SAN FRANCISCO – City College of San Francisco totaled 427 yards of offense but a late error proved costly as the Rams suffered a 41-38 loss in overtime to visiting Santa Rosa Junior College in both teams' season opener on Saturday at George M. Rush Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Darius Clark-James had a huge debut for CCSF and did all he could to keep the Rams in the contest. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns while also running in for a TD. Sophomore Jeremiah Nash was his top target as he hauled in 7 catches for 209 yards with 3 touchdowns.

The back-and-forth battle saw the scored tied four times while the lead also changed hands four times.

The Rams tied up the contest at 21-21 just moments before halftime and carried that momentum into the third quarter. Clark-James connected with Matthew Eleweke for a 64-yard TD and came right back to toss a 42-yard touchdown strike to Nash to jump ahead 35-21 with 2:13 to go in the third.

Santa Rosa responded by scoring the next 17 points to reclaim a 38-35 lead with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter.

But the Rams were able to drive the length of the field with time winding down in regulation. Clark-James connected with Micah Hill for four completions, including a 40-yarder, to get the Rams in field goal position. With four seconds remaining, Ryan Rodas knocked in a 22 yard field goal to tie up the contest and send the game into overtime.

The CCSF defense held Santa Rosa to just a field goal, giving the offense a chance for a walk-off win. But the Rams couldn't come through on their final opportunity.

Facing a third-and-goal situation on the Bear Cubs' one-yard line, the Rams' snap sailed high resulting in a fumble that was recovered by CCSF on the Santa Rosa 18-yard line. Forced to attempt a field goal, Rodas' 35-yard attempt was blocked, allowing Santa Rosa to escape with the win.

 The Rams, now 0-1, will look to turn things around next Saturday (Sep. 6) when they travel to College of the Sequoias in Visalia for an 11 a.m. non-conference game. CCSF will play its next two games on the road before returning home on Sep. 20 to host Fresno City College.