Notes: I finally went to Cal Poly Football practice

They started early. And I was busy. But finally, I made it out to Cal Poly football practice on Monday morning. And here are the things.

The long walk continues

Cal Poly is in the process of building the new Doerr Family Field. But that won’t be ready until October or November. Until then, Cal Poly football continues to practice in the Back 40, on the upper practice field. In case you didn’t know, the practice field they’ve been on for years is an artificial surface that is over a mile from their locker rooms adjacent to Mott Athletics Center. 

The new field will be right next to it, but until then, it’s a little hike from the parking lot for me. For a lot of players, it means a similar walk or riding on bicycles. I even saw a few players on mopeds rolling back to Mott Athletics Center. 

It won’t be necessary after a few weeks — at least not for every practice. For now, it gave those of us watching practice a nice walk in the morning sun. It really is beautiful out on that part of campus. I won’t miss the walk though. 

Familiar Faces

The Khaleel Jenkins Show makes its debut at Spanos Saturday, August 23rd against Colgate. By Owen Main

Cal Poly’s roster is littered with players who have experience contributing big. They are three or four deep at fullback, including preseason all-american Joe Protheroe. They have Kyle Lewis’ explosive speed on the edge. Lewis is probably the Mustang who didn’t get many preseason accolades most likely to pick up some postseason individual hardware. Redshirt freshman Chuby Danu should also be more than capable in his first year of significant playing time. 

The offensive line is led by experience senior Joey Kuperman. The defensive backfield is at least 7 or 8 deep on the depth chart with quality players. The team’s linebacking corps has experienced guys and the defensive line is anchored by SLO High grad Jack Ferguson and senior Augustino Elisaia.

JJ Koski is the most experienced receiver from last year’s team. Watching the greener players on the edge block in the run game will be a key. Carson McMurtrey and Jordan Hines were really good at that in previous years and blocking the edge effectively from the wideout position is not an easy task.

Khaleel Jenkins comes into the season with limited experience. Two years ago, Jenkins started a game at Spanos and played decently as a true freshman. He turned the ball over a few times, but also showed some explosive rushing ability and decent decision-making in the option game. 

Head coach Tim Walsh is optimistic about Jenkins’ upcoming season. 

Schedule lining up

This season’s schedule is one that, by traditional Big Sky standards, is on the lighter side. Nowhere on the schedule are Montana, Eastern Washington, or Montana State. 

Teams like Portland State, Weber State, and Nothern Arizona always play Cal Poly really tough. So does UC Davis because, you know, the horseshoe. 

The Mustangs even have a winnable game in their second weekend (technically, week 1) against an FBS team. I don’t think I have a great grasp on this team at this point, but if they can improve even a little from last year’s squad, their talent in the offensive backfield and improving defense should give them a chance to compete for a Big Sky title.

My Adidas

This was also my first look at Cal Poly’s new Adidas gear. The athletic department signed a contract with Adidas in the offseason and every team will be sporting the three-striped apparel. This seems to be a first for Cal Poly. Up until now, individual programs signed contracts with various companies. 

The new gear looked good. From an outsider’s perspective it didn’t seem too much of a departure from the past. What I am excited about is the new game uniforms for football, soccer, and volleyball in the fall. The merch trailer at Spanos already has some Adidas Cal Poly polo shirts — Green with a white collar. If you want one, it’ll run you $70. 

Strengthier?

One common refrain from players I talked with was how great shape everyone is in this year. Maybe that’s what everyone says every year. Also, maybe it’s a thing. Guys do look pretty ripped. Maybe that’s because they were practicing without pads on Monday. I dunno. 

What I do know is that little things make a difference in an ultimate team sport like football. If everyone believes they are in a little better shape, maybe they are. Everyone I’ve ever talked to about it has said amazing things about Cal Poly’s head strength and conditional coach Chris Holder and his innovative approach. Holder’s blog is fun to look at too. 

Every little edge can make a huge difference for a triple option team trying to scratch and claw for a conference title and a postseason playoff berth. Watch closely this year and maybe that’s an edge Cal Poly has. 

Photos by Owen Main. Find the whole gallery here.