Two weeks into the 2005 season, the College of San Mateo football team proved it can score points. The Bulldogs scored 61 points in two games and are ranked 11th in the state in total team offense with 446 yards per game.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs sport a 1-1 record after suffering a 42-40 loss in their home opener to College of Sequoias.

CSM trailed 21-7 after the first quarter but rallied for a 31-28 lead on a Julian Edelman 53-yard scoring run. Edelman led the team in rushing with 134 yards on 16 carries and scored twice.

The Bulldogs, however, could not stop a Sequoia offense that is ranked second in the state.

“The kids did a good job fighting back,” said CSM coach Larry Owens. “What I was pleased with was they fought through adversity. We just made some mistakes at the end.”

The Bulldogs suffered a breakdown on COS’s first offensive play of the game when running back Derrick Brown, a bounce-back player from Texas A&M, broke off a 72-yard score. The Bulldogs appeared to have Brown stopped after a short gain, but he bounced it to the outside and took off down field.

“A lot of things happened (on that play). We took some bad angles (on tackles downfield),” Owens said. “I think that came from being a little hyped up.”

Said freshman linebacker Jon Blekis: “One missed assignment can blow the whole thing.”

CSM, however, did make some big plays of its own, both offensively and defensively. Linebacker Gerald Thompson returned a fumble 21 yards for a score, Edelman scored on a 53-yard busted play and Ryan Battle returned a blocked extra-point attempt 90 yards for two points.

While the defense is still a work in progress, the offense appears to be humming along only two weeks into the season. The Bulldogs scored 21 points in a win over Chabot in week one, a game many thought the Bulldogs could have scored a lot more. They followed that up with 40 points against COS.

“We have more explosiveness (this year). We’re making more big plays,” said sophomore offensive lineman James Trethaway. “Last year, when we put up 32 points it took us several weeks. This year, we’re already there and it’s only the second week. We’re playing well but there’s always room to improve.”

The key to the game, however, was the Bulldogs’ field-goal unit, which missed two attempts.

“Our field-goal team, that has to be an emphasis (in practice),” Owens said. “We missed two field goals in a two-point loss.”

While the CSM offense has done a lot already this year, there has been a disconcerting trend.

In two games, the Bulldogs have already turned the ball over seven times — four fumbles and three interceptions.

“One major thing we need to work on is, we’ve had a number of turnovers,” Trethaway said. “If we can hang onto the ball, we’ll put up a few more points and give us some breathing room.”

West Hills is 0-2 early in the season, but that record is a bit deceiving. The Falcons opened the season with a 31-20 loss to Foothill (2-0) before dropping a 44-0 decision to Allen Hancock (1-1) last weekend.

Foothill is the 10th-ranked team in the state while Allen Hancock is ranked No. 18 in Southern California, according to the JC Athletic Bureau.

“[West Hills] runs a similar style of offense as Sequoias,” Owens said. “They’re a team that’s shot themselves in the foot. They’re a team that’s not clicking on all cylinders and that’s scary.”

CSM, fell from No. 15 in the state rankings to 23rd, while the Bulldogs dropped only three spots in the Northern California poll, from 8th to 11th.