Despite an evening where not much was going their way, the College of San Mateo Bulldogs seemed to be sensing a comeback at Modesto Junior College when, trailing by 11, freshman Jalen Lampley took a third-quarter punt return and dashed 62 yards for a touchdown.

For the third time in three years, the American River College football team hung a regular-season loss on College of San Mateo, beating the Bulldogs 18-13 last Saturday. But CSM head coach Tim Tulloch doesn’t believe the final score means anything more than the result of playing a good team.

The College of San Mateo defense almost pulled off the unthinkable. Host American River College dominated time of possession, keeping the Bulldogs defense on the field for 41 minutes in Saturday’s matchup in Sacramento. And 40 minutes into that tally, CSM still held the slightest of leads.

College of San Mateo offensive coordinator Bret Pollack has long abided by a simple philosophy in utilizing quarterbacks — it doesn’t matter what you’ve done; it only matters what you’re ready to do on that given day. The philosophy proved as true as it ever has Saturday as the Bulldogs improved to 2-0 with a 31-12 victory at San Joaquin Delta (0-2 overall).

The College of San Mateo has done something no other team has accomplished other than Fullerton College in the brief history of the California Community College Sports Information Association Football Poll, and that’s enjoy the view as the top-ranked team in the state after taking over at No. 1 in this week’s rankings.

Beastie and Bubba haven’t played together since they were sixth-graders. Now the heart and soul of the College of San Mateo Bulldogs’ defense, freshman T.C. “Beastie” Lavulo and sophomore Laipeli “Bubba” Palu look like they haven’t missed a beat.