Five years from now, they’ll still be talking about it. Anyone who attended Saturday’s NorCal Conference showdown pitting City College of San Francisco against host College of San Mateo will surely have vivid memories of at least parts of what may well go down as one of the greatest junior college football games in recent memory.

This wasn’t just a close, one-point game. This was a brilliantly played contest between two powerhouse programs. CSM jumped out to a 24-7 lead. CCSF went on 31-13 run for a 38-37 advantage. There were three lead changes in the final seven-minutes, with big plays and even bigger hits. Yes, it was that good. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, this game finished the same way the previous 15 times they’ve played the Rams — with a loss.

CCSF 41, CSM 40.

“It’s very, very hard right now,” Bulldogs coach Larry Owens said. “It’s hard to deal with. I felt if we played well, we could beat them. A lot of guys were courageous. I feel bad for these kids because they executed for the most part, and gave their heart and soul, but it came down to a couple of plays.”

And the Rams made them. Down 40-38 with 2:46 remaining, CCSF (8-0, 3-0 NorCal) went on an eight-play, 48-yard drive, capped by John Abrams’ 34-yard, game-winning field goal with 50 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs (5-3, 1-2) couldn’t make a key stop, even when it looked as if the Rams had imploded. A bad snap resulted in a 17-yard loss that pushed them to the brink. Facing a third-and-27 from the CSM 37-yard line, Rams quarterback Jimmy Collins hooked up with Jomar Drake for a 20-yard gain to set up Abrams’ field goal. The Bulldogs’ hopes of pulling off the upset ended when Julian Edelman threw his third interception of the game, with 32 seconds remaining.

The turnovers, along with CSM’s inability to find the end zone in the fourth quarter despite great field position, and its defensive struggles, prevented the Bulldogs from making history. CSM hasn’t beaten the Rams since 1988, when current offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Bret Pollack was a freshman tight end on the team. Opportunities like this don’t come along very often; the CCSF juggernaut has lost only four games in the last six years and has won numerous mythical national championships. The Rams entered Saturday’s game having beaten their previous seven opponents by a combined 323-53, and hadn’t allowed more than 14 points in a game. But that didn’t last long against the Bulldogs, who opened the game with a 10-play, 53-yard drive, capped by Gil Hernandez’s 34-yard field goal.

The Rams took a 7-3 lead before Del Ben’s 45 yard kickoff return helped set up the Bulldogs’ next score, a you had to see it to believe it, 46-yard touchdown run by Edelman, who rushed for 140 yards on 26 carries, completed 6 of 12 passes for 135 more, and scored a school record-tying four touchdowns. His first was a thing of beauty, showcasing all of the freshman’s talents. Edelman ran to his right on an option keeper, then changed directions four more times — leaving numerous CCSF defenders dazed and confused — before cruising into the end zone. It was just one of many highlight-reel runs by Edelman, who actually took responsibility for the loss. Two of his three interceptions led to 14 CCSF points.

“I’m pretty pissed off right now,” he said. “I threw three picks that were very crucial to the outcome of the game. The last one I thought I saw a guy open, but I threw a duck. I’m really disappointed in myself. You take those three picks away, and that can be the difference. I thought we were the better team. I’d rather have nothing (stats-wise) and win this game. I wish we could’ve been able to pass a little more. At crucial times, we weren’t able to put it in the end zone.”

None was more costly than early in the fourth quarter. CSM’s Francis Maka had sacked and forced a fumble from Collins, and Ian Freeman recovered. The Bulldogs took over on the CCSF 17, and a pass interference call gave them a first-and-goal from the 10. But they had to settle for a Hernandez 27-yard field goal, and instead of a 10-point advantage, they led only by six points, 37-31, with 9:21 left. CCSF responded with a six-play, 86-yard drive, capped by Collins’ 26-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Straiten. The key play was Roberto McBean’s lunging catch on a third-and-eight from the Rams’ 16. McBean went high in the air, his arms fully outstretched, to keep CCSF’s drive alive.

On the ensuing drive, CSM relied on Edelman’s quickness and toughness for the go-ahead score. He completed a 27 yard pass and rushed four times for 23 yards — all on keepers around left end — to set up another Hernandez 27-yard field goal — his fourth of the game, breaking a single-game CSM record and putting his team up 40-38 with 2:55 to go. However, field goals weren’t enough on this day, as Collins marched his team down to set up Abrams’ heroics. Collins repeatedly shredded the CSM defense, completing 25 of 34 passes for 413 yards and four touchdowns. The Bulldogs had no answer for Maurice Purify, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound receiver, who had 12 receptions for 220 yards. Purify and Edelman were the best athletes on the field, playmakers who could change the game in an instant. This was the second time the Bulldogs have lost a game when they’ve scored 40 points; the other came in a 42-40 defeat to College of the Sequoias on Sept. 10.

“There wasn’t much we could do with him (Purify),” CSM defensive coordinator Tim Tulloch said. “We’re just a little green on defense this season, and guys haven’t been put in situations enough where they could’ve made the one stop.”

The Rams will always have superior playmakers because of their high-profile reputation, but the greatest equalizer is a tough and physical offensive line. The Bulldog’s O-line of Andrew Havili, Avery Bustamante, James Tretheway, Alex Reyes and Landon Laurusaitis were more than up for the task, at times bullrushing a Rams’ defense that entered the contest ranked No. 1 in Northern California. They gave Edelman time to complete passes of 22, 27, 35 and 47 yards. Tyreece Jacks led CCSF with 109 yards on 23 carries. Rams coach George Rush praised CSM’s performance, particularly Edelman’s.

“Julian is as good an option QB we’ve played,” Rush said. “We had a lot of difficulty with him because he’s athletic and takes the hits. I can’t say enough what a competitor he is. There were a lot of ebbs and flows, and I couldn’t be happier with the win. We made a lot of schematic mistakes early on, and they took advantage of all of them. Our team hasn’t been in a situation in terms of trailing this season. We were in slight panic mode, and it took some adjusting, but I think this shows CSM can play ‘A’ division football.”

Though the Bulldogs’ defense allowed 516 yards, they received solid play from Joey Guntren, Maka and Gerald Thompson. Given the team they were facing, CSM had played one of its finest games in years, a superb performance that fell a couple of points short. Thirty minutes after the game’s completion, Maka still had his jersey and pads on.

“That’s why I’m still in uniform,” Maka said, “because we should’ve won.”

As the CSM players and coaches walked off the field, the faraway looks said it all — this one hurt the deepest.