Cal Poly’s football coach joins the podcast on this episode. We talked about what life is like for him in a quarantined world, how missing spring practice will effect the team moving forward, and what we can expect from the Mustangs in the Fall. 

In this episode, Kenny describes cover zero, calls an audible on his favorite hard seltzer, and Owen introduces a new segment with a new local fake sponsor. Big Sky picks by Nic Cage.

In this episode we talk about how Cal Poly football can get back to their winning ways, the Bon and Viv moment of the week, and Big Sky picks from Jeff Goldblum. 

On this edition of the podcast, Kenny advocates for more passing, there’s a new Bon and Viv flavor, and Kris Kristofferson makes his Big Sky Football Picks of the Week. 

Kenny Stevenson joined the fansmanship podcast again this week to try to describe what a pro-style offense looks like, we break-down the Horseshoe game this week, and the thing you’ve all been clambering for: more exciting hard seltzer talk.

Meanwhile, Nic Cage gives his Big Sky football predictions for this week at about the 30 minute mark. 

Comedian and Cal Poly alum Kenny Stevenson joins the podcast this week for a spirited conversation about what exactly happens on a triple option play (hint, I’m not sure Kenny really knows), his favorite hard seltzers, and some unofficial sponsors. 

A few notes – the audio quality is quite bad for significant portions of this show. Management is trying to work out some kinks so we can get Kenny on more often. We’ll try to shore that up when we record again next week. Sorry about it. Just trying to get 1 percent better every day. 

On Saturday, Cal Poly hosted 17th-ranked Montana. The Mustangs came into the game 1-3 on the season, having won just two of their past 16 games overall. 

So, not a great trend. This year hasn’t been easy though. The four games Cal Poly has lost (including to Montana) have all been against opponents ranked in the top-17 in the nation. 

For me, one of the fascinating things about college sports — or any athletics at a really high level — is that there sometimes isn’t MUCH between a team that seems down in the dumps and a team that is in the top-20 in the nation. Saturday’s game, for me, was a fascinating case in point.

Cal Poly moved the ball like they wanted to and played basically as well as you can in a game you lose by 20 (the final score was 48-28).

There were 149 total plays in the game, and here are four that went a long way toward determining the outcome:

The first fouth-and-one

Cal Poly is a triple option team that goes for it on fourth down. A lot. If you depend on rushing the ball and can’t get a yard or two when you need it, then you’re probably not going to win anyway. Also, head coach Tim Walsh has long preached that touchdowns are what win games, not field goals. 

After picking up one first down on their opening drive, Cal Poly had the ball at Montana’s 48 yard line on fourth down and 1. Cal Poly handed the ball to senior fullback Joe Protheroe, but the Grizzlies sniffed it out and stopped Cal Poly short. 

Early fourth down plays can have lasting impacts on momentum in the trenches. 

THE OUTCOME – Well, Cal Poly’s defense forced a Montana three-and-out, forcing a punt. Things looked OK until…..

J’uan Campbell rushed for 31 yards on four carries Saturday against Montana.
Photo by Owen Main

The Muff

Since the Mustangs had gone for it on 4th down, Montana had good field position to pin Cal Poly back toward their own end zone. The Montana punter angled a high kick toward the corner. Cal Poly junior return man J’uan Campbell waved his teammates away as the ball bounced and rolled nearly out of bounds. Inexplicably, Campbell made a last second effort to pick up or dive on the ball. 

Instead, Campbell simply touched it and Montana took possession at the Cal Poly 7 yard line.

THE OUTCOME – Two plays later, Dalton Sneed found Gabe Sulser for a six-yard touchdown and Montana led 10-0, less than seven minutes into the game. 

The pitch-6

Down 10-0 early-on, Cal Poly still had to believe they could get back into the game by sticking with their initial game plan. While the Montana defense HAD earned one stop, Cal Poly’s offense hadn’t even started to roll. Khaleel Jenkins and co. put together a drive that was vintage Cal Poly offense for the first 13 plays of the drive. Protheroe found some rhythm up the middle. Jenkins was making good option decisions. Campbell got back on track. Chuby Danu even caught a ball out of the backfield. Cal Poly used the first 13 plays of the drive to go 60 yards. At the Montana 16 yard line, it seemed like the Mustangs were ready to score a touchdown of their own and get back into the game. 

Instead, the wheels fell off. 

On an option play toward the Cal Poly sideline, Jenkins’ pitch to Danu careened off Danu and right into the waiting arms of Montana defender Josh Buss, who returned the fumble 80 yards for a Montana touchdown.

THE OUTCOME – Instead of the score being maybe 10-7, it was 17-0 Montana with 1:31 to go in a disastrous first quarter. 

To their credit, the Mustangs didn’t hang their heads. Jenkins, Protheroe, and newly installed running back Drew Hernandez kept the Triple Option chugging. Cal Poly responded with a drive of over six minutes in the second quarter, culminating in a Protheroe touchdown, but Montana scored on their ensuing drive and once more before the half to go up 31-7 at halftime. 

When you do the math on the 14 point swing of the pitch-6 and what might or might not have happened with the Muff, you might think about somewhere between 14 and 21 points being made-up. That means that instead of being boat-raced at 31-7 going into halftime, Cal Poly might have been within striking distance at something like 24-14. That’s a big difference. 

Again, Cal Poly’s offense seemed to respond in the second half. They scored on each of their first two drives in the 3rd quarter, but so did Montana. Even trading a touchdown for a field goal, Cal Poly wasn’t making up ground. Down 41-21 early in the fourth quarter, the offense needed to keep scoring.

The fourth down, part deux

I hesitated putting this one in here. By the time you’re depending on conversion of a fourth and four, down by 20 points in the fourth quarter, maybe you’re grasping at straws. Still, Cal Poly had life. with 12:16 left in the game, on fourth and four from the Montana 22, Jenkins called his own number. He tried to cut upfield on an option play. He slipped and was smothered for no gain. 

THE OUTCOME – Montana got the ball back on downs and scored on a 68 yard rush three plays later. It was a dagger for a Cal Poly team that rallied for a touchdown late to keep the score within 20. 

****

Each of the above plays creates the circumstance needed for the next one to even take place, but when you put them all together, it makes up for most of the score difference between the two teams. I guess the good news if you’re a Mustang fan is that high leverage situations like fourth downs, special teams plays, and turnovers are things that can improve.

Drew Hernandez (27) was a pleasant surprise for Cal Poly fans, rushing for 135 yards on 14 carries Saturday against Montana.
Photo by Owen Main

Cal Poly out-gained Montana 512 yards to 468 yards and dominated time of possession (38:40 to 21:20). Cal Poly ran 95 plays to Montana’s 54. But two early turnovers weren’t something Cal Poly could overcome.

Cleaning up their play in those high-leverage areas could give the Mustangs a chance to win in the state capitol this weekend against Sacramento State. 

You’ll also notice I didn’t mention the defense yet. Cal Poly’s defense wasn’t horrific, but it wasn’t great. They made some good third down stops (Montana was just 5/10 on third downs), but they also let some big plays happen, including Adam Eastwood’s 68 yard dagger. By the time the defense forced a turnover from the Grizzlies, an interception by Carter Nichols, the game was well in-hand.

The receivers throughout the Big Sky are really good and so are most of the passing quarterbacks. Sacks are hard to come by as quarterbacks are getting rid of the ball quickly. If the offense and special teams play a clean game, Cal Poly’s defense doesn’t have to do huge things with turnovers, sacks, and tackles for losses. If the Mustangs are behind by 20 points though, then the pressure on Josh Brown’s unit becomes higher. With a young defensive front, changing the game plan and becoming more urgent might lead to some of the late breakdown we saw with the long Eastwood touchdown run. 

So, what’s next?

Look this weekend for high-leverage plays and whether they go Cal Poly’s way. Can the Mustangs convert on some fourth downs when they only have 1-3 yards to get? Can the offense keep from giving away possession and points and still run smoothly. 

Smart football is good football in so many cases. With nearly 150 plays last game, there are lots of opportunities to slip-up, but if Cal Poly can play sound football this weekend, they’ll have a chance in the Hornets nest. 

Photos by Owen Main. Click here for all photos

Cal Poly football has one win in its last 13 games. On Saturday, the program will kick off its 100th season on the road against the best team in the FCS, North Dakota State. Kickoff is set for noon at the Fargodome, where the Bison have won 43 of their past 48 games since the 2010 season began. North Dakota State has not lost more than one game at home in any season during that span.

Cal Poly comes into the season with health playing a big role. After missing All-American fullback Joe Protheroe and quarterback Khaleel Jenkins for most of last season, Cal Poly will have both players back on the field in 2018. Protheroe, who rushed for 1,334 yards and 13 touchdowns two seasons ago, looks to be Cal Poly’s featured option while Jenkins will take the reins back after sitting out most of 2017. 

While Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh isn’t focused on last season, the bad taste of a 1-10 season still lingers for fans. A good showing in Fargo could wash some of that away. 

Give and Take

Cal Poly’s ability to handle the ball and not turn it over is likely to be a deciding factor in whether Cal Poly gives themselves a chance against the top team in their division. Last year, the Mustangs lost 17 fumbles and threw 7 interceptions while only turning their opponents over 15 times total. 

Cal Poly also committed more penalties for more lost yards than their opponents last season. Against the nation’s top team, that’s not an option.

Toughening Up

In a podcast before camp, Walsh alluded to his team needing to be tougher. It’s not sexy, but holding their own in the trenches is especially crucial for a team that rushes the ball as much as the Mustangs. 

Listen to the podcast with Tim Walsh here. 

Naming conventions

North Dakota State has an all-time great collection of names on their roster, led by quarterback Eastman Stick. Their names go as deep as their talent does. Here’s a 24/7 Sports preview of their season from January. And a Hero Sports preview said, “this is the best preseason roster the Bison have had since the 2013 undefeated season.”

IF

If Cal Poly can manage a few decent drives in the first half and hold their own defensively, they will keep themselves in the game. Keys will be to start with some good drives and capitalize on the opportunities they are given, hold onto the football, hold their own on the defensive front seven, and catch a few breaks. If (IF) they can do all those things, they’ll have a chance late in this one. 

Football season is back. Buckle up. 

Here’s a good article about Bradley Mickey from the Santa Maria Times.

Here are some photos from a few practices.

Lucas Clark 

Coming off an injury-plagued 1-10 season in 2017, Cal Poly football will have a lot of eyes on it this season. Can the Mustangs boomerang back into Big Sky Conference and FCS playoff contention?

I asked Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh about what went wrong last year (not just injuries), what the team has been doing this offseason, and his outlook on whether he feels more pressure this season. 

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