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 

Cal Poly had opportunity after opportunity. Time after time, the Mustangs were unable to seize momentum or control of the game, and by the second half, the opportunities slipped away in a 34-13 loss to San Jose State. 

Cal Poly’s defense gave the Mustangs a chance to win on Saturday night. By Owen Main

More importantly for the Mustangs, preseason All American and senior fullback Joe Protheroe was on the sidelines in a knee brace for most of the game. Protheroe was apparently hurt sometime in the first half and will be re-evaluated this week. 

The blow left the inconsistent Cal Poly offense without its most potent weapon. 

In a season when both the quarterback and offensive coordinator are new, effective play calling and rhythm are things that have eluded the normally dynamic Mustang ground game. 

“We’re kind of playing without a personality on that side of the ball,” said Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh after the game, when asked about his team’s offensive struggles. “We know what we want to be, but we’ve got to be able to get ourselves there.”

Walsh pointed to ball security as a key factor in Cal Poly’s lack of consistent production. After the Cal Poly defense forced a fumble in the first quarter, the Mustangs took over at the Spartan 23. They went three and out and only managed a field goal. Again, the Cal Poly defense came up big, stopping the Spartans around midfield. Again, the Mustang offense couldn’t finish the drive, kicking a field goal.

Before the first half was over, San Jose State scored a touchdown and led 7-6. The Cal Poly defense came up big again in the second quarter, turning the Spartans over inside the San Jose State 20 yard line. On first and goal from the San Jose State 2 yard line, Cal Poly quarterback Khaleel Jenkins fumbled. Instead of being up 13-7, the Mustangs trailed 7-6 into halftime.

After Cal Poly’s defense forced an early three-and-out, Kyle Lewis fumbled at the Mustang 15 yard line. Three plays later, San Jose State capitalized with a touchdown and led 14-6. They cut the lead back to 8 points once more at 21-13 in the fourth quarter, but the offense could never find its way into a big play. A late fumble by Jared Mohamed was returned for a touchdown to cap the Spartan scoring.

Defense improved

Cal Poly’s defense seems to be much improved so far in 2017. The Mustangs turned the Spartans over twice early on Saturday and because of two Cal Poly turnovers, the final score probably is more lopsided than it should have been.  I wasn’t sure about the linebackers going into the season, but I guess I should know better by now. Mason Montgomery, R.J. Mazolewski and Jayson Lee are a worthy group who played nastier and better in Cal Poly’s second game. 

Scary moment

A scary moment in the game Saturday came when BJ Nard, attempting to make a big tackle on San Jose State tight end Josh Oliver, collided with cornerback Kam Dennis. Dennis laid on the field for a number of minutes while being attended to by the Cal Poly training staff and doctor. Dennis ended up walking off the field and seemed lucid after the game, but Walsh confirmed he’ll go through the concussion protocol.

Bailey Gaither reels in a 49 yard touchdown pass. By Owen Main

Paso Prep stars featured for Spartans

Two former Paso Robles Bearcat football players feature prominently in San Jose State’s offense. Josh Oliver, a tight end, caught four passes for 37 yards.  Bailey Gaither, a receiver, returned two kickoffs for 43 yards and caught three passes for 56, including a 49 yard touchdown reception. 

Lots of little things

There were lots of little things the Mustangs didn’t do on Saturday. A Casey Sublette field goal was short late in the first half after the holder held the ball with the laces in. Multiple penalties made already-tough third down plays five yards longer. 

Big plays missing

Perhaps the most perplexing thing about the way the offense has progressed this year is the lack of big plays. While Cal Poly has been a triple option team for years, a hallmark recently has been big plays down the field. Sweeps or option plays that gain 10-plus yards have been non-existent.

Execution of pass plays down the field for more than 20 yards have been totally missing. Jenkins threw the ball ten times in the game. If Cal Poly is going to come out of their offensive funk, they’ll have to start finding ways to execute some big plays. 

Not any easier

Things don’t get easier for Cal Poly in their third game, as they travel to Northern Iowa. The Panthers dismantled Cal Poly 34-20 at Spanos Stadium in 2015, scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter that night. Northern Iowa scored in every quarter in their 42-24 loss to Iowa State last week. They’ll be a tough opponent and the possibility of an 0-3 pre-conference schedule is staring fans in San Luis Obispo in the face after two disappointing weeks. 

Photos by Owen Main. For all game photos, click here. 

Well, that wasn’t pretty. Cal Poly football gave up a 17-0 lead in the first half, found themselves down 20-0 going into the fourth quarter, and couldn’t finish a late rally as they fell on Saturday to Colgate 20-14. 

It was a disappointing loss for a team coming off a playoff bid in 2016 and playing on national television in a rare Week Zero home game. There was lots that went wrong. Some things weren’t so bad. What did we really learn from the Mustangs’ opening game loss?

Khaleel Jenkins pitches to Kyle Lewis in what was one of Cal Poly’s only true option plays they ran on Saturday. By Owen Main

Cal Poly’s offense stifled

If you are one of those fans who has been loud and vocal about Cal Poly not throwing the ball more even while they win games, you were probably out of your mind with frustration at the end of the third quarter. At that point, the Mustangs had put the ball in the air just eight times. 

The real story for me, though, was the lack of a balance in touches throughout the game. After the game, Tim Walsh recognized that Joe Protheroe (39 carries) carried it too many times. He pointed to Jared Mohamed as a worthy and reliable senior fullback who can shoulder some of the load more than he did. 

In the end, Cal Poly would probably prefer to have at least three players with probably 10 or more carries throughout the game. After Protheroe’s 39 carries, the Mustangs’ next highest total was Kyle Lewis’ 7. Protheroe had more carries than the rest of the team combined. For all intents and purposes, half of the Cal Poly offense’s snaps ended with a carry by Protheroe — mostly right up the gut. That means that over half their plays were dives to the fullback. Even by Cal Poly’s standards, that’s a pretty predictable number. 

Cal Poly ran 25 of their 79 plays in the fourth quarter. They were stopped on third and fourth down a combined 13 times, including 0/3 on fourth and short yardage to start the game (they converted four times late in the game to go 4/8 on fourth down on the day). 

The Mustangs had their chances. J.J. Koski and Kyle Lewis were both open deep in the second quarter. Koski was overthrown by Khaleel Jenkins and Lewis couldn’t handle a nicely thrown ball. Execution on either play during that second quarter drive would likely have led to much needed first half points in the new season. Big plays are something that Cal Poly’s triple option offense has to hit on at least sometimes to be successful and it seemed like they went 0-fer in their opener.

The final offensive numbers are almost all in Cal Poly’s favor, but to see the team under 300 yards of total offense is a surprising number, even with Colgate’s stout defensive reputation. Colgate took advantage of their opportunities and made a few huge plays.

It is hard to think about in the moment when you’re a fan, but this was a new play caller and a new quarterback. You have to think that both of those guys are going to improve over the course of the season.

Cal Poly dug themselves a hole offensively. The Mustangs tried everything they could late to claw out of the deficit, but were left a few plays short. 

Improved defense

Cal Poly’s defense showed some improvement, giving up just 20 points on Saturday. 

Josh Brown’s group matched turnovers with the Colgate defense when Kitu Humphrey picked-off a tipped pass, and they made some big stops on third down, giving up just a pair of field goals instead of touchdowns. Tim Walsh has harped in past years on the enormous difference between a field goal and a touchdown, and Cal Poly’s defense seemed to get the message, especially when they gave up just three points in the second half. 

For as frustrating as a lot of that game was for Cal Poly fans, the defense played very well. Walsh and co. will gladly take 20 point defensive games each and every week this year. That said, I still haven’t really got a gauge on who is nasty on the Cal Poly defense. BJ Nard has been a nasty player in the past.Augustino Elisaia is a beast up front. Guys made plays up front. Maybe big huge plays aren’t something they’ll need to hold other teams down. 

Or maybe they’ll have even another gear when they play more pass-happy offenses.

Fans showed up

The attendance was listed at 8,428, about 2,000 higher than I predicted. With the Mayweather-McGregor fight happening and school still a few weeks away, Cal Poly did a few things to get butts in seats. 

The game was Youth Day. That means that kids got in free, and there were quite a few youngsters littered throughout the stands. Cal Poly also decided to play a movie on the scoreboard after the game. Rogue One is a fun movie and there were maybe a few hundred people out on the field after the game to check it out. 

The movie is a promotion that Cal Poly hasn’t done before in my memory, but creative stuff like that is exactly what they should be doing. 

One other thing that could impact how many people come to games — they sell beer now at the stadium. I don’t think it made a huge impact on day one, but it can’t hurt the bottom line.

Going to the Valley

Cal Poly goes and plays a state school from the valley this weekend. Well, not THE Valley. A valley. The Silicon Valley. San Jose State is one of the closest road games the Mustangs could possibly play. San Jose State started well against Charlie Strong’s South Florida team last weekend, but were blown away late. As of today, Cal Poly was favored slightly over the Spartans.

The two programs have a lot of history they share. Coaches and strength coaches have moved between the two programs over the past 15 years. There are kids from the greater San Jose area on Cal Poly’s roster and two players on San Jose State — Josh Oliver and Bailey Gaither — are from Paso Robles. 

This is one of the few games that a fan from San Luis Obispo can drive to and back from comfortably in a day. I’ll be making the trip and reporting and posting things on social media all day Saturday, so be on the look-out. 

Photos by Owen Main. For all the photos from the game, click here. 

Joe Protheroe and the Mustangs welcome Colgate today. By Owen Main

Colgate is here. 

In about 90 minutes, Cal Poly and Colgate will kick-off in a week zero contest at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo.

Here are a few late things to look for:

Khaleel Jenkins

Cal Poly’s quarterback is always spotlighted. This year is no different. Jenkins, a 6’2″ junior from the San Diego area started one game as a true freshman two years ago, but he’s earned complete control as an upperclassman in 2017. 

I hate to oversimplify things, but Jenkins’ ability to control the ball and not turn it over is an easy thing for a Cal Poly fan to look at to see how successful the Mustangs’ offense will be. Jenkins has all the tools, but once the season starts it’s about making smart decisions and executing. 

Wideout blocking

Cal Poly didn’t lose a ton of yardage or receiving production from last year, but one question I have is whether wide receivers will be able to block the edge. To the extent they can, Cal Poly’s offense really opens up and makes the entire width of the field hard to defend. 

Kyle Lewis

Speaking of getting wide, Kyle Lewis’ usage will be really interesting to keep track of. Lewis wasn’t on any preseason list I saw, but he has the chance to be an explosive playmaker for Cal Poly. In his senior season, he’ll probably be used as a slotback, a wideout, and maybe a kick returner. The Mustangs have lots of depth at positions like fullback (behind All-American, Joe Protheroe), but I’m not sure they have anybody who can even approximate the danger Kyle Lewis provides. 

OK, that’s all for now. One more thing — Colgate has an All-American defensive player. Watch the game closely enough and I’m sure you’ll figure out who he is.

Follow me on twitter or instagram @fansmanship all year for updates. 

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.

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. 

Tonight at 6pm, #14 Cal Poly football will take on #3 Eastern Washington in what is sure to be the biggest game for the program in years.

The four headed monster of Joe Protheroe, Kyle Lewis (pictured), Kori Garcia, and Dano Graves will have to be running full cylinder to keep up with Eastern Washington’s explosive attack tonight. By Owen Main

Cal Poly has earned this particular opportunity — they beat ranked South Dakota State and Montana teams earlier in the season and took FBS team Nevada to overtime en route to their current 6-2 record and 14th ranking. Eastern Washington has been their typical dominant selves, en route to a 7-1 record. They are deserving of their #3 national ranking.

The last time these two teams met in San Luis Obispo was 2013. That year, Cal Poly ended up at 6-6 and lost to the Eagles 35-22 in a game that wasn’t even really that close. Cooper Kupp was a freshman on that team. Vernon Adams was the best quarterback in FCS that year. Cal Poly’s defense just couldn’t figure out how to stop them.

Eastern Washington was really good then. They’re really good right now too. They’re always really good.

Here’s the Lucas Clark preview from the SLO Tribune.

Return of Eti Ena

Former Cal Poly defensive line coach Eti Ena, a 2005 graduate of Eastern Washington, returned to Cheney this past offseason to coach the defensive front and defensive ends. Having been at practice with the Mustangs over the past three seasons may give the Eagles a slight scheme advantage, though the triple option — on some level — doesn’t change much. Keep a close eye  out for the battle in the trenches, what kinds of line schemes are happening, and whether Eastern Washington is able to get into Cal Poly’s backfield and interrupt Dano Graves’ rhythm handing it off and passing.

Cooper Kupp is… good. Really good.

Cooper Kupp. He’s good. By Owen Main

In case you have been under a rock, Cooper Kupp is amazing. I remember the last time he was here, as a freshman or sophomore. Vernon Adams would throw a pass and you’d look up and there was that guy again with 5-10 yards between him and the nearest defender. It was kind of a helpless feeling.

Look for Cal Poly to use well-timed pressure schemes to try to disrupt Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gubrud. It’s probably the best chance they have to get some turnovers and get the ball back to their offense. When you’re playing the third-ranked team in the country, maybe your scheme has to include some well-placed gambits and chances.

Either way, Cal Poly fans should keep an eye on number 10 in red. He’s good.

Playoff-bound?

A win for Cal Poly would make an FCS playoff birth all but a lock. With two games remaining (at Weber State and at home vs. Northern Colorado), the Mustangs would be sitting on seven wins with three of them vs. top-10 or 15 opponents.

What if Cal Poly wins out? Well, I’d have to think that a first-round bye and home playoff game would be in order. I told you, this team has given itself an opportunity to be one of the greats in Cal Poly history. I’m not trying to put more pressure on them than is due, but the opportunity is there. Right in front of them.

The anticipation of what they’ll do with that opportunity will be fully felt in what should be a packed Alex G. Spanos Stadium on Saturday night.

It was a familiar formula for Cal Poly under somewhat unique circumstances for one of their stars.

After giving up an early lead, Cal Poly rallied late in the first half and dominated the second half en route to a convincing 38-16 win over San Diego.

“A good character win for us,” said Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh. “I’m really excited about the way Dano’s running the offense.”

That offense finished the game by outscoring San Diego 28-3 over the past two quarters and six seconds. Graves and co. dominated possession throughout the second half, leaving the result in little doubt.

A new addition

On Friday night, Joe Protheroe’s second daughter, Jordyn, was born. Protheroe’s wife made him go home from the hospital to sleep. Less than 24 hours later, the junior preseason All-American rushed for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Protheroe described picking up his older daughter before going home — being a family guy and all. He also talked about the difference he feels Cal Poly’s offseason strength and conditioning program has made for him and his team.

Graves on-track

Dano Graves has started the season with a bang. After leading the team with 140 yards rushing at Nevada, Graves rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown and passed for 130 yards and two touchdowns without committing a turnover.

Over the team’s first two games, Cal Poly has averaged 464.5 yards of total offense and turned the ball over just one time total and winning time of possession convincingly in both contests. To remain successful, Cal Poly must continue to win those parts of the game.

Though Graves has been used somewhat heavily over the first two games, he doesn’t want to slow down. Asked what he thought of being able to rest on the sidelines for the final drive, he said that he’d rather be in the game. His competitiveness is one of the great things about him, but — as with any Cal Poly quarterback — Graves’ ability to stay healthy all season will be really interesting to keep track of. It always is.

Defense on the attack

Though they tallied just a single sack against San Diego, Cal Poly’s defense is putting more and more pressure on their opponent, bringing pressure much more often than last season.

The question I forgot to ask Walsh post-game was about the impact of Payam Saadat in terms of defensive scheme and effectiveness.

The additional pressure from Cal Poly’s defense can be quantified with five quarterback hurries against Torero quarterback Anthony Lawrence, including at least a few on key third-down plays.

There were no fumbles or interceptions in this game for either team, but Cal Poly gave themselves a few chances to pick balls off. While the fact remains that this team has yet to force any turnovers, I would guess based on what I’ve seen that the Mustangs should be able to force more than the eight total turnovers they forced in all of 2015.

Next up

This week, the Mustangs will go on the road to face top-10 South Dakota State. When I went to Brookings in 2014, the Jackrabbits had just opened up their fieldhouse and were working on getting started constructing their new stadium. Saturday’s game will be South Dakota State’s second game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, which looks beautiful.

To see the difference, take a look at some photos from the old stadium here.

Then click this link

Photos from the 2014 game at the old stadium here.

To avoid getting pounced-on early, as they were two years ago, Cal Poly will need to control the ball offensively and come away with touchdowns to finish drives. They also need to be able to maintain collective focus in what could possibly be a more hostile environment than their season-opening game at Nevada. If they do that and limit turnovers, they will be right where they want to be — in the game in the fourth quarter against a very, very good opponent.

Photos by Owen Main

Joe Protheroe got his 156 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, but Cal Poly’s offense started slowly en route to a loss that wasn’t really in question after the first quarter. 

Cal Poly has played what is probably the toughest schedule in the FCS. It’s definitely been the toughest in the Big Sky.

At some point, degree of difficulty has to start to intersect with results, and so far, Cal Poly’s are mixed at-best. After the opening-week win in Montana, the Mustangs have lost the last three games. In the last two, they’ve been down 21-0 in the first quarter.

So, which is the real Cal Poly team? Are they the team that won in Missoula and stayed in a game at Arizona State well into the fourth quarter? Or, are they the team that got housed each of the past two weeks against Northern Iowa and in Bozeman?

What is this defense, really?

One has to wonder how much Chris Fletcher really meant to this defense. Since Fletcher went down in a goal-line stand in Tempe, the Mustangs have been down 21-0 in the first quarter of each game they’ve played.

In case you weren’t sure, being down 21-0 is not a good way to start games.

Tim Walsh would probably point to his offense’s inability to score points and move the ball as a key reason for the Mustangs getting run over so quickly. That said, it’s not like the defense has been tired. It’s not like they’ve been close to stopping teams either. On Saturday in Bozeman, Cal Poly blew coverages, didn’t tackle, and were out-played so badly on defense that the Bobcats didn’t punt all game.

They acted like they were going to punt one time, then faked it and ran for a first-down. It was a back-breaker for the fragile Mustangs defense and a great call by the MSU coaching staff.

Cal Poly’s defense actually made Northern Iowa punt six times and got some kind of a rhythm in the game two weeks ago at Spanos. Whether they can start the game in a rhythm and get some consecutive first-quarter stops might be the difference between Cal Poly getting to two wins by Saturday night or not.

Opposing teams are finding places to get into the Cal Poly backfield and keep the Mustangs from getting the corner. 

Teams are scheming against the running game – hard

We’ve seen Cal Poly try more passes to wide receivers in the past few games, but other teams are loading up against the run, putting their whole roster in the box, and daring Saga Tuitele to unleash Chris Brown, Willie Tucker, and Jordan Hines.

While he did throw for two touchdowns on Saturday, Brown was an inefficient 6-15 passing. He’ll have to be sharper than that if Cal Poly thinks they’re going to beat another above- .500 team this season.

The good news is that Cal Poly is starting to target Willie Tucker more. Tucker made a circus catch in the back of the end zone against 1-1 coverage and almost pulled in another. At this point, the offense needs to take a few more chances with Tucker and Hines down field, and not just from inside the 30 yard-line.

If Cal Poly is going to put the ball in the air 15-20 times per game, it can’t just be on third-down, and the target can’t just be DJ Peluso. Cal Poly made some progress here last week and, to that end, maybe they can break the 30-point plateau this week. It’s something they haven’t done in any of their first four games this season.

Will the end of the season be any better?

Alex Suchesk has been getting more carries the last few weeks for Cal Poly, who is trying to find a reliable game-breaker whose name isn’t Chris Brown. 

I keep pointing to the end of the season as a time when Cal Poly can make-up a bunch of ground, but four or five losses in a row could be demoralizing for a team with high expectations.

Changes and adjustments have to continue to be made. Aside from the second quarter last Saturday, I haven’t felt the offense has been in a real rhythm on a drive-by-drive basis.

If Cal Poly can figure a few important things out, they will have a chance to win one or two of their next two games and go into the home stretch feeling really good.

If the reality is that they’re more like the team we’ve seen the last few weeks — especially on defense — a bye week might not matter as much as fans would hope.

Playoffs?!

The difference between being in the playoffs and not hasn’t been as big as you’d think the last few years. One crummy Saturday afternoon against Yale. One weak performance against Davis. You get the idea.

So far, the Mustangs haven’t done anything to kill their playoff chances. The teams they’ve lost to have virtually all been FCS playoff-caliber at the time they’ve played them.

Idaho State lost 80-8 last week. The difference between 2-3 and 1-4 is a wide chasm.

So what have we learned? Well, for the first time this season, Cal Poly will be playing a team that probably isn’t FCS playoff-caliber. They are still a really good team though, which means this week, the pressure’s on.

All photos courtesy of Brooks Nuanez – SkylineSportsMT.com. All rights reserved

Roland Jackson Jr.’s first career touchdown catch proved to be a big momentum-swing in the second quarter. By Owen Main

For a moment, things looked pretty perilous for Cal Poly on Saturday night. The Mustangs found themselves struggling to find their offensive footing, down by ten points in the second quarter.

It was a moment for Cal Poly’s offense to re-establish something positive. Three plays later, they were seven points closer. After rushes of eight and seven yards, Cal Poly quarterback, Chris Brown, found receiver Roland Jackson, Jr. for a 52 yard bomb down the middle of the field. It was Jackson’s first touchdown catch of his career.

The Mustang offense never looked back, outscoring Sac State 42-3 over one stretch, silencing the Sac State homecoming crowd. They’d outscore the Hornets 49-10 to end the game.

Kori Garcia had the quietest 140-plus yard game ever. By Owen Main

The quietest 141 yard rushing performance ever

I don’t know why I was surprised, but somehow I was. Kori Garcia gained 141 yards on just 13 carries to lead Cal Poly in both categories on Saturday night.

Garcia, who scored one touchdown, averaged 10.8 yards per carry. Perhaps it was because he didn’t often run right at where I was standing on the field, but I wouldn’t have guessed he had that many yards. Garcia’s ability to be consistently efficient and effective as an option to break a long run is a really good thing going forward for Cal Poly.

Protheroe announces his presence — with authority

Freshman running back Joe Prothero had the best game of his young career. Backing-up Brandon Howe at fullback, Prothero gashed the Hornets for 72 yards on just four carries — and two touchdowns. His first score — a 62-yard dash to daylight — was the first touchdown of the second half, putting the Mustangs up 28-20. A 62-yard run from a fullback was a big momentum play.

Spreading the wealth

The Cal Poly offense once again racked-up 500-plus yards of total offense (504, to be exact), including 393 yards rushing. While Garcia was the only one to have more than 72 yards, six Mustangs ran for 40-plus yards, including two freshmen.

Over the past month, Brandon Howe and Chris Brown have taken a heavy load, which is why getting more players touches in a game like this might have been a really crucial thing. We know Montana and Montana State are going to be physical, so for Brown and Howe to get a somewhat lighter load (just 11 carries apiece) was good for Cal Poly.

Nick Dzubnar returns an interception on Saturday night. Dzubnar had 19 tackles in the game. By Owen Main

Defense wreaking havoc

While the offense has been humming for the past few weeks, Nick Dzubnar and the Cal Poly defense seem to be finally finding themselves. After holding Weber State to 24 points, Tim Walsh’s defense held a potent Sac State team to just 27.

For his part, Dzubnar — the team’s senior captain — had another monster game, tallying 19 tackles, a half-sack, one tackle for a loss, and an interception he returned 38 yards. Some of that yardage was mitigated by a 15-yard penalty for a celebration he calls the “Sasquatch,” but he should be in serious contention for Big Sky defensive player of the week this week.

Chris Fletcher also had a particularly solid game, with 11 tackles from his cornerback position. Jordan Williams also picked off a pass and was there to make a few key tackles. Sac State tried to break the Mustangs defense with a lot of wide receiver hitch and screen passes to the flat, but Cal Poly’s defense used improved tackling to keep the Hornets at bay.

Back in the mix

With the win, Cal Poly is now 3-1 in conference play and 4-3 overall, after a 1-3 start. When Cal Poly was 1-3 and 0-1 in conference play, lots of folks wrote them off. After three straight wins, they are in fourth place in the Big Sky Conference. Their next two opponents are the two teams directly above them in the standings — Montana and Montana State.

At the very least, Cal Poly has found their stride and given themselves a chance to compete — something hardcore fans would have given an arm and a leg for a month ago. With all the preseason distractions and early-season adjustments squarely in the rear view mirror, this is a team that believes.

IF they can somehow find a way to win the next two games (both at home), Cal Poly will vault themselves back into the national picture, the playoff picture, and definitely the Big Sky Conference picture. The road won’t be easy. Montana and Montana State were ranked 4th and 11th in the FCS Coaches Poll last week. Eastern Washington, who lost Vernon Adams to an injury, doesn’t seem to have missed a beat either. They definitely haven’t lost a conference game yet.

My point is this — Cal Poly is back in the conversation for a team that could legitimately win the Big Sky Conference this season. With a pair of wins over the next few weeks, the opportunity is there to prove that they belong.

It’s all any fan ever asks for.

Photos by Owen Main

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