Bulldogs look to make it nine in a row over Fresno in Nor Cal semis

It’s a team CSM (9-1) knows very well in No. 5 Fresno (7-4). The Rams, which finished behind Modesto in the Valley Conference standings, buried No. 4 City College of San Francisco in the first round last week, 56-38.

Not only is Saturday’s noon kickoff a rematch of the Bulldogs’ 23-14 win over the Rams in Week 5 Sept. 27, but it’s part of an ongoing series between the two teams, who have met nine times since the 2015 season, including now a third time in the playoffs.

CSM has dominated the series, winning eight of the last nine meetings, with the Bulldogs’ only defeat being a 34-31 loss during the 2016 season. Since then, CSM has won eight in a row. The two did not play in 2022 and 2023.

The teams have met twice in the playoff, with the Bulldogs posting a 31-14 win in the 2021 and 21-0 in 2019 Nor Cal semifinals.

Fresno has always been a tough out for CSM. The Bulldogs may have extended their winning streak in eight straight, but they held on for a 14-7 win last season and struggled to put the Rams away this year. Both teams were scoreless through the first quarter of their Sept. 27 game before the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard early in the second on a Dieter Kelly 25-yard field goal.

But Fresno went into the locker room at halftime holding a 7-3 lead.

But CSM took control in the third quarter, outscoring Fresno 17-0. Malakhi DeMoss ran roughshod over the Rams that day, with 188 yards on 34 carries.

Fresno got things figured out in the second half of the season. After dropping the Valley Conference opener to eventual conference champion Modesto, which is the No. 2 Nor Cal seed and playing No. 3 Diablo Valley in the other semifinal game Saturday, the Rams reeled off four straight wins.

And other than a two-point, 23-21 win over College of the Sequoias Nov. 1, the Fresno offense has been humming. And over the last two weeks — the regular-season finale and the first round of the playoffs — the Rams offense has been nearly unstoppable. They scored 77 points in a 77-24 win over Reedley and followed that by putting up 56 against San Francisco.

Fresno averages 373 yards of offense per game and the recent offensive eruptions has bumped their points per game to 32.3.

But the Rams will be going up against CSM defense that started the season strong and has remained that way. The Bulldogs boast the No. 1-ranked defense in the state, allowing just 13.6 points per game, with offenses managing just 106 passing yards and 89 yards rushing per game. Freshman linebacker Jeremiah Lewis leads CSM with 42 tackles, averaging a little more than four per game. Edge rusher Nate Abbott, a sophomore, has recorded 6.5 sacks, while defensive backs RJ Witten, a sophomore, and freshman Phoenix Rose have combined for seven interceptions.

Meanwhile, the CSM offense has found another gear since San Francisco shut down the Bulldogs, 13-6 Oct. 25, the Bulldogs’ only loss of the season.

Like Fresno, CSM has gone on a scoring spree in its last two games, scoring 52 points in each of its last two regular-season games — 52-7 over San Jose and 52-20 over Laney.