College of San Mateo comes up short in first loss of season

It marks the first loss of the year for CSM (4-1).

“It was just an unreal game that came down to inches on that final drive,” CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said.

With just over two minutes to play, Butte faced third-and-2 near midfield when a running play was met by freshman linebacker Cyrus Durham, who stuffed the run for a 1-yard gain, forcing fourth-down. Blasting into the middle of the line, Rieger Sayre got just enough to pick up a first down and keep Butte on offense. CSM did eventually force a turnover on downs at the Butte 44-yard line, but with just 22 seconds left, it wasn’t enough time to get into field goal range.

“Our defense, they just made critical stops, especially in the fourth quarter,” Tulloch said. “Our defense, we were put into some tough positions, and there was no flinch. It was great to see our team … really just rally shoulder to shoulder and come together.”

CSM quarterback Anthony Grigsby proved dangerous as usual, completing 23 of 48 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns. But the redshirt freshman threw four interceptions on the day, including two in the first quarter.

Dylan Labarbera picked off a Grigsby pass on the second play of the game, and Butte quickly turned it into points on a 1-yard scoring run by Christian Vaughn. After Butte kicker Danny Alvarez booted a 42-yard field goal with 5:23 left in the first quarter, making it 9-0, Grigsby threw another interception on the following play, with Malcolm Dewalt stealing it away at the CSM 5. Two plays later, Vaughn ran it in for a 1-yard score to up the lead to 16-0.

“You just tip your hat on those (interceptions),” Tulloch said. “Their guys made some great plays. It was them making some great plays and they had momentum in the first half and the third quarter, and it kind of switched in the fourth.”

Grigsby got seven points back in a hurry with a 63-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Patterson.

But the Butte defense continued to force Grigsby to the air by flustering the CSM ground game. The Bulldogs outgained the Roadrunners 406-300 in total yards but managed just 80 rushing yards. Butte — led by Vaughn’s game-high 162 yards on 27 carries — ran for 256.

“It’s got to get better,” Tulloch said of CSM’s ground game. “We had an experienced o-line and running back room last year, and … now, we graduated a lot of that experience, so there’s younger guys. That position, that o-line position, there needs to be a lot of cohesion and that takes time to build. … We’re not there yet but we’re working on it.”

The Bulldogs opened the second half with another pair of gut-check moments. First, Vaughn broke a 50-yard scoring run to put the Roadrunners up 23-7. Then, after Dewalt picked off another Grigsby pass near midfield, Butte hit pay dirt with a 26-yard Vaughn romp.

In the fourth quarter, though, CSM came storming back, scoring on three straight possessions. Grigsby hit Patterson with a 3-yard scoring pass, then after a Butte three-and-out, he found Anthony Freeman for a 36-yard scoring strike.

Another quick punt set up the Bulldogs for a 12-play, 65-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a fourth-and-9 throw that saw Grigsby hit Julius Tikoisuva for a 14-yard pickup and a first down.

After a 20-yard throw to Fidel Pitts moved CSM to the Roadrunners’ 1, Lolo Mataele pounded it in to bring the Bulldogs to within 2 with 4:54 to play.

Butte, though, moved the chains on the first play of its make-or-break possession on a 14-yard pickup by Sarye (20 carries for 90 yards). The Roadrunners’ next first-down on fourth-and-inches was the death knell.

“Bottom line when you look at everything, we just got beat by a better team,” Tulloch said. “They were a better team [Saturday] … and it’s our job to learn from it and get better.”

The loss could loom large should CSM need to depend on RPI to make the playoffs, with the California Community College Athletic Association allotting just one Northern California wild card berth. The Bulldogs, though, will be counting on earning an automatic postseason bid, with three going to the region’s three conference winners. That scenario, however, will take five more weeks to hash out.

After an upcoming bye week, CSM opens Bay 6 Conference play in Oakland at Laney College, Friday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.