The article below originally appeared on MercuryNews.com and is being reprinted with permission.
College of San Mateo routed winless De Anza College 61-14 on Saturday afternoon in Cupertino, but it lost the first quarter.
The Bulldogs (6-1, 2-0 Bay 6) trailed 7-6 after the opening 15 minutes. The extra point was blocked following the first of four short touchdown runs by Sammy Fanua, which tied a CSM single-game record.
“The first quarter was atrocious,” CSM coach Bret Pollack said. “Not CSM football, and I let them know it on the sideline.”
The players responded by scoring 55 unanswered points over the next two quarters, opening up a 34-7 lead at the half after a pair of touchdown runs from both Fonua and Michael Latu in the second quarter.
“It looked like it changed pretty quick,” Pollack said. “Then we got to halftime and they got some more of it. So they came out and did a good job. I think they heard the message loud and clear. The way we approached that game in the first quarter was unacceptable.”
Fanua scored on half of his eight carries for 38 yards, with touchdowns of 3, 5, 8 and 6 yards.
Latu gained 68 yards on nine carries, while teammate Michael Allen finished with a game-high 76 rushing yards on seven runs with two touchdowns, including a 44-yard burst in the third quarter.
CSM gained 288 yards on the ground on 42 runs, with eight crossing the goal line. Backup Justin Burgess finished an economical 6 of 9 for 86 yards, adding 33 yards on three runs.
On defense, the Bulldogs forced four fumbles, recovering three of them, and intercepted a pair of passes — including a pick returned 39 yards to paydirt by Jordan Sheppard in the third quarter.
De Anza (0-7, 0-2) was held to 152 yards of offense, with the running clock going into effect in the second half.
“The game was out of hand and I think that was a smart move,” Pollack said. “And the backups got plenty of time, too.”
CSM will look for a better start Saturday when it hosts Foothill College at College Heights Stadium at 1 p.m.
“It’s all about the attitude we bring and the mental mind frame that we bring to the game,” Pollack said. “And how we prepare for a game and how we show up for the game.”
Diablo Valley College 35, Foothill College 9: In their sixth straight loss, the Owls (1-6, 0-2) went ahead 3-0 in the first quarter on a 25-yard field goal by Luke Vereschagin (The King’s Academy-Sunnyvale) set up by an interception by Tai-Jee Glen Akles. DVC (6-1, 2-0) then scored four unanswered touchdowns, with Foothill finding the end zone in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass by Benji Philippe to Grant Newell to make it 28-9. Running back Tarik Ford gained 81 yards on 17 carries for the Owls, whose two quarterbacks combined to go 15 of 49 for 86 yards, with three interceptions.
