No. 20 Citrus Stuns No. 2 Mt. SAC in Historic 48–43 Upset

GLENDORA, Calif. – Citrus College Football delivered one of the program's most memorable wins on Saturday night, shocking No. 2-ranked Mt. San Antonio College 48–43 in front of a packed Citrus Stadium crowd. The victory marked Citrus' first win over Mt. SAC in more than 30 years and their first-ever conference triumph against the powerhouse Mounties. 

Mt. SAC, last year's 3C2A state runner-up, entered the night undefeated, but left with its first loss of the season as the Owls completed a stunning comeback. With the win, Citrus improves to 3-1 overall, while Mt. SAC falls to 3-1. 

The game started in disastrous fashion for the Owls, who were pinned at their own one-yard line on their first possession and immediately surrendered a safety. The Mounties quickly built a 26–7 lead early in the second quarter behind two rushing touchdowns and a 38-yard scoring strike. 

Citrus found life midway through the second quarter when Elijah Ybanez picked off a pass to set up a quick strike from quarterback Brian Salazar Jr. to wideout Jojo Enriquez, cutting the deficit to 26–14. After another Mt. SAC score, Salazar connected with JP Sandiford for a 31-yard touchdown to bring the Owls within 33–21 at halftime. 

The second half belonged to Citrus. The Owls opened with an 85-yard drive capped by a Salazar quarterback sneak to make it 33–28. After a Mt. SAC field goal, Salazar rolled out and found Lorenza Simmons for a spectacular 75-yard touchdown, trimming the lead to two. Moments later, Simmons struck again—this time a 15-yard grab, giving Citrus its first lead of the night, 41–36, late in the third quarter. 

The Owls defense then came up with a huge takeaway as Thomas White forced a fumble, recovered by Bear Baker. Six plays later, Keyonn Chatmann punched in a rushing score to push the Citrus lead to 48–36 heading into the fourth. 

The Mounties pulled within 48–43 with five minutes left, and after a Citrus punt, had one last chance. Driving to the Owl 10-yard line with under 20 seconds remaining, Mt. SAC faced 4th-and-6. Durand Johnson made a great play, intercepting Mt. SAC's 4th-and-6 pass attempt on the goal line to seal the historic victory. 

Citrus' offense rolled up 489 total yards, led by Salazar's career performance. The sophomore quarterback went 25-for-38 for 389 yards and five passing touchdowns, adding a rushing score as well. Simmons finished with nine receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while Bateman added seven catches for 113 yards and a score. Sandiford and Enriquez each hauled in a touchdown reception. Chatmann led the Owls' the ground game with 63 yards and a touchdown. 

Defensively, the Owls were just as clutch. White led the team with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Baker recorded nine tackles and a fumble recovery, while Ybanez stuffed the stat sheet with eight tackles, one interception, and two pass breakups. Jarrel Comer added two sacks in the second half to help stall Mt. SAC's comeback effort. 

The win, which snapped decades of frustration against the Mounties, will go down as one of the biggest in Citrus College football history. 

The Owls now turn their attention to Santa Ana College (0-4), traveling south for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, September 27.