A week ago, former Mustang running back Deonte Williams was named to College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team, which is a list of the top 50 players in the FCS. This past season, Williams rushed for 1,506 yards, falling just 72 yards short of the school record. I recently spoke to the former Cal Poly star about his offseason schedule and NFL aspirations.

Deonte Williams ran for the second most yards in a single season in Cal Poly history. By Owen Main

Here are some bullet points to skip to certain parts of the interview:

What was your reaction to being named to College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-American Team? (0:17)

Did you set any goals regarding yards, touchdowns, or a specific award at the beginning of the season? (0:58)

What are your current goals, moving forward towards the NFL? (1:48)

Would you be willing to look at multiple positions if that is asked of you? Maybe play some special teams? (2:20)

There’s been a few former Mustangs who have made the FCS’s All American Teams, like Asa Jackson with the Ravens and Ramsus Barden with the Giants…. Have you been talking to any former teammates or current friends in the league for advice in these upcoming months? (2:59)

Finally, what’s your mindset going into these next couple of months leading up to the NFL draft? What emotions are running through your head? (4:15)

According to nfldraftscout.com, Williams is ranked 44th out of 196 running backs considered for the NFL Draft. In less than three months, we will see where he lands.

OK, it’s been a few days now. A 3-month odyssey of a season came to an end on Saturday in an odd second-round 18-16 playoff loss to Sam Houston State. The game was weird. Both teams played great defense. Both offenses blew opportunities to seize the game.

I’ve written a “what we learned” post after many of the games this season. So here’s a “what we learned” based on both Saturday’s playoff loss and the season in general. Here is What we learned:

Cal Poly quarterback Andre Broadous will go down as the standard for future Tim Walsh triple option quarterbacks at Cal Poly to have to live up to. By Owen Main

Andre Broadous set a standard –

Cal Poly came into this season with high hopes. Seniors at key positions and overflowing talent at many positions gave Mustangs fans high hopes. Many of these hopes were lain squarely on the shoulders of the senior quarterback.

Broadous did not disappoint. Managing to stay healthy throughout the season, Broadous racked up 648 yards and nine touchdowns as the team’s third-leading rusher. As the leader of Tim Walsh’s triple option, Broadous made precise decisions with honed precision. Broadous’ offense was prolific, averaging 36.7 points and 324 yards rushing per game. It was everything Cal Poly fans could have asked for. Especially when the Mustangs won.

In losses, fumbles by Broadous turned out costly. Broadous lost fumbles in each of Cal Poly’s three losses, including a key fumble early in the playoff game on Saturday. Coach Tim Walsh would argue that there were a hundred plays that Cal Poly could have made a bigger difference on. But Broadous (and the team’s) ability to hold onto the ball was a huge indicator of success. Multiple turnovers for a triple option team are not easily overcome.

All that being said, Broadous was a stud. He will go down as one of three quarterbacks who took a Cal Poly team to the FCS playoffs. Even fans who were down on the triple option began to be turned by Broadous and company’s dominance. Broadous’ impact on Cal Poly football is that he is the triple option quarterback future Tim Walsh quarterbacks at Cal Poly will be judged against.

Led by Sullivan Grosz (94), Cal Poly’s defense proved it could match-up with anyone in the country. By Owen Main

Tim Walsh can coach some defense —

In the shadow of Rich Ellerson’s defense that saw three consecutive Buck Buchanan award winners, Tim Walsh’s defense had their struggles this season. Starting with a change with the secondary coach and ending with both starting safeties being injured for the playoff game, it seemed like the defense just couldn’t get a break.

But with two weeks to prepare, Walsh and his staff can coach up a defense to dominate. Sam Houston State scored over 50 points in nearly half their games this season, and Cal Poly gave up only 18 points, one touchdown, and 241 yards of total offense. One SHSU fan commented that “Y’all’s defense is straight up legit.” I couldn’t agree more. This team finally figured out some things defensively by the end, which is encouraging for next year. Kennith Jackson and Nico Molino will be missed by the defense. But with players like linebacker Nick Dzubnar (107 tackles this season) and defensive tackle Sullivan Grosz (5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries), Cal Poly’s defense is set-up to be better next year.

Sometimes it seemed as though Deonte Williams was the only player on the field. By Owen Main

We were lucky to have Deonte Williams —

Even if Deonte really shined mostly during one season at Cal Poly, Mustang fans are lucky to have had him here. Williams racked-up the second-most yards ever in a single season at Cal Poly (1,506) and was the type of athlete the football team gets its hands on maybe every 3rd or 4th year.

Williams’ talent is a major reason why Cal Poly made it to the playoffs this season. At the same time, Mustang fans have to be nervous, too. Offensive playmakers like Kristaan Ivory, Cole Stanford, Willie Tucker, and Akineyene Umoh will all be back next season, but without the force that Williams was this season, it remains to be seen how Walsh will manage to fill a 1,500-plus yard void at tailback and break-in a new quarterback simultaneously next year.

____________________________

Next year. It always sounds so promising, especially when fans of Cal Poly didn’t think they were far away from winning a playoff road game and going to the Elite 8 of FCS football.

For now, Cal Poly fans will be stuck reminiscing about what “might have been.” A final examination of this year’s Cal Poly team has to be positive. A share of the Big Sky Conference Championship. A playoff appearance. Record-setting performances.

After starting his Cal Poly career 4-7 four years ago, Tim Walsh has re-raised the bar in his fourth season. Great programs are built on one season like this turning into another and another. Time is the untamed mistress of college football programs. Runs of three, four, or five years can become legendary. A single successful season is something that happens more commonly. Teams can take years to get back into the playoffs. We will have answers to all of our questions, with time.

Next year.

OK. So I’m going to make this post short and to the point, then give you a few more pictures from last week’s game.

Quarterback Andre Broadous and his decision-making ability will have a lot to do with whether the Mustangs earn an FCS playoff bid this weekend. By David Livingston

If the Mustangs win today, they’re in. If they lose, it’s possible, but not assured.

To win, they have to:

* Not stall drives early — Cal Poly’s defense does better at being opportunistic when it’s rested, so keep them off the field. Especially at elevation, it’s important for the Mustangs’ offense to control the ball and put Northern Arizona on its heels early.

* Win the turnover game. This goes without saying, in every game, but it’s especially true for a Mustangs team that lost two fumbles each at Sacramento State and Eastern Washington. If the Mustangs lose more than one fumble today, it will be really hard for them to win.

* Win the first quarter. While momentum seems to matter less at Spanos, it seems to matter a great deal to the Mustangs when they play on the road. They had the momentum at Wyoming from the outset and held on to win. Momentum-wise, this game will need to be similar.

* Need more Umoh. Cal Poly will need to establish inside runs early to set-up counter plays and pitches. If they get too cute with outside tosses early-on, Northern Arizona could seize the momentum from the outset by shutting off the edge.

* Deonte. However they do it, the Mustangs will have to continue riding Deonte Williams to the playoffs. Williams, a former Norther Arizona Lumberjack, has been their go-to guy all year and will need to remain a workhorse for Cal Poly.

* Big Plays? If Cal Poly hits big plays in the passing game, this one could be not as close as the experts think. Whether they go for those big plays has a lot to do with Andre Broadous’ decision-making and the amount of respect Northern Arizona gives to receivers like Cole Stanford and Willie Tucker.

Photos by David Livingston

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Cal Poly’s final home game in their first season in the Big Sky Conference went about like many thought it would. After consecutive road losses, re-establishing some sense of normalcy and offensive rhythm was a welcomed change for the Mustangs. They have one more game next week. Win and get into the playoffs. Lose and go home. Let’s talk about a few noteable things from the Idaho State game.

Kennith Jackson grabs one of his two first-quarter interceptions in Cal Poly’s 56-point win vs. Idaho State.

Umoh looks healthy and is getting reps.

The middle portion of Cal Poly’s season saw them going farther and farther away from the Jake Romanelli fullback dive as the bread and butter of the offense. With Akaninyene Umoh injured in the middle of the year, the Mustangs began to use pitches to Deonte Williams and Cole Stanford as the primary play with the fullback dive as the change-up play.

On Saturday night, Cal Poly got back to basics. Umoh seemed healthy again and the running was primarily inside the tackles. The junior fullback racked-up 13 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown. If Cal Poly is going to beat Northern Arizona next week, Umoh will have to have a similarly productive performance.

Is the offensive line improving?

With several offensive line injuries mid-year, Cal Poly’s offensive rhythm was upset. The Mustangs still scored points against Sacramento State, but things weren’t the same as they had been. Eastern Washington, a very high-quality opponent gave the offensive line all they could handle, holding the high-powered triple option offense to a season-low 17 points.

Idaho State is just what the doctor ordered for Andre Broadous and company. Cal Poly racked up 650 yards of total offense, including over 500 yards rushing. Deonte Williams, whose 9th 100-yard game of the season was a Cal Poly single season record (James Noble had 8), led the rushing attack with 125 yards and 3 touchdowns. For a team with a banged-up offensive line looking for some rhythm, I think it’s safe to say they found it.

Cal Poly’s big play defense has been a key in two of their big road wins at Wyoming and North Dakota this season. By Owen Main

Andre Broadous seems healthy and relaxed.

One thing I’ve talked about this year is senior quarterback Andre Broadous’ workload. When things go well for the Mustangs, a Broadous keeper is a nice change-of-pace and can surprise the defense. When Cal Poly is struggling to find rhythm, Broadous is depended on to get tough yards and can sometimes get beat up. As happened in Sacramento, this can sometimes lead to uncharacteristic mistakes.

Going into the last game of the year, Broadous looks healthy, rested and relaxed. If the Mustangs are going to give themselves a chance against Northern Arizona, they need a healthy, sharp, and confident Broadous. He looked all those things against Idaho State.

Kennith Jackson and the defense. Re-energized?

While Idaho State isn’t exactly a juggernaut, Kennith Jackson showed that Cal Poly’s defense still has some fight left. Reminiscent of big-play turnovers earlier in the year, Jackson intercepted passes on consecutive Idaho State possessions to start the game. The Mustangs’ offense scored on both ensuing drives, the game never actually in doubt.

Jackson being in on plays and the ability of the defense to make big plays is, in my opinion, a bellweather for Cal Poly this year in big games.

Photos by Owen Main

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Early in the year, the Cal Poly football team had swagger. You could tell by their words. You could see it in their body language. In conference or out of conference. Confidence was not an issue for Tim Walsh’s team.

Despite clawing and scratching, the Mustangs couldn’t regain their swagger last week at Eastern Washington’s “Inferno.”

Over the past three weeks, Cal Poly has learned a lesson, though. Other teams in the Big Sky have swagger too.

Portland State had swagger. Three weeks ago, they came into Alex G. Spanos Stadium on a drizzly Saturday and gave Cal Poly all they could handle. Going up 7-0 and 14-7, the Vikings were the first team to shut off the corner and start to slow-down Cal Poly’s offense taking control of the “edge.” Tim Walsh’s old school used strong defensive end play to force Cal Poly to go back to running the ball inside between the tackles. Though they lost the game, they gave other teams a blueprint for frustrating Cal Poly’s offense.

Sacramento State had swagger. In an emotional game, the Hornets used the defensive blueprint from the Portland State game to slow down Cal Poly’s offense throughout the game. Sacramento State’s offense also had swagger. His name was Morris Norrise. Norrise knew he was physically more gifted than almost everyone on the field and played like it, racking up 97 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

For the first time, Cal Poly’s frustration and uncertainty began to cut into their swagger. Fumbles were lost at crucial times. Injuries to linemen began to stack-up. Backups didn’t have the same swagger as the starters. It showed.

Last week, Cal Poly went to school. The class: Swagger 101. The Professor: Eastern Washington University.

The Eagles are a team that has a recent National Championship. They boast huge amounts of talent. They play on a red field. They are really good. They have swagger.

While he’s continued to “run like a Mustang,” Cal Poly’s commissioner of swagger — running back Deonte Williams — hasn’t found holes as easily during the past few games.

The assumption of Eagles fans and onlookers is that Eastern Washington will win every game they play this year, especially at home. They are used to winning. They have winning talent across the field. Good programs build on themselves. A National Championship is a great recruiting tool.

Cal Poly was out-played from the beginning of the Eastern Washington game. The one time when the momentum looked like it might be turning Cal Poly intercepted a pass — finally stemming the momentum of the Eagles’ juggernaut offense. Except the defensive back who intercepted the pass promptly fumbled the ball. Fumbles like that are plays teams with swagger shake-off and overcome (see: the beginning of the Sacramento State game). Instead, it broke any momentum the Mustangs might have had.

Teams with swagger are not surprised by winning. EWU averaged 9 wins per year over the last three seasons. They are on-pace for at least that many this year. They are not surprised by scoring. Like Cal Poly, they average over 30 points per game. Their swagger causes teams like Cal Poly to try to do things they don’t usually do. They put unusual pressure on opposing teams on both sides of the ball and also between the ears.

While Cal Poly will not play Montana or Montana State this season, and the Eastern Washington game was not technically a conference game, I have to believe the top teams in this conference have similar swagger.

It’s a major reason the Mustangs joined the conference. But to get more legitimacy than the Great West offered, you have to be able to deal with confident, skilled, and even dominant teams.

Sometimes swagger can annoy opposing fans. Eastern Washington’s television play-by-play guys, featured on Big Sky TV last Saturday, were at times condescending and rude. Already-frustrated Cal Poly fans were not pleased. But when you’re getting your collective butts kicked, there isn’t much anybody can say. Which brings us back to another great thing about swagger.

Without the Yankees and the swagger of their fans, baseball isn’t as much fun. With that swagger, opposing fans have extra reason to care about the game. When teams with swagger-rich fan bases (think Yankees, Lakers, Patriots, Kentucky basketball, Alabama football, etc…) are playing, everyone they play benefits. Fans of their team root harder, opposing teams love to root against them, and the level of fansmanship for everyone is raised.

As they’ve learned so far this year, the Big Sky is a conference laden with swagger. Cal Poly has lost some of theirs over the past few weeks. I don’t know where it went, but to win a conference title, they’ll have to find it again. And then some.

Cal Poly running back Deonte Williams (#10) and quarterback Andre Broadous have led Cal Poly to a fast start. Now, the Mustangs face the most difficult part of their schedule. Photo by Owen Main

Starting today, the Mustangs have to play the toughest stretch of their schedule, going on the road for 3 of the final four games, including visiting top-ranked Eastern Washington in a rare non-conference game versus a Big Sky opponent.

The Good

Cal Poly’s triple option, ball-control offense has proven effective at moving the ball, especially in the second half. They have had more big plays than last season and have survived nagging injuries to two of their running backs. Quarterback Andre Broadous is a senior and has played like one. He has used timely long passes and the knowledge of the offense fans would expect from a senior to establish himself as an extension of Coach Tim Walsh n the field. Walsh depends on Broadous to help make in-game adjustments and to find weaknesses in opposing defenses throughout any game.

While he is currently in second place all-time in rushing touchdowns, Broadous hasn’t had to run the ball himself for much of the first half of the season — a fact Walsh should be thankful for. Last season, Broadous punched it in himself 18 times and going into Saturday’s game, he is 8 scores away from James Noble’s all-time career rushing touchdown record of 35. Walsh has to be happy that he has not had to wear-down Broadous. When Cal Poly is in a tough spot, the ball gets put in Broadous’ hands. Look for the senior quarterback to tally more carries during the next four weeks than he has been during the first seven.

The Scary: the schedule

When this season’s schedule came out, Cal Poly fans saw a real opportunity. Non-conference games against a down Wyoming team and an overrated San Diego, paired with a conference schedule that did not include conference games against top-ranked Eastern Washington,  third-ranked North Dakota, or fourth-ranked Montana State, gave Walsh’s team a strong chance to win the Big Sky in their first season.

While they don’t have to play any of the above teams in-conference, this is the tough part of the schedule. Sacramento State is ranked fourth in the Big Sky (3-2 in conference) and narrowly missed upsetting the top team in FCS last week, losing to Eastern Washington 31-28. The Hornets are probably better than their 5-3 record indicates, having topped FBS Colorado in Boulder earlier in the year. They have been less consistent than the Mustangs, but have shown that they can play with just about anyone.

If Cal Poly survives this week, they get to go on the road to top-ranked Eastern Washington in a non-conference matchup. The Mustangs’ final game is in Flagstaff, AZ against 13th-ranked Northern Arizona, who is 4-0 so far in the tough Big Sky Conference.

What does it mean?

If Cal Poly can get past Sacramento State, an undefeated or one-loss regular season becomes a likelihood rather than a possibility. If the Mustangs lose in the state’s capital, then losses at Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona become more likely and a scenario where Cal Poly loses 3 games and misses the playoffs is a distinct possibility.

In other words, Cal Poly better bring their “A-Game” today. The difference now isn’t between a good or bad season — it’s between a good or great season. And the difference between good and great, at this level, for this team, will be razor-thin.

Post-game comments from last week’s victory over Portland State.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL0VXORKpuI

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHjb779xhU

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfJzuB5Rf_4

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=liThl6Dja6A

Cal Poly Linebacker Kennith Jackson breaks-up a pass on Saturday night. Photo by Owen Main

Cal Poly football continues to roll. They are now 6-0 going into homecoming vs. Portland State this week. Head coach Tim Walsh and his players seemed upbeat obviously happy after their 56-28 shellacking of Northern Colorado Saturday night.

Tim Walsh was head coach at Portland State for 11 years from 1996-2006, during which time he compiled a 65-57 record (42-41 in the Big Sky). Along with comments about the Northern Colorado game, Walsh talked about the connections between Cal Poly and Portland State and the importance of Cal Poly’s next game. You can also find a pretty informative article by JD Scroggin on Cal Poly-Portland State connections from Wednesday here.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXZlvz04O40

Andre Broadous talked about scoring 56 points and still having missed opportunities. He was also clear in the message for his team to stay humble.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKZJPhm1lmg

Kennith Jackson, the heart of the defense, talked about finishing games.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQlcZEZnEns

Deonte Williams, with his usual shiny smile, talked about the game and, as usual, gave lots of credit to his linemen.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6ltEvnrUcM

The slightly overexposed Photos Below by Owen Main

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A Cal Poly receiver goes horizontal to catch an Andre Broadous pass on Saturday night. Photo by David Livingston

Quarterback Andre Broadous combined for 263 total yards, 68 on the ground and 195 through the air. Broadous efficiently racked up his 195 yards passing with 9 completions on only 12 attempts. Broadous threw for 2 touchdowns, one for 45 yards to Willie Tucker and another for 30 yards to Brandon Michalkiewicz.

Cal Poly’s offense was an amazingly clutch 11 for 13 on third down.

Junior defensive captain Sullivan Grosz led the Mustangs’ defense, sacking Bears quarterback Seth Lobato three times.

The Mustangs scored with incredible balance, posting 14 points in each in all four quarters. Northern Colorado matched the Mustangs in the first quarter with 14 points of their own, but Cal Poly’s defense stiffened in the 2nd quarter and didn’t relent until the 4th quarter, when the second team defense starting getting mixed into the game. The Bears then scored their other two touchdowns in garbage-time.

Early in the contest Cal Poly was impressively crisp on offense, as Broadous played mistake-free and Williams was getting downhill and falling forward with ease. The Northern Colorado defense honestly looked over-matched from the get-go.

Halfway through the first quarter with Poly up 7-0 after a 8-yard Kristaan Ivory touchdown run, Broadous’ only major mistake of the game occurred. While keeping over the right side, Andre fumbled and Northern Colorado recovered inside the Cal Poly 20. Bears running back Tremaine Dennis then found his way towards the goal line over his next three carries, finding the end zone to tie the game at 7.

The Mustangs then got back on track with their bread and butter, as Williams fought for first downs on option pitches and inside trap plays. Once Poly crossed midfield into Bear territory, Broadous hit Willie Tucker streaking deep across the field on a 45-yard touchdown. Broadous commented in a post-game radio interview with Tom Barket on ESPN Radio 1280 that a couple of years ago he would have never been able to make that throw or even would have thought of trying it. He admitted he would have just tucked it away and got what he could have with his legs. The growth and maturity of a player is a great thing to see unfold.

As the first quarter came to a close, Northern Colorado answered Poly’s big play with another score of their own, as Lobato found tight end Darin McDonald in the end zone from 22 yards away to tie the score at 14. At this point it looked as if the game was shaping up to be a track meet.

Poly answered back early in the 2nd quarter with a Kristaan Ivory 37-yard scamper on the pitch to make the score 21-14. Then, the Mustang defense stiffened.

Cal Poly cornerback Nico Molino battles for the ball with Norther Colorado receiver Dominic Gunn. Photo by David Livingston

Defensive ends Andrew Alcaraz and Jake Irwin started getting better up-field penetration, putting a post in the defense against Northern Colorado’s off-tackle play. This change forced Bears running back Tromaine Dennis back inside to the teeth of Poly’s defense, instead of allowing him to have the choice to bounce to the outside and extend cutback opportunities in the open field.

The Mustangs added another score after a Northern Colorado punt, as Deonte Williams took a trap play back inside away from option action, a staple of the Poly offense, for a 5-yard plunge, bringing the score to 28-14, where it stayed until halftime.

Cal Poly did not come out with any sense of complacency to start the second half. After a stellar special teams tackle on the kickoff, the Mustangs recovered a fumble by Northern Colorado inside the Bears 25.

Deonte Williams then cashed in that turnover for Poly, taking in his 2nd score of the game, this one from 11 yards out. The Mustangs held a commanding 21-point lead, 35-14, with only 2:24 elapsed in the 3rd quarter. Credit Poly’s coaching staff for keeping their team fired up, and the players for having the killer instinct to put someone away when you have them down. This is the sign of not just a good team, but potentially a great one.

On their next posession, the Mustangs strung together back to back big plays. Broadous hit Cole Stanford down the left seam for 38 yards, and then took it himself on an option keeper for another 25. Deonte Williams smelled the paint along the right side he juked, spun and then lunged his way into the end zone for his 3rd and final score of the night, this one a 15-yard work of art, bringing the score to 42-14 Cal Poly.

Broadus capped off the final first-team drive of the game with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Michalkiewicz, in which the receiver navigated two defenders both during and after the catch, crossing the goal line as the defenders ran into each other. It was a play indicative of the overall Mustang dominance on this night. Poly lead 49-14 with 12 minutes left to play.

After a Northern Colorado touchdown, the Mustangs second-team offense, led by Vince Moraga, countered with a touchdown drive of their own, capped off by a short Ryan Soloman plunge with 3:47 remaining, making the score 56-21. It was Soloman’s first career touchdown.

Cal Poly improves to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Sky. Northern Colorado falls to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Big Sky.

The game was televised on KSBY and was broadcast by recent Fansmanship Podcast guest Bill Halter along with Andrew Masuda. KSBY will again televise next week’s game as head coach Tim Walsh and his Mustangs will take on his former team, the Portland State Vikings (2-4, 1-3 Big Sky) at Spanos Stadium. The Vikings are coming off a bye week, and the week before the bye they demolished Idaho State 77-10. The Mustangs are an even 9-9 all-time against Portland State.

If you haven’t had a chance to see this Mustang offensive machine yet this season, I highly recommend you check them out. You won’t be disappointed. Game time is 6:05pm Saturday night. Get there.

Photos by David Livingston

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Deonte Williams has 609 rushing yards through four games, good enough for fifth place in the FCS. Photo by Owen Main

Last night, Cal Poly did something they haven’t done since 2004 — start the season with four straight wins. That year, Cal Poly won their first seven games, and if this year’s squad matches that feat, an FCS National Championship will be firmly on the minds of the Green and Gold nation.

I’ve tried to be careful not to over-hype this year’s team, but I can’t help it anymore. In football, four games is enough to get a good feeling about a team. And this team is good. Very good. Potentially, really, really, very good.

For Mustangs fans, there is so much to be excited about, but I thought I’d list 5 of these things.

1) This team deals with mid-game adversity. While they won their opener against the University of San Diego fairly easily, the next three games have all come amidst some adversity. At Wyoming, they gave up a 14-pont lead and trailed 15-14 before coming back to win the game. In the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe, Cal Poly surrendered 10 straight fourth-quarter points before their defense finally settled down to ice the game. Against North Dakota yesterday, the Mustangs again gave up a 14-point lead and all the momentum before coming back to score the final 21 points of the game and seal the Big Sky road victory.

The ability to deal with momentum shifts against you and still execute is a sign of a good team. If the Mustangs can continue to deal with in-game momentum swings in the way they have, they will probably continue to be successful.

2) The Mustangs are winning in the Big Sky. Over the past 8 years, Cal Poly and other Great West schools have been widely looked-down upon in FCS polls. Cal Poly fans were excited this year about conference legitimacy. In a better conference, Cal Poly has started 2-0, beating their rival and what was a good artificial-turf based 8th-ranked offense in FCS.

Winning in the Big Sky Conference will be a lot more meaningful than winning in the Great West. To compete for a national title, you need to be in the playoffs, and being in the Big Sky will help Cal Poly’s chances of getting in the playoffs.

3) The defense can stop the run, but it looks like they can do enough to stop the pass too. I have said all year that Cal Poly can stop the run. Their entire defense hits hard and wraps-up ball carriers. They continued to prove this in only giving up only 3.5 yards per rush in Grand Forks. The question I’ve had about their defense was how well they could get pressure on the quarterback and cover receivers downfield. To add to this question-mark, Cal Poly lost their defensive backs coach, Randy Hanson, after he was arrested after a bar fight during the preseason.

So, how has the defensive backfield responded? Well, the team has only given up 18.25 points per game to their opponents and hasn’t allowed more than 22 points in any single game. Cornerback Nico Molino has four interceptions in four games and Cal Poly has won the turnover battle forcing 10 turnovers in four games compared to giving up only 4 total.

4) At this point, Deonte Williams has established himself as a legitimate FCS star. Deonte Williams is a star. In four games, the senior slotback has stacked-up some impressive numbers. By the fourth game, when North Dakota must have been keying on him, Williams still was able to muster 125 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. Williams now has 622 yards and 6 touchdowns on the season (4 games) and is averaging over 150 yards per game.

Williams is fifth in the FCS in rushing after four games and his continued success should open up other offensive options like Akaninyene Umoh, Kristaan Ivory, and this week’s all-purpose star Cole Stanford. A good triple option offense needs a group of runners who are all threats and while Williams has established himself as the main threat, others should benefit from opponents keying on him and quarterback Andre Broadous.

5) Cal Poly has not played a totally clean game yet. The Mustangs are getting wins out of games without probably playing their best. Whether getting down early, giving up two touchdown leads, or having to overcome missed field goals, the Mustangs haven’t had any games I would call easy yet. Even the San Diego game was somewhat close until the second half.

Speaking of field goals, kicker Bobby Zalud hasn’t been healthy since the Wyoming game. Zalud, who was 3-3 in the first two games, is 0-3 since he went down with back spasms prior to the UC Davis game. IF he can get healthy, Zalud can be a weapon for Cal Poly. If he is hurt, he has shown that he may be a liability. Cal Poly fans should keep Zalud on their radar, especially if the Mustangs are going to continue to play close games.

Cal Poly’s Andre Broadous threw only his second interception of his career, so other guys got most of the post-game press. Photo by Owen Main

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Cal Poly sings its fight song to the probably 200 or so Mustangs fans that attended the game:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOZUGK2JX5Y

Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh’s post-game comments:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl4MBU1PipQ

Defensive back Nico Molino intercepted the Cowboys late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. He described the play and what the win meant for the Mustangs:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9S5tc9xbCo

Running back Kristaan Ivory scored two touchdowns and discussed what his role is backing-up Deonte Williams.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpJvmmhfdJ8

Defensive leader Kenneth Jackson talked about playing a physical game vs. an FBS team and the importance of the win for the program:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzPBfXSyCK4

Senior running back Deonte Williams talks about how tired he was after his long runs and about avoiding a let-down going into the UC Davis game next week:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lQgrwtsFsE

Kicker Bobby Zalud kicked a game-winning 51 yard field goal. He talked about kicking at altitude, among other things.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzqwuhjIWv4