College of San Mateo’s Bay 6 Conference opener turned into quite a slugfest late in the second half Saturday night in Santa Rosa. In the end, the Bulldogs showed plenty of punch to hold off Santa Rosa Junior College for a 24-12 victory, improving their undefeated overall record to 6-0.

Always a fan of giving shout-outs to his coaching staff, College of San Mateo head coach Tim Tulloch quickly lauded special teams coach Matt Dovenberg following Saturday’s 35-12 victory over Modesto Junior College. The Bulldogs opened the day with an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by sophomore Terrell Carter, the first of CSM’s two scoring runbacks. Sophomore Jermaine Jackson added an 89-yard kickoff return for a TD on the first time the Bulldogs touched the ball in the second half.

The Bulldogs face one last test before the start of Bay 6 Conference play. And it figures to be their toughest test yet. Saturday’s matchup with College of San Mateo hosting Modesto Junior College — kickoff at College Heights Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. — pits the Bulldogs defense, one of the best in the state, against the hyper-versatile offense of Modesto Junior College. “Modesto’s offense, they’re explosive,” CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said. “They have a lot of big plays. They run the ball well. Their quarterback is dynamic. He may be the best player in Northern California.”

The Bulldogs, it seems, have Fresno City’s number — and that number is 3. The College of San Mateo Bulldogs defense was indeed on display in a 17-3 victory in a battle of unbeaten teams Saturday at Ratcliffe Stadium in Fresno.

The untrained eye will look at the first three weeks of the season for the College of San Mateo football team and marvel at the numbers. The Bulldogs are 3-0 and moved up to No. 2 in the state in the JC Athletic Bureau Coaches’ Poll. They’ve beaten College of the Siskiyous, San Joaquin Delta and American River by a combined score of 129-20, having scored 40 points or more in all three. Yet CSM head coach Tim Tulloch believes the Bulldogs can be so much better.

Luke Bottari was locked in and showed off his depth of receivers as the College of San Mateo Bulldogs scored a decisive win over a notoriously bothersome foe. No. 3-ranked CSM (3-0 overall) racked up 504 yards of total offense to roll past No. 5 American River College 42-10 Saturday at College Heights Stadium. It marks the first time the Bulldogs have defeated the Beavers in a regular-season game since 2015.

It took mere seconds for the College of San Mateo Bulldogs to start painting the field blue in the home opener at College Heights Stadium. Within the opening 16 seconds of Saturday’s 43-3 walloping of San Joaquin Delta, the Bulldogs had scored twice — before they even took their first offensive snap. “I don’t know if we’ve done that on a home opener,” CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said. “But that’s a good way to start it off.”

When Luke Bottari hit Terrell Carter with a 20-yard pass Saturday during the first quarter of College of San Mateo’s season opener, it marked a changing of the guard in Bulldogs football.