With the clock expiring in overtime, Cal Poly forward Mark Crowe banked in a three-pointer and the Mustangs beat Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night in Mott Athletics Center. After scrapping back from a late multi-possession deficit in regulation and once again in overtime, it was a finish fitting of the somewhat frantic game it was. Donovan Fields led all scorers with 28 points. Marcellus Garrick finished with 13 points and Crowe’s game-winning three pointer gave him 10 points on the night.

The game on Saturday was the Mustangs’ only game over a two-week span (Dead Week and Finals Week are to thank for that), but we did get to see some improvement in-person for the Mustangs.

Bethune-Cookman beat the Mustangs last season and won what is probably the weakest conference in all of Division I college basketball. Still, they took the Mustangs to the wire in a game that was really fun to watch. The win moves Cal Poly’s record to 3-5 on the young season. 

Find the box score from the game here. 

Chef Don

With 28 points on Saturday, Donovan Fields earned his first Big West Conference Player of the Week award.

Donovan Fields was flat-out cooking early in the game. The senior point guard from Newburgh, NY showed off from three point range, mid range, and off the dribble inside. For his 28-point performance, Fields earned himself the Big West Athlete of the Week award. The last Mustang to earn that was Victor Joseph last season.

Fittingly, Joseph was in the crowd on Saturday night with Fields and fellow senior Marcellus Garrick verbally engaging him throughout the game, resulting in a number of wide grins for all parties.

The win was Cal Poly’s third overall this season. 

The Crowe

Cal Poly hosted Bethune-Cookman at Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, CA 12/8/18

Mark Crowe has been developing steadily since his redshirt freshman season last year. In 2017-18, the Texas native scored just over 2 points per game and shot 25 percent from three-point range. With some work in the offseason, Crowe has been a much bigger contributor so far this year, averaging nearly 11 points per game (good for second on the team) while shooting 47 percent from deep.

Crowe’s versatility on the defensive end paired with improved shooting have earned him the second most minutes on this year’s Mustang roster, one that is probably as set in its rotation and roles as it has been at this time during any of the past few seasons.  

Who’s getting better?

A team picked in the preseason to finish eighth out of nine teams in the preseason, the question I’m always asking is, “Who is making little improvements game-to-game?”

Two players I noticed who finally seem confident and totally engaged are freshmen Daxton Carr and Junior Ballard. Ballard made his first three-pointer at home and Carr’s energetic dunk in the first half helped keep the Mustangs out in front. Freshman Tuukka Jaakkola has also shown some improvement in video streams that have been available. All three will need to be real contributors for Cal Poly to play the way they want to on both ends come conference play. 

The Road Ahead

After taking finals this week, Cal Poly will head to Haas Pavillion in Berkeley to take on Cal on Saturday, followed by a quick trip to Bakersfield next Tuesday to play future conference opponent CSU Bakersfield. The next home game will be the Saturday before Christmas, when the Mustangs host UTA. The Mavericks, who beat Cal Poly easily 77-56 last season are just 3-6 this year. 

Photos by Owen Main. For more photos, visit photos.fansmanship.com . 

Day two of Cal Poly football camp began a little after 9:00am on Saturday morning. As the morning sun bathed over Doerr Family Field, Cal Poly’s offense, specifically the skill position players were the most vocal and energetic. 

Coming off injury

Quarterback Khaleel Jenkins looks as though he hasn’t missed a beat after missing most of last season due to injury. Cal Poly actually has five quarterbacks in camp, including Jake Jeffrey — who took most of the snaps last season — and redshirt freshman Kyle Reid. 

A new addition

Preseason All-American Joe Protheroe was not at practice, and for good reason. His wife gave birth to their third child this week. I don’t think Cal Poly fans will lose any sleep over Protheroe knowing the plays. He is expected to begin practicing in plenty of time to be available for their first game.

Hold onto the ball

It’s clear from talking with Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh and others around the program that ball security is a priority this season. Things happening in practice also made that apparent to anybody watching. Fumbling is a weird beast, but here’s hoping the added conscious awareness can help the Mustangs win the turnover battle. When they don’t, things can go downhill fast. 

Odds and ends

• Bradley Mickey, a redshirt sophomore from Arroyo Grande who missed the beginning of last season with an injury, has switched his number to 17 this season. Seventeen is the number of Mickey’s friend Ryan Teixeira, who passed away in March 2017. It is also the namesake of the charity — 17 Strong — that he started. You can find it at seventeenstrong.org .
• A few freshman were interesting to see out on the field. As they start practice at the college level for the first time, it’s always fun to observe who is still wide-eyed and who comes into camp with a college football mentality. Among the guys I caught a glimpse of, quarterback Jalen Hamler (Lawndale) was probably the one I watched the most. He looks fast. 
  This season, freshmen can play in up to four games and still keep their redshirt. This is a big deal for a Cal Poly program that has traditionally redshirted a LOT of their players. If the rule had been in place a season ago, Cal Poly might have used players like quarterback Kyle Reid alongside Jake Jeffrey as the season wound down. 
• Cal Poly will play their first game on September 1st in Fargo, North Dakota against the best FCS team in the nation — North Dakota State. The Bison seem like they win the national championship every season. The Mustangs’ schedule, start to finish, is probably more difficult than last year’s, despite having no FBS opponents on the slate (a rarity). In conference play the Mustangs will take on Montana at home and Montana State, Eastern Washington, and Northern Arizona all on the road. 
• I taped a podcast with head coach Tim Walsh last week that I’m hoping goes up before the weekend is over. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher — just search Fansmanship. 

Photos by Owen Main. Browse the gallery online and purchase photos here. 

You can also just contribute to the cause via Paypal (owen@fansmanship.com) or Venmo

Here are five questions I’m wondering as Big West Conference play gets started this week:

How did pre-conference season go?

Well, it went all right. Not great. There were a few good wins. Cal Poly got some victories away from Mott when they beat Santa Clara and College of Charleston to kick off the Great Alaska Shootout. They also beat Pepperdine at home. While they scrapped and made it close at Cal, the Mustangs didn’t really give themselves much of a chance to win in five of six games against top-100 opponents.

One reason is they had a hard time stopping opponents’ three-point shooting. While their two-point defense isn’t bad, the Mustangs have struggled to stop opponents from behind the arc this season. Maybe that’s an understatement. Let’s put it this way – there is only one other team in Division I college basketball whose opponents are shooting a higher percentage from three point range than teams than Cal Poly (Division I opponents only). UCSB is 34th in the country in three-point shooting percentage. 

The one game that got away is definitely Bethune-Cookman, where they almost certainly should have won. That’s one that everybody would probably like to have back. (They’ll get it back when Bethune-Cookman returns the trip). The Central Michigan game, when they scored 53 points and only lost by three. That’s another one they’d like back. So, yeah. They maybe could have won two or three more games. 

If they play exactly like they did in the first half, they’ll be a bottom-four Big West team in the regular season. 

Consistent scoring?

Early-on it seemed Joe Callero’s team had a rhythm between Donovan Fields, Victor Joseph, and Marcellus Garrick on the perimeter. After the Great Alaska Shootout, the team had a three-point percentage above 40 percent and looked like they’d be able to shoot their way into a lot of games. 

Things have fallen off though. In their past four games against Division I opponents, Cal Poly averaged just a hair over 58 points per game. They’ll have to do better than that in conference play if they want to compete night-in and night-out. Unless Callero somehow brings back the 2-3 matchup zone. Then 58 might be plenty… . 

Sharpshooters or nah?

Cal Poly’s shooting is a huge key for them. It’s a key for everyone really, but how much are the Mustangs playing in synch and in rhythm offensively has a lot to do with who’s getting good shots and whether they’re taking advantage of the good looks they get. 

Joe Callero will point to guards Victor Joseph (20) and Donovan Fields (3) to help get Cal Poly off to a positive start this week at home. By Owen Main

This is a streaky and sometimes mercurial Mustang squad. Their ability to stay engaged offensively for a full 40 minutes and avoid major shooting slumps within games could be the difference in staying with some of the best Big West teams. 

What role will Marcellus Garrick have in Big West play?

The Hancock College transfer started the season with hot shooting and high-scoring games. Sure, teams have gotten a scouting report on Garrick, but I don’t believe we’ve seen his entire offensive game. Garrick has moves off the dribble as more of a slasher than he’s shown through much of the season so far. Look for him to attack defenders who overplay him and think of him as a spot-up shooter because of his hot shooting early in the season. 

When Garrick is getting to the free throw line and displaying his athleticism knifing to the basket, he’s at his best. 

Bonus: Health

Joe Callero always says health is a major factor. Cal Poly has enough rotation players to withstand some injuries, but that doesn’t mean that health won’t play a factor in how this team fares.

Bonus #2: Big Hank coming into his own

Hank Hollingsworth has turned himself into a regular rotation player and interior defensive stalwart for Cal Poly. The redshirt sophomore continues to develop on both ends of the court. Consistent contributions from Hollingsworth will give Cal Poly a shot to win games in Big West play. 

Cal Poly starts their conference schedule on Thursday night at home vs. UCSB and hosts Cal State Fullerton on Saturday evening. Both games tip at 7:00pm. 

Photos from Cal Poly vs. Notre Dame de Namur by Owen Main. 

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Mott Athletics Center will host women’s basketball games each of the three days following Thanksgiving as three teams will compete in a round-robin format in the ShareSLO Holiday Beach Classic. 

Junior transfer Devin Stanback has made an immediate impact in the middle for Cal Poly this season. By Owen Main

On Thursday, Robert Morris will face Faith Mimnaugh’s host team. Like Cal Poly, Robert Morris of the Northeast Conference is 1-2 coming into the game. The Colonials will spend Thanksgiving Day on the Central Coast leading up to the Friday 2:00pm game. 

On Saturday, the Colonials will face San Francisco. Tip time is also 2:00pm. 

Sunday’s game brings Cal Poly back to face San Francisco for a noon tip-off. 

A senior-laden team, Cal Poly is led by fourth-year twins Dynn and Lynn Leaupepe. Lynn is averaging 19 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over Cal Poly’s first three, while Dynn averages 11 points and 4.3 rebounds. 

Devin Stanback (junior transfer from Pepperdine) has helped quickly, averaging 13 points per game. A stretch-four, Emily Anderson is fourth on the team in scoring in the young season at 8 points per game. 

Cal Poly’s roster features 10 upperclasmen and seven seniors and is led by Faith Mimnaugh, in her 21st season at Cal Poly. 

Photos below from November 16th game vs. Grand Canyon by Owen Main. To see more photos or to purchase photos, click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

“We don’t really want to leave you two here. If wolves are around, it’s better that there are more of us.”

That was my boss talking. It was March of 2005 and we were on the frozen-over Kuskokwim River, somewhere between Kalskag and Aniak in Alaska. In the Bush, there were no roads, except in the winter when the river froze over and car traffic travailed on the thick ice atop the river. 

We weren’t in cars this day. Instead, we had a pair of snowmobiles. My boss and co-worker rode on one. I rode on the second “snowmachine” behind a school janitor, who was may or may not have been bribed with something herbal to give me a ride to Aniak. Instead, our snowmachine had broken-down about a third of the way there.

It was a nice March day — the temperature was probably somewhere around 25 degrees farenheit. If you hustle, you can span the 25 or so miles between the two villages in a snowmobile in probably 2-plus hours. 

But we weren’t going anywhere. We waited. 

My job in Alaska consisted of coaching teachers in teaching reading to their students. I spent the night in villages with names like Red Devil, Stony River, Sleetmute, and Chuathbaluk. The days were short. The nights were cold. In every village except Aniak, the only place to stay was on a cot in one of the classrooms. It was always comfortable. Most of the time the school buildings were the only place in the village with running water and indoor plumbing. 

About 30 minutes after the snowmachine broke down, two trucks converged from different directions — one going to Aniak, the other back to Kalskag. My ride loaded his vehicle into the back of the truck for Kalskag and I wedged into a two-door chevy truck, between a pair of gentlemen who did maintenance in the school district. My boss and co-worker zoomed ahead on the snowmobile.

Cars have to go much slower than the lighter snowmobiles on the ice. Wouldn’t want to have any accidents and fall through a hole or something, right?

Nearly four hours later, I was “home.” I stayed in a studio apartment in Aniak. My neighbors were a bush pilot and the only state trooper for hundreds of thousands of square miles next door. Alaska was beautiful. I’d go back, but probably not alone.

Alaska is a wild place. I have stories of setting beaver traps, ice fishing, and a vole infestation. I’ll save you the details. I left right after the ice in the river broke up and right before the silver salmon started to run. It’s a regret I carry with me still (can you imagine catching those fish there?!) 

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com] Until I went there, one of the only touchstones a sports fanatic from California like me had about Alaska was the Great Alaska Shootout. In the mid-90’s, I’d sit in my bedroom at night watching college basketball. It was ESPN’s heyday. Dick Vitale would be screaming as players like Cherokee Parks, Vince Carter, Eric Montross, Christian Laettner, Jerry Stackhouse and others battled it out. Remember Serge Zwikker? Dante Calabria? Jeff Capel and Ed Cota. I could go on. It was like UNC and Duke played every week. 

Trajon Langdon was from Alaska. I remember that. From 1995-2000, the winners of the Great Alaska Shootout were, in order, Minnesota, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Kansas, and Syracuse. The Great Alaska Shootout was the place to be.

Over the years, tournaments in other exotic locations rose to prominence. Places like Maui, Mexico, Puerto Rico got what was left of the television attention the Great Alaska Shootout once owned. It has been announced that this is the final year of the Great Alaska Shootout. A staple of my childhood Fansmanship is going quietly into the night.

Hosted by the University of Alaska – Anchorage, this year’s Shootout includes Cal Poly. Over the past decade, my college basketball fan attention has turned toward the local team. 

The Mustangs will start the tournament with the College of Charleston — a top-100 team trying to prove its mettle. With a win, Cal Poly will have Thanksgiving off. With a loss, they’ll play Thursday and Saturday in the consolation bracket. 

Either way, the Poly kids will get to experience life in the great white North. Not the Bush version. The Anchorage version. Believe me, that’s the better option.

Photos by Owen Main. For more photos or to purchse photos, click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Kaba Alkebulan scored his second goal in as many games on Thursday night at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, as Cal Poly found two late goals to get past UC Riverside 3-1 in their conference opener. 

Kaba’s goal was a nice one. He chested down a long pass, didn’t take any additional touches with his feet, and rolled home a ball into the far corner of the goal to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead. 

That Kaba goal from tonight. Not sure how it curled in, but it did. 'Stangs beat UCR 3-1 to take 3 points in their first conference match. @BigWestMSOC pic.twitter.com/gNQrZ2kUQx

— fansmanship (@fansmanship) September 29, 2017

Then he did this.

Then this.

Then this. 

Then this.

Finally, this. 

Alkebulan’s career at Cal Poly has spanned three coaches. He’s one of the final three players left on the roster recruited by Paul Holocher (Along with Nick Carroll and Adam Olsen).

Days into his second year on-campus, Holocher resigned. An interim coach (Phil Ruskin) picked up the slack, followed by Steve Sampson, who is in his third year at the helm.

Kaba’s size, speed, and strength have always been tantalizing to watch, but a clumsy first touch and sometimes overboard emotional energy seem to have gone the way of his dreadlocks for this, his senior season. I would liken him to former Cal Poly basketball player Joel Awich — a player who has always had some NICE physical tools who has progressed into a guy who can go against anyone through years of hard work. 

Mustangs start with three points

After Kaba’s goal, the Mustangs gave up a silly goal off an errant pass by defender Nick Carroll. With under ten minutes to play in regulation, it looked like the game might be stalling into overtime. In the 81st minute, Adam Olsen found Kaba in the box. After a calm touch or two, Kaba slipped and, with a loose ball in the six-yard box, junior midfielder Jose Rivera (Irvine Valley College) was there to clean up the mess, scoring his second goal as a Mustang. 

Less than seven minutes later, senior Tyler Savitsky (Harvard) capitalized on the Highlanders’ scrambling for an equalizer, slotting a pass from Diego Alonso into the net to pad the lead. 

Cal Poly plays at home against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday evening in Alex J. Spanos Stadium. 

Photos by Owen Main. To view more photos, click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Sometimes, being able to go cover a game means that I can’t come alone. Sometimes, I bring a munchkin along with a camera. For those who don’t know, I’m a blogger and a photographer and a dad, among a number of other things, which means that sometimes I have to do lots of things at once. Like keep track of a 4 year-old and photograph a game. 

Munchkinland

Sunday was one of those days, as I brought my daughter to the Cal Poly women’s soccer game along with me. 

It wasn’t the first time I’ve brought her to a game. When she was about six months old, I would dress her in warm clothes and put her in the front pack while I shot games at Baggett Stadium from the top of the dugout behind the net, ducking low to keep her tiny, slumbering self out of the line of fire. 

As she’s gotten older, it’s become more and more difficult to BOTH bring the munchkin and take photos or cover games with any kind of thorough energy. 

When we got to the game on Sunday, I had been talking-up scarves. The women’s soccer team had advertised that they were giving them away. We got there right at kickoff, and all 100 scarves had already been given away (though I was told that several students came in, got theirs, and left — weak move guys.) 

No scarf didn’t mean a total meltdown though. We stood behind the UOP goal and I got some shots of Mustangs attacking. We went and talked to one of the security team who is a student. Munchkin got a water and climbed the empty, sun-soaked bleachers behind the benches. I got a few shots.

Not a bad day for some @calpolysoccer . 0-0 at half time vs uop.

A post shared by Fansmanship.com (@fansmanship) on Sep 17, 2017 at 12:54pm PDT

Grass glare

I’m generally a big fan of shooting from a raised angle — Spanos offers a unique opportunity there. The more I do it though, the more I hate it. When it’s really sunny — like it was on Sunday — there’s a glare that basically bounces off the grass field. It creates weird color balancing and messes with exposure quite a bit too if you’re not careful. It’s the kind of thing that I might notice were my full attention on the task at hand. 

Kneeling on the sideline wasn’t an option when you’re keeping just one eye and half your attention on your camera, though.

About 15 minutes into the game, it was getting hot for the muchkin. So we went upstairs. Walking around in the shade and paying a quick visit to the press box, she was rejuvinated and it was time for a snack.

I should know better by now, but at halftime I found myself walking away from the snack bar with a seven pound camera/lens, a ketchup-filled hot dog, and a drink in my hands. The munchkin carried her drink, and we found a place to sit in the shade and eat. 

Senior Megan Abutin puts away a penalty kick equalizer for Cal Poly on Sunday. By Owen Main, assisted by The Munchkin

Munchkin stamina

The first ten minutes of second half is about as far as she had gone in the past. The attention span of a four year-old wanders. Somehow, I was able to string it out a little longer than usual. With a comfortable temperature in a shady part of the stadium, she found a stick and was entertaining herself until Megan Abutin put in a penalty goal for Cal Poly. 

What I learned 

Photos Category

• My daughter’s stamina for being at games is getting better. Slowly. This makes me happy and hopeful for the next 2-4 years. 
• I can still get some OK soccer photos, even with her there. I just have to adjust my priorities in terms of how many I’m going to end up with and whether they’re ideal.
• Grass Glare — It’s a thing I have been aware of, but I’m really starting to see more clearly why photographers want to be closer to the ground as they shoot during the day. If there’s a photography lesson I learned, it’s that. Get close to the ground on a sun shiny day like Sunday. I’m not sure if knee pads will ever be my thing, but there is some technical reasoning behind low shots, aside from just looking cool.
• When you’re paying attention to a four year-old, little things like “where the sun is” can be lost on you as you shoot. 

Sports Category

• Cal Poly women’s soccer looks really resilient right now. Going down a goal, there was a little bit of unsure body language on the field, but Megan Abutin and the team stayed totally focused. Abutin is playing healthy and loose and was the key to unlocking some nice Cal Poly chances throughout the second half. The Mustang attack seemed much more connected than I saw last year. Let’s hope that keeps up.
• Leaving early, you always risk something like this happening without me being there. 

2OT FINAL: Megan Demijohn (104') her 2nd game-winner of the week – @CPWomensSoccer 2-1 over Pacific!#RideHigh & #PlayBig Thurs. vs Denver. pic.twitter.com/qDezSFXPW1

— Big West W-Soccer (@BigWestWSOC) September 17, 2017

To sum it up, if you bring a four year-old, try to enjoy the game a little and accept the fact that neither your photos nor analysis will be what they probably could be. 

And, for now, that’s just fine with me. 

Photos by Owen Main with an assist from The Munchkin. For all the photos from the game click here.

Two weeks earlier, the offense was the clear winner. On Saturday, Cal Poly’s defense bowed up and, in a rarity, won the Cal Poly Spring Game, 48-25. In a contest where the defense got points for forcing turnovers and four-and-out drives by the offense. 

In stark contrast to the Saturday scrimmage a few weeks ago, Cal Poly’s offense just couldn’t get going. Tim Walsh’s defense finished the day with five turnovers in what was an unexpected rout of their offensive teammates. The offense did manage to hit on three field goals and got a late 54-yard pass from Khaleel Jenkins to Kyle Lewis, but wasn’t able to do much else.

Jayson Lee led the defense with seven tackles and LJ Mealancon notched six tackles and a fumble recovery.

The offense will have to hang onto the ball better than they did Saturday in the Fall. By Owen Main

Keep it off the ground

Sure, it was just the spring game, but Cal Poly’s triple option offense won’t be able to withstand the rate of turnovers they committed. It wasn’t just one guy, but turnovers doomed the Mustangs two years ago.

It will be interesting to see the tone Jenkins and co. set when it comes to holding onto the football in the Fall. Hopefully something like this won’t be a scene in any classrooms on-campus in the Fall… .

TURN DOWN THE SOUND BEFORE YOU WATCH THIS AT WORK.

If you were a bright-side guy, and I often am, you could argue that the defense did a really great job of stripping the ball and causing the turnovers. Cal Poly’s defense hasn’t been good at causing turnovers over the past few years, so maybe this could be indicative of a new trend. Also, maybe it was just the Spring Game. 

Offensive depth

Cal Poly will have some offensive depth at a few key positions. Quarterback won’t be one of them. Khaleel Jenkins is presumed to be the number-one guy, with Kory Fox and Jake Jeffrey backing him up. 

Chuby Danu is a redshirt freshman who looks like he can step in and play right away in 2017. By Owen Main

Where they do seem to have depth is at some of the “wear and tear” positions. At fullback, Joe Protheroe will be back as a senior. We know he’s a beast, but keeping his touches down early while still running a productive offense will be an interesting challenge. That’s where Jared Mohamed could really be key. Mohamed, who will also be a senior next season, has proven to be reliable with the ball and has a knack for falling forward. Two tough-running seniors at fullback are always a welcome sight for a first-year starting quarterback at Cal Poly.

At slot back, senior Kyle Lewis will be important. Lewis caught the only touchdown on Saturday and will be the Mustangs’ most consistent home-run threat. The problem will be that opponents will look at tape on Lewis and try to find ways to disrupt him getting into space. Stopping Protheroe and Mohamed up the middle vs. Lewis in space figures to be a tough decision for opposing defenses next year. 

Chuby Danu looked polished and strong for a redshirt freshman Tim Walsh called “very fast.” Tre Green, also a redshirt freshman, broke off a nice run as well from the slot back position. 

Pursue and destroy

Cal Poly’s defense put on a good show Saturday. Coach Walsh noted after the game that they did so without a number of linebackers who didn’t play. They were also without Kevin Griffin and Jerek Rosales, so depth throughout the defensive roster seems to continue to be a strength. 

BJ Nard and Kitu Humphrey should be returning starters at safety for a defense that has some room to improve from last season. 

Junior Khaleel Jenkins rushes on Saturday. By Owen Main

The Jenkins Show

Khaleel Jenkins, a junior next season, will have a lot riding on his decision-making in the Fall. His ability to be a third threat out of the backfield, hold onto the ball, and make great decisions will have tremendous impact on the Mustangs’ ceiling in 2017. If he can minimize turnovers, throw the ball accurately, and make great reads, Cal Poly has the supporting cast to, again, be really good offensively. While he didn’t have the greatest showing on Saturday, Jenkins has shown, in spurts, the ability he has to break big plays in games and put points on the board. 

The boot

Cal Poly kickers looked good on Saturday, at least on field goals. Casey Sublette (50 yards) and Alex Vega (52 yards) each made long ones. Sublette, a left-footed place-kicker, has punted both lefty and righty in games before. Kind of an oddity, but a fun one to watch on special teams. 

Who’s ready for Fall?!

Cal Poly 2017 schedule

Home Games in Bold,   <>    * Big Sky Conference game

________________________________________

August 27th (Sunday) vs. Colgate (4:05pm)

September 2 at San Jose State (TBD)

September 9 at Northern Iowa (2:00pm)

September 23 vs. Northern Arizona (6:05pm)*

September 30 at Idaho State (TBD)*

October 7 at Southern Utah (TBD)* 

October 21 vs. Weber State (6:05pm)*

October 28 at UC Davis (TBD)*

November 4 vs. Portland State (6:05)*

November 11 vs. Sacramento State (6:05)*

November 18 at Northern Colorado (TBD)*

Just because Cal Poly’s roster is small doesn’t mean they have to take a ton of three pointers. On Wednesday night in an ESPN3 game, Cal Poly came out gunning, shooting 54% en route to a 85-71 route of CSUN at the Matadome. Cal Poly led by as many as 30 halfway through the second frame. CSUN’s press helped them make the final respectable, but the Mustangs (3-8 in Big West play) held on for the win. Cal Poly has now beaten each of the top-3 teams in the Big West this season. 

Fields in control

Donovan Fields scored a career-high 23 points in Cal Poly’s win at CSUN on Wednesday. By Owen Main

Sophomore guard Donovan Fields showed a diverse offensive game en route to 23 points on Wednesday to go along with six rebounds and four assists. The 23 points ties him for the second highest point total for a Cal Poly player this year. Fields, who is listed at 5′ 10″, was scoring any way he wanted to: pull up jumpers, floaters, three-pointers, and knifing layups. He and fellow small combo guard Victor Joseph have carried much of the offensive load in conference play for Cal Poly. While they do shoot three-pointers, the Mustang guards are at their best when getting into the lane in positions to finish. Joseph finished with 15 points and five rebounds on the night.

Kuba gets hot

Sophomore forward Kuba Nizioł was supposed to redshirt this season, but after injuries to Josh Martin and Josh Mishler early-on, he volunteered to take his redshirt off and play this season. He has never been shy to shoot open shots, but over the past few weeks, Nizioł has taken steps.

On Wednesday, the Polish national made his first three pointer and missed his second shot shortly after. Many young players might shy away after missing shots, but that hasn’t been Nizioł’s MO.  

Developing post depth

While Cal Poly’s offense generally does not go through the post this season, the center position remains an important one. After losing Martin, Cal Poly has relied on Zach Gordon along with Aleks Abrams and Hank Hollingsworth at the five position. Generally two of the three are in a rotation in a given game, with a third playing just a few minutes. This has seemingly changed game to game. On Wednesday, Hollingsworth got the start and the redshirt freshman showed some growth in terms of mental and physical toughness. 

After getting his shot blocked on Cal Poly’s first offensive possession, Hollingsworth rallied and played a solid defensive game, affecting multiple CSUN shots around the paint. He even threw down a few dunks, including a tip-jam. While Gordon and Abrams have had more time at the position this year, Hollingsworth’s development is a big deal for a team that’s thin in the front court without Josh Martin and will lose Zach Gordon to graduation following this season. Having three guys who can play legitimate defense inside and give opposition big men varied looks will go a long way toward Cal Poly being a potential upset threat in the Big West Tournament. 

Two Pointers a key

I told someone earlier this year that I expected Cal Poly to shoot 25-35 three-pointers in games kind of often this year. Against CSUN, Joe Callero’s team shot just 7-18 from three-point range and didn’t make any in the second half, but still won a game that was not really in question at any point in the second half. 

In the end, Cal Poly shot 62 percent on two-point attempts and 54 percent overall. Sometimes, when you can get and make lots of good shots, well, you’re a tough team to beat. 

Photos by Owen Main – For more photos visit photos.fansmanship.com

Well, that Eastern Washington game was the worst. If you’re a Cal Poly fan, there were so many things that went wrong in that game that it’s kind of hard to count.

A first-quarter interception in the end zone on a drive that would have put the Mustangs ahead.

An Eastern Washington touchdown the guy caught against his shoulder pad.

Despite over 100 yards rushing in the first half, Dano Graves couldn’t stave off the Eastern Washington onslaught. By Owen Main

Too many Cal Poly punts.

At the end of the first half, a Jerek Rosales interception seemed like it could be a turning point. Cal Poly had nearly four minutes and a touchdown would have put them even going into halftime, but the drive failed.

Eastern Washington scored on their first possession of the 3rd quarter to go up two scores. Then Cal Poly fumbled and the Eagles promptly scored another touchdown to go up by 21 points. At that point, Kyle Lewis looked like he wasn’t coming back and a Cal Poly comeback didn’t really seem possible, but the Mustangs kept fighting.

Joe Protheroe scored a touchdown and Cal Poly was at the EWU 9 yard line with 7:50 to go, but couldn’t convert on fourth down. Instead of scoring and being within a touchdown, Cal Poly’s defense gave up a sixth and final touchdown to Eastern in what was the final score of the game.

Cooper Kupp is good at the football. By Owen Main

Cooper Kupp is good

Cooper Kupp is, by a lot of numbers, the best receiver in FCS history. He’s going to be in the NFL next year. He showed why, throwing two strikes on trick plays and adding the game-sealing touchdown.

Kupp is one of the most exciting players in the FCS and he put on a show with 11 catches for 154 yards.

Big opportunities

Despite the discouraging loss, Cal Poly still has a great chance to make the FCS playoffs. Wins at Weber State and at home against Northern Colorado to end the year would all but assure the team of a playoff birth. If they lose one of the two, a 7-4 record might not be enough.

To get there, the Mustangs will have the find a way to game-plan through bumps and bruises. The ongoing health of Joe Protheroe, Kyle Lewis, and Dano Graves will mean everything for the Cal Poly offense.

Joe Protheroe has had a great season, but will need help if Cal Poly wants to make it into the playoffs. By Owen Main

Not at the bottom

Weber State and Northern Colorado haven’t been in the top half of the Big Sky standings much during the last few seasons. It’s not the case this year. Weber State is 4-2 and Northern Colorado has only dropped to 3-3 recently. Neither games will be gimmes. Not by a long shot.

If the Mustangs want to make the playoffs, they’ll have to take care of business. Two more weeks. Two more games.

One big opportunity.

Photos by Owen Main – View them on photos.fansmanship.com here.