College of San Mateo football coach Larry Owens gathered his players for a good ol’ fashion pep talk. Host CSM was up 6-0, but Sacramento City had a first-and-goal at the Bulldogs’ 4-yard line midway through the first quarter. Owens was livid moments earlier after he felt the referees had blown a call. So he called a timeout, and knowing that he was going to get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for staying on the field too long — a minimal loss of yards since it was a half the distance to the goal line variety — Owens spent the time firing up his defense.

“He was pumped up,” linebacker Gerald Thompson said. “He told us to buckle up.”

And that’s exactly what the Bulldogs did. Not once, but four times. After three runs netted all of three yards, Sacramento City decided to go for it on a fourth-and-goal from the 1. But Dion Franklin was immediately met by linebacker Joey Guntren behind the line of scrimmage, before Ray Hisatake and a host of Bulldogs stuffed Franklin short of the goal line. The Panthers never recovered. CSM scored on the ensuing drive on its way to a 40-7 win Saturday in a crucial NorCal Conference game. With the victory, the Bulldogs (6-3 overall, 2-2 NorCal) clinched a bowl game berth, and even more importantly, their defense gained back its swagger after being torched a week ago in a 41-40 loss to City College of San Francisco. Owens praised his defense for the inspirational goal line stand.

“It was gut-check time,” Owens said. “The biggest thing was we knew where they were going to run, so at that point it’s just taking a man pill. We wanted to attack them and not just stand around. It was a big emotional charge to keep them out of the end zone at that point in time. In situations like that, you have to will it to happen, and not hope it happens. It was huge for our defense to come up with a play like that, because it gives them confidence. Who knows? If Sac. City scores, it’s a different game.”

Instead, the Bulldogs pounded Sacramento (3-6, 1-3), racking up 414 yards of total offense to the Panthers’ 272. CSM never trailed, taking its opening drive 66-yards on eight-plays, capped by Sean Connor’s 5-yard touchdown run. Connor would later add scoring runs of 2, 1 and 2 yards to tie a single-game CSM record of four touchdowns, most recently accomplished last week by quarterback Julian Edelman. After the goal line stand, the Bulldogs went on an eight-play, 99-yard drive, capped by Connor’s 2-yard run. The key play of the drive came when Edelman hooked up with Michael Harris for a 64-yard gain down the right sideline. Then came the backbreaker.

After a Connor fumble gave the Panthers the ball at the CSM 39, Sacramento couldn’t take advantage. Gerald Thompson stuffed Patrick Travis for a five-yard loss, and two plays later he sacked Mike Nichols to force a Sacramento punt. The Bulldogs took over at its 18 and went on a methodical 14-play, 82-yard drive, with Connor scoring his third touchdown on a 1-yard run over center to make it 20-0 with 4:22 left in the second quarter. The CSM defense produced big plays throughout; Gerald Thompson, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore out of Terra Nova, had an interception, a sack and three tackles for losses, and Peter Thompson had two fumble recoveries. Guntren recorded five tackles, while John Harris and Drew Ryan had one interception each.

“After last week’s heartbreaker, we wanted to come out and make a statement,” Gerald Thompson said. “The defense was ready to make plays today. I’ve had different people doubting me all my life, saying ‘he can’t do this or that.’ I got something to prove, and that keeps me going.”

Once again, the Bulldogs had their mojo working. Behind one of the state’s best offensive lines, CSM rushed for 309 yards on 50 carries. Edelman had 128 yards on 15 rushes, including a spectacular 66-yard touchdown on the first play after the second half kickoff. Edelman ran to his left on an option keeper, then cut back across the grain near the Panthers’ 30. Two defenders lunged to no avail, before Edelman reached the end zone to make it 26-0. Harris added two receptions for 88 yards. The mood — as expected — was chipper afterwards in the CSM locker room. One thing is for certain: CSM is playing at such a high level in arguably the nation’s toughest conference, that it speaks volumes for a program that has consistently been one of Northern California’s best in the last five years. This season, it’s more than holding its own with the state — and nation’s — elite.

“I’m really happy with the progress we’ve been making,” Owens said. “It’s a good feeling. Last week took a little out of us, but we’ve come back to win after every loss this year. That’s a good sign. If we get to 8-3 playing in this league, that would be huge for our program.”