," he said.
LBCC was hamstrung before the game even began when a shoulder injury suffered last week kept quarterback Ryan Craighead from playing a single down. Backup Marcus Montero threw for 208 yards but never got Long Beach's high-powered offense in gear. The Vikings had five consecutive three-and-out possessions in the first half and were a paltry 1-for-12 on third-down conversions.
With Long Beach's offense unable to sustain any drives, its defense quickly tired, and Citrus (3-7, 3-2) took advantage with its running game. Ricky Johnson ran for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns, mostly on toss sweeps, and the Owls rushed for 212 yards.[ep
Citrus also pulled off three successful fake punts - on direct snaps to an up man - that set up two touchdowns.
"The defense played well but we didn't defend the punt," said Reisbig. "When you give up (three) fake punts, you're gonna beat yourself."
Trailing 21-3 early in the fourth, LBCC appeared to get back in the game when safety Ariel Arguello recovered a fumble at the 1 and ran it all the way back for a score. But well behind the play, LBCC incurred two personal fouls which nullified the touchdown and brought the ball all the way back to the Vikings' 9.
LBCC turned the ball over on downs six plays later, and Citrus put the game away on a 37-yard screen pass from Rocky Moore to William Clark.