OCC Football Preview vs. L.A. Pierce

Orange Coast (2-2) vs. Los Angeles Pierce (3-1)

When/where: Saturday, 6 p.m. at L.A. Pierce

Key Pirates: So. QB Mason Dossey; So. WR Stefan Derrick; So. MLB Mark Cushing; so. LB Mike Hayden.

Key Brahmas: So. QB Sean Smith; So. WR Xavier Ubosi; So. RB Calvin Howard; So, LB Tanner Kanteman.

Breakdown: Both teams enter the nonconference game in Woodland Hills on a two-game winning streak, the first such streak for Orange Coast since 2012 ... OCC is coming off a bye, before which it upset Fullerton, 31-23, for the biggest victory in Coach Kevin Emerson’s two-season tenure ... Pierce is coming off a 55-20 thumping of West Los Angeles and leads the 37-school Southern California Football Assn. in scoring defense, allowing just 14 points per game ... The Brahmas rank sixth in SoCal in pass defense (172 yards allowed per game) and seventh in total yards allowed per game (316.8) ... OCC ranks No. 16 in scoring defense (26.5) ... Pierce, behind Smith (81 for 130 for 1,236 yards and 11 touchdowns with only two interceptions) is producing 320.3 passing yards per game ... By contrast, OCC is averaging 301 yards total offense per contest ... Dossey, a bounce-back from Humboldt State, is 63 for 98 for 799 passing yards, with seven touchdowns and one interception ... Derrick is averaging 19.3 yards on his 23 catches, five of which have produced touchdowns ... Ubosi is averaging 23.8 yards on 22 receptions, six of which have gone for touchdowns ... The Brahmas’ defense has eight interceptions this season, one more than OCC ... Cushing paces OCC with 40 tackles, six ahead of Hayden ... OCC leads the series, 1-0, after earning a 49-10 triumph at home last season ... OCC returns to Southern Conference play on Oct. 17 against visiting Palomar.

— Barry Faulkner