No. 1 CSM cruises to 38-14 win over American River

SACRAMENTO – No. 1 state-ranked College of San Mateo scored 28 unanswered points to open its non-league game at American River College and ultimately won by a final score of 38-14 on Saturday.

Running back Ali Collier carried the ball 20 times for a season-high 131 yards to lead the Bulldogs' offense. CSM won its 14^th straight game and improved to 4-0 this season. American River's winless season continued at 0-4.

Quarterback Johnny Koett completed 9 of 13 passes for 91 yards but was intercepted twice. The Bulldogs turned to the running game to control the contest and racked up 197 yards with the majority coming from Collier.

While Collier didn't score, San Mateo got rushing touchdowns from Tyreece Bramwell (31 yards), Riley Long (5 yards), and Koett (5 yards) all in the first half. A big 67-yard interception return for a touchdown by Trevon Watson late in the first quarter also contributed to CSM's 28-0 opening run.

American River finally broke through the CSM defense late in the second quarter to get on the board. Quarterback Jett Harris connected with Joshua Feuerbach for an 83-yard touchdown to send the game into halftime with the Bulldogs holding a commanding 28-7 lead.

After a scoreless third quarter, Dieter Kelly knocked in a 34-yard field goal and Josh Stowers ran in from 10-yard out for a touchdown to close out the Bulldogs' scoring. American River added a TD in the final minute of the contest to make the final score appear less lop-sided.

The CSM defense contributed five takeaways to the win. Watson, Pheonix Rose, and Jaxon Halloway had interceptions while RJ Whitten and Jojo Latu recovered fumbles. Lovante Metcalfe and Marshawn Dunning had 5 tackles each to lead CSM.

The Bulldogs play their second straight game on the road next Saturday (Sep. 27) when they travel to Fresno City College for a 5 p.m. non-league game.