Not a banner day for the offense

Not only were the Bulldogs shutout in the first half, they trailed 12-0 at halftime. CSM accumulated seven total yards of offense in the first 30 minutes, gained one first down, was sacked three times, had receivers drop four passes, two fumbled center-quarterback exchanges and, to top everything off, a safety against the Bulldogs.

"It wasn't even the score (that concerned me). We didn't have anything working for us," said head coach Larry Owens. "We weren't playing very good. We were lucky it was 12 (point deficit at halftime). It felt like 40-nothing."

Despite all the problems, the Bulldogs came out in the second half and gained 208 yards of offense, scoring four touchdowns. The fifth touchdown came when Ryan Battle returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a score.

"I was pleased to see the kids come back in the second half," Owens said. "I thought they did a good job of dealing with adversity."

CSM (4-1) continues to experience inconsistency on both sides of the ball, although the offense is more problematic. Over the past few seasons, the Bulldogs had personnel who could break off 40-, 50-, 60-yard gains on one play.

"It's more of a plodding (offense this year)," said offensive coordinator Bret Pollack. "You don't get a lot of the 35-, 40-yard plays. In order to get 40 yards, it's going to take three plays. So execution has to be better."

Interceptions

becoming secondary

Last season, the CSM defensive backs were one of the best groups in the state, intercepting 21 passes and returning three for scores.

This year, the Bulldogs have only two picks through the first five games - and both of those came from linebackers.

"Right now, we have a young secondary," said free safety Fred Wilson. "Some of it is just slow reads and breaking on balls. And the chances we do have, we're not taking advantage of."

Wilson said playing defensive back in college is a lot different than high school. Players have to focus more on their own play, hoping teammates will do the same.

"It's very different in high school. It wasn't as technical as it is now," Wilson said. "Now, it's all mental. You read your keys, do your job, know your assignment."

Pollack believes the lack of interceptions correlates to the Bulldogs' offense. Since CSM is not putting up the points it has the last few seasons, opposing teams don't have to take as many chances on offense.

"In years past, we've built up leads, forcing teams to pass," Pollack said. "If we aren't racking up the points, there's going to be less pass attempts (by the opposition)."

Bye, bye

Halfway through the season, the Bulldogs, ranked 13th in the state by the J.C. Athletic Bureau, get a chance to catch their breath this week with a bye.

Heading into the rugged NorCal Conference Oct. 16 against No. 4-ranked Butte, CSM has a lot of work to do.

"It's a good time for us," Owens said. "We can go back to square one and work on some things and try to get the team more consistent."

Owens said the team will practice light through today and then give the players Friday, Saturday and Sunday off before preparing for Butte next week.

"I don't want to worry this week about Butte. We want to worry about us," Owens said. "We're going to spend more time on ourselves this week. The next five teams we play are going to be very good, better than the teams we've played (so far this season)."

Despite the daunting task of playing in the NorCal Conference - of which all six teams are ranked in the top-25 in the state - Owens believes the Bulldogs can be successful..

"If we play like we did in the second half (against Gavilan), we have a chance to win in this conference," Owens said.