SANTA ANA - Through 25 minutes of action, the Dons seemed in control of the game against Saddleback College. But the Gauchos battled back, scoring 21 unanswered points to defeat the Dons 21-15 in a National Division, Southern Conference game.

The Dons (1-4, 0-2) built a 15-0 lead through the first 25 minutes of the game on two field goals, a safety and a touchdown. Ian Miller opened scoring with a 27-yard field goal with 1:27 left in the first half, just 24 seconds before Adam Butcher tackled the Gauchos (2-2, 1-0) quarterback in the back of the end zone for a safety that put the Dons up 5-0.

Six minutes into the second quarter, Shane Truelove capped off a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Cole Griffin to extend the Dons lead to 12-0. Miller then kicked his second field goal of the half, this time from 39-yards out, to put the Dons up 15-0 with five minutes left in the first half.

And then it was Saddleback's turn. The Gauchos cut into the Dons lead with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tim Belman to Tyler Murphy before halftime. After the Dons took a 15-7 lead into the break, Saddleback pulled within two points four minutes into the third quarter when Belman connected with Eric Lauderdale from nine-yards out. The Gauchos were unable to convert the two-point conversion that would have tied the game.

With just under seven minutes left in the game, the Gauchos took their first and only lead at 21-15 when Lee Griggs ran in for a three-yard touchdown. Belman then converted the two-point conversion on a pass to Matt Morin to put Saddleback up for good at 21-15.

The Dons made one last push, driving all the way down to the Gauchos 22-yard line. But Truelove was tackled for a loss on fourth down with just over two minutes remaining to turn the ball over on downs and seal the victory for Saddleback.

For the game, Truelove led the Dons in both passing and rushing as he threw for 103 yards on 12-of-27 passing with one touchdown while rushing for 74 yards on 11 carries. Defensively, the Dons were led by Doyin Sule who recorded eight tackles, seven solo, while Michael Lilly and Kevin Joseph had seven tackles apiece.