Of the five Cal Poly football players arrested on Sunday, Kristaan Ivory could be the biggest loss on the field. By Owen Main

Are these guys for real?

Kristaan Ivory’s mugshot sure looks real.

On Sunday night, five Cal Poly football players, including Ivory, the team’s star running back, were arrested for robbery of a frat house in San Luis Obispo. This might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. There are so many questions.

Who commits armed robbery in San Luis Obispo?

Where I grew up (Cayucos), San Luis Obispo was where you went to “go into town,” but it was never dangerous. People on the Central Coast pride themselves on living in a relatively safe and easygoing environment. I don’t think my father ever even locked his car door growing up.

So, when people from this county read this story in the Tribune, that has detail about a kid from Los Angeles brandishing firearms and resisting arrest, how do you think it’s going to make them feel about Cal Poly or the football program in general?

From The Tribune story:

The first officer on the scene saw Akins confronting a victim in the courtyard area of the house. The officer drew his gun and demanded the teen comply, according to a news release. Akins did not comply and attempted to flee. The officer holstered his gun and tried to physically stop Akins from fleeing; Akins violently resisted and a couple of other people intervened to help the officer.

As other officers arrived on scene, Akins continued to resist and bit one of the officers, according to the news release. No one was seriously injured. The suspect’s handgun was recovered and secured.

Read more here

I know how it makes me feel: not good.

I also have to ask what else was going on here? My brain cannot conceptualize that this was some kind of random burglary or that a group of five football players went out and stole things from people they didn’t know. Was there history here? As more details come out, it could be drug related. Just nine months ago, former Mustang Geoff Hyde was shot when a drug deal went bad.

At this point, I’m wondering how involved were the other four players who were later arrested were? There are lots of questions that I hope are answered, and soon.

This is going to really put the spotlight on Cal Poly, their players, coaches, and fans this season. Coaches at Cal Poly boast of student-athletes who can handle the rigors of an academic institution like Cal Poly. While all student-athletes have to stay eligible at Cal Poly, the implied connection between high-academic individuals and high-moral or high-quality people in general gets shattered when news like this breaks.

The thing is, there are lots of really high-quality student athletes at Cal Poly. The stigma that will probably be attached to all of them by this community after the events of Sunday morning will be the biggest and probably longest-lasting negative effect of this whole fiasco.

Innocent until proven guilty is still a motto I suppose we need to keep track of. A guy being arrested doesn’t always mean they’re guilty, but associations do matter and decisions are made to put oneself in a position to be arrested or not.

For this morning, their decision-making may have cost them all their future in college and in the game they love.

Statement from Cal Poly:

“Cal Poly recognizes the seriousness of these charges and will move swiftly to take the appropriate responses. The university will do all it can to work with San Luis Obispo police in helping to determine what occurred. The five football student-athletes alleged to have taken part in this incident have been suspended from all team activities effective immediately, and the university will conduct internal investigations into possible student conduct violations. As always, any violation of the university’s student conduct policies will not be tolerated and will be dealt with summarily, to ensure that student health and safety and the university’s academic environment are maintained.”

Dano Graves was the third Cal Poly starting quarterback this season. The Mustangs have used four quarterbacks in six games this season. By Owen Main

After changing quarterbacks due to an injury and after a tough upset loss, maybe Cal Poly has finally found their quarterback. On Saturday night, sophomore Dano Graves rushed for a team-high 116 yards, threw for three touchdowns, and restored some sense of normalcy to Cal Poly fans who were left scratching their heads a week ago.

In his debut as a starter, Graves was helped by a usual suspect in the Cal Poly backfield — Kristaan Ivory. Ivory rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries, caught two passes, and scored three total touchdowns.

“I’m starting to understand where we want to get the ball and I’m just being a point guard out there,” said Graves. “I can just dish the ball to the other players so they can do what they need to do.”

Graves, the shortest of the four candidates for quarterback at the beginning of the season, showed his knack for making positive yardage and making quick decisions. Because of that, Cal Poly had very few “second and ten” or “third and seven” situations offensively.

“Dano’s got a lot of experience,” said Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh. “He came from Air Force, and even though he played on the prep school team, he’s had experience in this style of offense… . I thought that his responses were very good today. I thought he played very well for his first opportunity.”

The coach also liked the fact that Cal Poly committed zero turnovers under Graves’ watch.

“We protected the ball and when he ran, he went North and South,” said Walsh.

Graves and the Mustangs also spread the ball around, especially to the fullbacks. Between the three of them, Akaninyene Umoh,  Brandon Howe, and Matt Rulon rushed the ball 21 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, fullbacks got only eight rushes. The threat of the fullback in a triple option offense has to be there, and Cal Poly showed the offensive efficiency they are capable of when defenses truly have to defend the fullback, the quarterback, and the pitch-man.

“Sometimes that’s called,” said Walsh of the give to the first back. “That’s what we do. So that might have been part of it, but also what they were doing, I think on defense, allowed us to do what we were doing… . I think coach [Saga] Tuitele did a good job and we were dominating the line of scrimmage.”

Graves credited taking what the defense was giving them.

“We were gashing them and it was working, so we just kept going to it until they were going to take it away and they didn’t,” said Graves

The shutout by the Cal Poly defense was the first for the Mustangs since they beat Savannah State 55-0 in 2006 — a big improvement for a defensive unit that had given up nearly 30 points per game coming in.

“We played assignment football,” said Walsh. “I thought we flew around on defense. I thought the speed we played with to the football was pretty impressive today and if we play like that with that kind of speed and that kind of tackling in the open field and physicality, we’ll be good.”

Cal Poly figures to be tested much more thoroughly next week at Montana, who was ranked 10th coming into this week and whose offense has averaged over 40 points per game so far this season.

“We left some points out on the field,” said Graves. “Even though we put up 47, going back and watching film I know there’s some things that we can fix and I can fix and I just need to be a perfectionist and I just need to keep getting better and kind of harp on myself [to be] perfect.”

The fourth quarter of the game saw another debut. Cal Poly saw it’s fourth quarterback of the season get mop-up time when redshirt freshman Tanner Trosin played most of the fourth quarter. Trosin was 2-2 passing for 46 yards and led two drives into the “red zone” including one touchdown drive.

“I thought Tanner did a really good job with his opportunity,” said Walsh.

After the game, Walsh confirmed that junior receiver Willie Tucker is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury and is looking at surgery sometime soon.

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

Chris Brown was kind of a revelation for Cal Poly on Saturday night. By Owen Main

Cal Poly went into Fresno on Saturday night with high hopes. By the end of the first half, those hopes were as far away as the cool Central Coast ocean breeze.

After giving up two punt returns for touchdowns and netting only 44 total yards in the first half, things seemed pretty bleak for the Mustangs, who were down 34-0.

Mostly against Fresno State’s backup players, the second half was a different story for the Mustangs. Along with being reminded that I have weak coastal blood (it was REALLY hot), here’s what I learned on Saturday night.

Fresno State is good this year

Derek Carr got all kinds of media attention all week leading up to the game, and on Saturday he proved why. The run/pass option that Fresno State presents on nearly every play will hold defenses in-check enough for the Bulldogs to put up big numbers all season.

The one thing I didn’t have a lot of information about going into the game was how good their receivers actually are. We found out pretty quickly as Carr carved-up the secondary. Just as impressive is the big-play ability of kick returner Isaiah Burse, who ran back two punts for touchdowns and caught a third from Carr.

Fresno State has a hugely entertaining offense for fans to watch. Because of Carr and receivers like Burse, they are basically never completely out of games.

Cal Poly probably isn’t as bad as they played in the first half

On the surface, it seemed like the classic stereotype of an FBS vs. FCS team. The FCS team (Cal Poly) comes into the FBS team’s stadium, gets blown-out, and the home team’s quarterback doesn’t play the last quarter-and-a-half. Fans call it a “body bag” game.

For the first half, this game fit the stereotype completely.

Cal Poly showed a little something in the second half. They didn’t continue to roll-over. They competed. In fact, they played so well that Carr was brought back into the game at the end of the fourth quarter as were some of the Bulldogs’ first-team defenders.

I’m not saying that Cal Poly is in the same class as Fresno State. But they aren’t as bad as they played in the first half on Saturday, and they proved it as a team in the second half.

Vince Moraga was developing

The Cal Poly quarterback and his group were making headway. Kristaan Ivory had finally got the edge on an option pitch and Moraga’s offense had finally got on the board.

On the next drive, Moraga’s offense once again got the Mustangs into field goal range, where Bobby Zalud missed a 41-yard attempt. The Cal Poly defense finally got a 3-and-out, and Moraga’s unit was poised to move again.

In a flash the game, and probably the season, was over for the junior starting quarterback. Moraga suffered a knee injury on the Mustangs’ second drive of the half. Initial reports are that it might be an ACL tear, a would-be season-ending injury. The narrative that might be told at the end of the year is that “Moraga’s was an ineffective offensive leader” or that “finally someone other that Moraga came in and the Mustangs started to move the ball.”

Both of these would be false.

Moraga’s team was moving the ball. The offense had begun to turn things around. The coaches had made some adjustments. The team finally had their collective head on straight, and things were starting to go the Mustangs’ way already. Chris Brown’s backup numbers look great and will create a lot of fan excitement, but Moraga had already started to turn things around. Whatever comes of this season or the remainder of his career, let’s remember that.

Chris Brown is exciting

After the Moraga injury, Brown came in and the momentum continued to shift toward the Mustangs. After Kristaan Ivory forced a fumble on special teams, Brown threw a confident pass to Tucker over the middle for a touchdown.

If they want all the explosiveness that Chris Brown brings, Cal Poly fans will have to be patient. By Owen Main

In the fourth quarter, Brown led the team on two drives down the field, scoring on a 22-yard scramble and on a one-yard dive, sending Cal Poly fans into an excited fervor about what “could-be.”

Of all Cal Poly’s quarterbacks, and there were four of them to start the season, Brown is the biggest, tallest, fastest guy with probably the best arm. Presumably, Vince Moraga won the job originally because of his decision-making and experience within the triple-option offense, but after seeing the tools Brown brings to the game, it’s hard to argue with having him in the game.

I’m a Dodgers fan and I have to liken what fans will go through with to the Yasiel Puig situation in Dodgertown. There are times when you wonder, “What is that guy doing!?” and other times when you know that no other athlete available to you at that position could make that play.

If you want the possibility of the exciting 22-yard touchdown run on a broken play, you’ll also have to be patient with the time that Brown and Brandon Howe ran into one another twice on the same play and were lucky not to have fumbled. If you want the arm that can throw a 12-yard comeback route off of one leg in the fourth quarter, you’ll also have to deal with a guy who doesn’t always hand-off to the right guy or pitch the ball at the right time or who runs backwards trying to make something happen.

Tim Walsh understands that the kind of risk incurred by giving the offense’s keys to Brown could cost Cal Poly games. But the threat of Brown’s strong arm and FBS-class running ability are too great to dismiss. Fans, and for now Walsh, will have to take the good with the bad.

Another interesting subplot of this week will be how/whether the offense and play-calling are adjusted this week to account for Brown’s skillset as opposed to Moraga. More on that for another post.

How can you watch this video and not get a little excited if you’re a Cal Poly fan?

Willie Tucker and Chris Brown celebrate after Tucker’s touchdown on Saturday night. By Owen Main

Cal Poly has weapons

Even without Brown on the field, Cal Poly has weapons. Willie Tucker already has two 100-yard games and Cole Stanford can be counted-on for at least one or two big plays per game. At slot back, Ivory remains the key, but players like Kori Garcia have also looked promising during the first few games.

Moraga was lauded for his ability to get the ball to the right playmakers at the right time, but Chris Brown did a very good job of that during the second half Saturday. Brown’s ability to read the triple option and get consistent yardage will make the difference between a competitive team this Saturday and one that sees some kind of deja vu.

Plans sometimes don’t go how you want them to

Like Cal Poly, Fansmanship had a little bit of a rough first half. We are usually able to get some first-half photos up on the website by halftime. It’s Monday and they still aren’t up. They should actually be up by tonight both here and on our facebook page.

The reason is a new camera that required a software update. We will be in Fort Collins this Saturday and WILL HAVE PICTURES UP during the game.

Photos by Andy Stevens and Owen Main

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

Kristaan Ivory will be the featured running back in Cal Poly’s 2013 triple option offense. By Owen Main

Last season, Deonte Williams was the star ball-carrier for Cal Poly football. His bruising running style was a perfect contrast to the guy who was all smiles after every Mustang win.

Kristaan Ivory, a junior this season, has stepped into Williams’ slot back role as the main option for Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh. Any questions about his ability were answered on the first play from scrimmage in the first game of the season on Saturday afternoon. Ivory took the handoff, turned the left corner, and dashed down the sideline for an 81-yard touchdown.

Like Williams, Ivory was all-smiles after the Mustangs’ victory in the opener.

“I was excited,” said Ivory. “They told me I was going to be the first play Monday. So I had known all week and I had dreamed of it happening in all different ways, so when it happened I was really excited. Our slots, they made really good blocks for me on the edge and made it easy for me to just run fast.”

Ivory scored three times and netted 185 total rushing yards in the Mustangs’ 38-16 victory. In 2012, he was second on the team with 728 yards rushing. His longest run last season was 46 yards. On Saturday, he racked up runs of 81 and 61 yards.

According to the Los Angeles-Cathedral High graduate, big plays are part of the plan this season.

“We had a lot of explosive plays,” said Ivory. “We got a big catch from Willie Tucker, a big run from Gabe Umoh, and that’s what we want to be. People think the triple option is just a three, four yards and move it down [the field], but we’re trying to be an explosive offense this year.”

[scrollGallery id=115]

Opening Day. The excitement. The pageantry.

The unknown.

After Saturday, the Cal Poly football team and their triple option offense could either be rolling downhill with momentum toward a second consecutive FCS playoff birth, or have their playoff train careening off the tracks just as they leave the station.

Their opening game opponent, San Diego, may be an improved team compared with the team they fielded in last year’s opener, when they hung with Cal Poly for about three quarters. Because of that, Cal Poly may be in for a closer game than the blowout that last year’s opener turned out to be. Here are five things to watch for if you’re a Cal Poly fan:

Junior Vince Moraga (15) will be leading Cal Poly’s triple option on Saturday. By Owen Main

Quarterback Play

OK, the quarterback situation is settled – for now. Junior Vince Moraga is starting, and it was probably the right move. Still, after multiple years of solid play from last year’s senior, Andre Broadous, Moraga has big shoes to fill. If Mustang fans expect Moraga to come out and run the offense with the same targeted efficiency as Broadous right away, they’ll be left wanting.

Moraga will develop his own style and play his own game — and it might take a few series, or a few quarters, for fans to get used to the pace of the Vince Moraga-led triple option.

Expect Moraga to make the safe call most of the time, not turn the ball over, and keep the offense moving progressively. Unlike Broadous, who was a dynamic load to tackle, Moraga will be more like a point guard in basketball — working to get the ball to his other skill players in space. A scrum-half in rugby might be another apt comparison, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Moraga is experienced and head coach Tim Walsh is depending on him to make the right read every time in order to keep Cal Poly’s triple-option offensive machinery running smoothly.

Defensive Secondary

The defensive secondary lost only Nico Molino from last season’s group. Molino led FCS in interceptions at one point early last season, so his loss will definitely be felt. That being said, cornerback might be the Mustangs’ deepest position. Vante Smith-Johnson joins Bijon Simoodi to make a pair of cornerbacks with starting experience. The cornerback position is so deep, in fact, that New Mexico State transfer Dominique Love (brother of Cal Poly basketball player Maliik Love) wasn’t even listed on the depth chart as of Thursday night.

Last year, safeties Dave Douglas and Alex Hubbard impressed me a lot in how well they were able to tackle and support the linebackers in the run game. They’ll have to do just as well in pass coverage this year in the pass-happy Big Sky.

The Big Sky Conference is known for teams that can throw the ball successfully. To control the ball, the clock, and the game, Cal Poly will have to defend the pass more than anything. Big plays (or lack thereof) in the defensive secondary are something a team trying to make the playoffs may desperately need.

SagaTuitele (left) is now the sole offensive coordinator for the Mustangs. Tuitele returns for his fifth season. Cal Poly has three new coaches on their staff in 2013. By Owen Main

Who’s toting the rock?

Between Deonte Williams, Kristaan Ivory, Andre Broadous and Akaninyene Umoh, Cal Poly had a generally balanced rushing attack a year ago.

Ivory and Umoh return this season, but it will be of interest to see if Moraga can put up big rushing numbers a’la Broadous. Broadous didn’t pile up ridiculously huge rushing numbers, but was always a threat at the goal line. With a much smaller build, look for Moraga to be much more willing to hand the ball off inside the opponents’ five yard-line.

I would expect Ivory and Umoh to probably carry the ball at least 40 times between the two of them. Cole Stanford, who rushed the ball only 38 times all of last year, may see additional carries as well. The really interesting thing to see will be who else steps-in. Will Moraga gain solid yards? Will Brandon Howe, Kori Garcia, Kenny Mitchell, or Kevin Porsche get a few carries and an opportunity to impress?

By the time the season is over, I can’t see how Ivory doesn’t average at least 100 yards-plus per game, but if Cal Poly is going to be anything close to the offense they were a year ago, at least a few other guys have to step up and carry the ball well on a consistent basis, or teams will start to key on Ivory, who is best when he can get to an edge.

Injuries

Word is that up to seven starters might be out for Cal Poly on Saturday. If I were creating a perfect upset recipe for an upset game, that would probably be the first and most abundant ingredient. Pay attention to who is playing and, maybe more importantly, who isn’t.

Defensive Front-7

The biggest strength of Cal Poly this year is probably the defensive front-7. Defensive tackle Sullivan Grosz has NFL aspirations and will be the leader of this group that will be tough up the middle. In their playoff loss to Sam Houston State last season, Cal Poly’s defense held the Bearkats to 241 yards of total offense, including only 153 yards rushing. SHSU averaged 268 yards rushing and 358 total yards per game on offense throughout the year. Their defense will again be a strength.

Along with Grosz, the defensive line has some horses in Jake Irwin, Andrew Alcaraz, Chris Judge, Chris Lawrence, and Wesley Flowers. New starter Cameron Ontko joins returning starting linebackers Nick Dzubnar and Johnny Millard to round-out a solid group. Grosz was the only Mustang selected first-team all Big-Sky in the preseason, but this group may turn out to be one of the deepest and best front-7’s in the conference.

Cal Poly vs. San Diego

Alex G. Spanos Stadium at Cal Poly

Kickoff – 4:05 PM

Radio – ESPN Radio 1280

Internet Video – WatchBigSky.com

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

[scrollGallery id=42]