College Of San Mateo Football Improves To 2-0 In First Home Game Since 2019

Press release from the College of San Mateo:

September 13, 2021

The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

In four minutes, College of San Mateo showed off all three facets of its game — and what a remarkable showing it was.

The Bulldogs (2-0 overall) hadn’t played a game on their home field since Nov. 30, 2019 — a 41-0 victory over Modesto Junior College in the California Community College Athletic Association Northern California championship game — and celebrated their return to Bulldog Stadium in style Saturday afternoon, defeating College of the Sequoias (0-2) by the same score of 41-0.

The addition of Evans to the backfield has been a big boost as well. A transfer freshman, Evans had four touches during CSM’s first two drives, including an 8-yard touchdown run off tackle to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Evans’ 30-yard scoring catch to open the second half was a thing of beauty. The play-action screen pass saw Evans float out of the backfield to the left and find himself all alone in the flat. It was a sign of the explosive third quarter to come as CSM made critical adjustments in the halftime locker room, and exploited Sequoias’ tendency to pull its free safety early to counter the rush. So, when the Bulldogs faked the run to the right, it left a wide-open left side for Evans to score.

“Going into halftime we drew some stuff up, we talked about it, and we came out a lot more confident in the second half,” Evans said. “We knew what we was going to do and we went with it; and there you go.”

Make no mistake, though. The Bulldogs’ defense served not only as the backbone of Saturday’s win but has been nearly flawless through the first two weeks of the season. Prior to shutting out Sequoias, CSM opened the season with a 45-5 victory the previous Saturday in Santa Rosa. The Bulldogs have yet to surrender a touchdown this season.

Against Sequoias, the Bulldogs put on a defensive clinic, totaling nine sacks, a pair of interceptions by Rufus Lovelace and Ryan Cooper Jr., and two fumble recoveries.

Blanks and freshman Taniela Latu totaled two sacks apiece. Blanks has been perhaps the biggest surprise, having converted this season from running back to linebacker. Through the first two games he has ever played at linebacker in his life, Blanks has totaled 10 tackles and three sacks.

“I think it came down to I’d rather just hit people than get hit,” Blanks said. “That’s how I flip that switch.”

CSM doubles down to play at home again this coming Saturday. The Bulldogs are set to host Butte College. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

This press release was produced by the College of San Mateo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.