Cal Poly loses opener – What we learned

Junior quarterback, Dano Graves got a chance in the fourth quarter on Thursday night. Does Cal Poly have a quarterback carousel on their hands already? By Owen Main

Losses are never easy to take. For Cal Poly fans desperate for a big win, last Thursday night’s loss to New Mexico State was a big bag of mixed emotion. Both Chris Brown and Dano Graves saw time behind center, the defense didn’t have a great answer for what seemed like a straightforward rushing attack, and aside from their first drive of the game, the Mustangs didn’t come home with much to hang their collective hats on. So what did we learn about this year’s Cal Poly team? There are definitely still more questions than answers.

The good

It was hard to find a lot of good in a loss like this one. Yes, Cal Poly kept it close against an FBS team. The problem was that it was against a traditionally bad FBS team that the Mustangs were favored by many to beat. The Mustangs looked really efficient on their opening drive, though nearly all of their yards for the game (97.8 percent of them) came on the ground.

On the ground, it looks like Kori Garcia has begun to establish himself. The sophomore gained 84 yards on 11 carries and showed that he has the ability to hit the hole quickly and effectively.

The bad

The Mustang offense ground to a halt in the second half. The team managed a spark when Chris Fletcher picked off New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers, but Brown fumbled on the ensuing series, stopping any momentum the Mustangs might have earned.

Graves took over for Brown in the fourth quarter and got an opportunity to move the offense, but didn’t fare much better than Brown. We should find out over the next month or so whether the offense stalled in the second half because of lack of playmakers, defensive adjustments, or bad play-calling.

Adjustments

In the triple option, adjustments are obviously a big deal. New Mexico State got pounded by Cal Poly in the first quarter and first half and made some really nice changes at halftime to bring more guys into the box to take away the edge. The Mustangs didn’t seem to have an answer.

Balance comes in many forms, but Cal Poly is a team that for the past year-plus has relied on an outside-in rushing attack. They have recruited and played guys who they think have speed — Chris Nichols, Kori Garcia, Kristaan Ivory, etc… — and they are trying to utilize that speed to the best of their ability. When other teams commit defenders to stopping a sweep or the triple option pitch, there have to be other ways to make them pay. One quote by Tim Walsh after the last game stuck with me. From JD Scroggin’s Tribune recap:

“They did some good things with their defensive ends. They did some good things with their free safety running the alley that caused us some problems, but we do have answers for them. We’ve just got to do them.

“Play selection and our execution led to the dismantling of ourselves in the third quarter.” – Tim Walsh

Walsh told me in a podcast recorded days before five of his players were arrested, that he was harder on his coaches than anyone knows. I’ll be interested to see whether the play-calling — even within the run game — is any more dynamic this week than it was in the opener.

Once other teams keyed-in on Brown and Garcia, Cal Poly didn’t make the adjustment to get the ball to the fullback with any regularity. Brandon Howe had eight rushes in the first half, including the Mustangs’ only touchdown of the game. In the second half, Cal Poly attempted one pass to the Howe, but Cal Poly did not give the ball to the fullback in the second half.

For me, giving it to the fullback a number of times early and having success rushing up the middle is a crucial component of triple option football. Letting an opponent know early in the game that you’re willing to sacrifice up the middle for a three or four-yard gain is a huge. Human nature will force those players to be prepared to plug-up the middle and will open the outside up for speed burners. I guess my point is (and I’m open to the possibility of being really wrong on this one) that an outside-in running attack can only be successful for so long.

In basketball the winning team usually is the on that gets the ball in their playmakers’ hands more often in better positions. In football, it’s not that simple, especially when your team is down at least two key playmakers. Playmakers in football — especially ones who rely solely on speed — can affect the game while getting very few carries. As a sophomore, Kristaan Ivory carried the ball less than 10 times in most games, but affected the game with his speed on the outside juxtaposed to Deonte Williams’ power up the middle. I guess my point is that there has to be a better mixture. The second half on Thursday night was not a great mixture.

It seems to me that mixing-in the fullback is usually a function of a decision the quarterback makes in the moment, but Walsh stayed with Brown well into the fourth quarter. I guess we’ll see who starts this week.

Where are the freshmen?

I was really psyched to see what a pair of freshmen might do in their first game. Instead, Cal Poly ran only 56 total plays including just 24 in the second half and freshmen Lance Mudd and Alex Suchesk didn’t get any looks (Mudd wasn’t even listed as a player who played in the game.)

Compare Cal Poly’s 56 plays to New Mexico State’s 74 total plays and the time of possession isn’t a surprise either: 36:06 – 23:54 in favor of the Aggies. The game wasn’t even really as close as the score might have indicated, but without the ball, and substitutes on offense stop meaning a whole lot. When the offense is getting off the field in a hurry, nobody needs breathers.

What to look for

So, what do we look for this week? Should we count on a more balanced rushing attack? Will Cal Poly go three wide receivers and take to the air? Will Brandon Howe get double-digit carries?

At least one of these things I’m pretty sure won’t happen. About the others, I think it’s anyone’s guess.

Ed. note: We took a little hiatus to celebrate Labor Day Weekend with family. Hope you had a great weekend too. We are back this week, with a vengeance. Look for our coverage this weekend from Brookings, SD as Cal Poly faces South Dakota State.