Mustangs’ First Win Important On and Off the Field

If you’re a Cal Poly alum (and I am), or if you grew up on the Central Coast (and I did) you probably remember your first Cal Poly football game.

On Saturday afternoon Cal Poly Football hosted its first home game of the season at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. And, with a gaggle of freshmen rounding out the stadium’s fifth-ever sellout, the Mustangs put on a show. On what was a stereotypically beautiful San Luis Obispo afternoon, Cal Poly used big plays to run away from the South Dakota State Jackrabbits for a 48-14 victory.

The Cal Poly Student Section was in full effect on Saturday afternoon

After losses to San Diego State and Montana, the football team needed a win. But the first home game of the season, on the heels of Week of Welcome, and in front of a growing community fan base, the importance is greater than you might think.

For a team with a non conference schedule that includes FBS teams Northern Illinois  and San Diego State, games like Saturday’s are ones that the Mustangs have to win to continue to build the program.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_uIVtQbPTc

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Big plays get a home crowd fired up in college football. On Saturday, Cal Poly, whose offense typically features a bruising ground game, provided big play after big play. The Mustangs’ first touchdown came on a 29-yard pass from Andre Broadous to Jarred Houston that Houston caught in the back of the end zone. The second was on a Broadous scramble that was one of the more odd and exciting plays of the day. Broadous dropped back to pass, found nobody open, and scrambled to his left where there was no defensive containment. A quarterback scramble for a 23-yard touchdown always gets a student section going. So does a quarterback who throws for a career-high in yardage (213), which is what Broadous also did on Saturday.

Later in the game, the Mustangs defense backfield provided the big plays. Bijon Samoodi ran back an interception 46 yards for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter to extend the Cal Poly lead to 27-7. Not to be out-done, cornerback Asa Jackson one-upped him in the 3rd quarter picking off a pass in the end zone and racing down the sideline (in front of the student section) for what was officially a 100 yard interception return. To have the most touted player on the team come up with the biggest play at the most crucial time makes for a positively entertaining football experience for anyone in the home crowd.

And the fans responded by showing some energetic fansmanship throughout the game. All shades of green were represented, there were dudes in speedos, painted chests and faces, and tons of crowd noise and energy. Everything you would want in a fun and rowdy college football atmosphere.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fowd29dOyh0

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTJMtZWx29s&feature=related

You gotta support your team, ya know?

Additionally, the new quirk of a no-huddle offense added to the fun. Using Oregon-like “play cards” from the sidelines, Cal Poly instituted a no-huddle offense that moved the ball down the field throughout the game with efficiency and poise. Running a no-huddle offense effectively can eliminate lag-time between plays and makes for a more enjoyable fan experience. With 522 yards of total offense, the Mustangs showed on Saturday that it can put the opposition’s defense on their heels and dominate for portions of a game. Watching a home football team dominate is a great time for home fans.

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Put yourself in the shoes of an 18-year old Cal Poly Freshman. You’ve just finished your Week of Welcome. You are getting your bearings in San Luis Obispo, trying to figure out what will be fun and what won’t be.

Enter the first home football game of the season. You walk down to the stadium with a group of kids from your dorms, walk through the gate, and one of two things happens:

You enjoy yourself or you don’t. You have something to root for and get behind or you don’t. In the end, you are entertained, or you aren’t, and probably sometime during that first game, you make a decision about how excited you should be about Cal Poly Athletics.

Which is why Saturday night’s big win was a big deal. The Mustangs and coach Tim Walsh should be pleased with their victory on the field. And everyone involved with Mustangs athletics should be pleased about a solid first impression.