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

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

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

Give and Take

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

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

Toughening Up

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

Listen to the podcast with Tim Walsh here. 

Naming conventions

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

IF

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

Football season is back. Buckle up. 

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

Here are some photos from a few practices.

Lucas Clark 

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

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

Day two of Cal Poly football camp began a little after 9:00am on Saturday morning. As the morning sun bathed over Doerr Family Field, Cal Poly’s offense, specifically the skill position players were the most vocal and energetic. 

Coming off injury

Quarterback Khaleel Jenkins looks as though he hasn’t missed a beat after missing most of last season due to injury. Cal Poly actually has five quarterbacks in camp, including Jake Jeffrey — who took most of the snaps last season — and redshirt freshman Kyle Reid. 

A new addition

Preseason All-American Joe Protheroe was not at practice, and for good reason. His wife gave birth to their third child this week. I don’t think Cal Poly fans will lose any sleep over Protheroe knowing the plays. He is expected to begin practicing in plenty of time to be available for their first game.

Hold onto the ball

It’s clear from talking with Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh and others around the program that ball security is a priority this season. Things happening in practice also made that apparent to anybody watching. Fumbling is a weird beast, but here’s hoping the added conscious awareness can help the Mustangs win the turnover battle. When they don’t, things can go downhill fast. 

Odds and ends

• Bradley Mickey, a redshirt sophomore from Arroyo Grande who missed the beginning of last season with an injury, has switched his number to 17 this season. Seventeen is the number of Mickey’s friend Ryan Teixeira, who passed away in March 2017. It is also the namesake of the charity — 17 Strong — that he started. You can find it at seventeenstrong.org .
• A few freshman were interesting to see out on the field. As they start practice at the college level for the first time, it’s always fun to observe who is still wide-eyed and who comes into camp with a college football mentality. Among the guys I caught a glimpse of, quarterback Jalen Hamler (Lawndale) was probably the one I watched the most. He looks fast. 
  This season, freshmen can play in up to four games and still keep their redshirt. This is a big deal for a Cal Poly program that has traditionally redshirted a LOT of their players. If the rule had been in place a season ago, Cal Poly might have used players like quarterback Kyle Reid alongside Jake Jeffrey as the season wound down. 
• Cal Poly will play their first game on September 1st in Fargo, North Dakota against the best FCS team in the nation — North Dakota State. The Bison seem like they win the national championship every season. The Mustangs’ schedule, start to finish, is probably more difficult than last year’s, despite having no FBS opponents on the slate (a rarity). In conference play the Mustangs will take on Montana at home and Montana State, Eastern Washington, and Northern Arizona all on the road. 
• I taped a podcast with head coach Tim Walsh last week that I’m hoping goes up before the weekend is over. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher — just search Fansmanship. 

Photos by Owen Main. Browse the gallery online and purchase photos here. 

You can also just contribute to the cause via Paypal (owen@fansmanship.com) or Venmo

A week after winning their first game of the season, Cal Poly had what was probably their worst effort of 2017, losing a senior night game to in-state rival Sacramento State 49-14. 

Sacramento State went up 28-0 at halftime with long touchdown passes from Kevin Thompson to Jaelin Ratliff and Andre Lindsey bookended by a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and a fumble return for a touchdown. 

Meanwhile, Cal Poly couldn’t keep its offensive momentum from a week ago as the Mustangs failed to score through the first three quarters as the Hornets built a 49-0 lead before putting their reserves in. 

After the game, Tim Walsh took a lot of the blame upon himself. Despite Cal Poly’s 1-9 record, they have been competitive in most of their games this season. Saturday night, they weren’t. 

“Our motto all year long has been to fight the fight,” said Walsh. “And I don’t think we fought the fight tonight.”

Cal Poly managed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to avoid their first shutout since 1999.

JMO goes for 1,000

When Joe Protheroe went down at the beginning of the season, senior Jared Mohamed took the mantle as the Mustangs’ featured fullback. The Brawley, CA product led Cal Poly with 125 yards on 30 carries and went over the 1,000 yard mark on the season. It was his 6th 100-yard game en route to becoming the 21st player in Cal Poly history to notch 1,000 yards in a season. 

Cal Poly quarterback Jake Jeffrey was 13-20 passing for 148 yards and JJ Koski and Kyle Lewis tallied 67 and 60 yards respectively receiving.

Time of possession

Generally, Cal Poly has had a time of possession advantage in recent years, and it’s served them well. On Saturday night, they had the ball for over 38 minutes while Sacramento State had it for under 22. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, having the ball didn’t turn into points in their final home game of 2017. 

Is this really happening? Hornets record their third TD of 70+ yards tonight. This time from Perkinson who goes 77 yards for the score. pic.twitter.com/rqhjd8PqyO

— Hornet Athletics (@hornetsports) November 12, 2017

Greeley-bound 

The Mustangs, sitting at 1-9 on the season, have one game left. On Saturday, they’ll travel to Greeley, Colorado to face Northern Colorado. The Bears are 2-7 on the season and have lost six straight games. Kickoff in Greeley is set for 10:30AM Pacific Time. 

Photos from Saturday night below by Owen Main. 

For more photos, or to purchase photos, click here.  If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Finally. 

On Saturday afternoon, Cal Poly football finally got its first win of 2017. In the end, Cal Poly did it their way. Five touchdowns — all on the ground. Defensive stability. Finally, an all-around game.

J-MO’s big game

Jared Mohamed celebrates a touchdown on Saturday night. By Owen Main

Cal Poly fans, be thankful for senior fullback Jared Mohamed. In a season when he’s been a constant both in play and attitude, Mohamed had 194 yards and two touchdowns in the first win of the season. 

Mohamed was a workhorse for the Mustangs, toting it 35 times in the game, but the key was probably when those carries came. Mohamed was fresh at halftime, only having 11 carries in the first half. Once Cal Poly got a lead late in the game, the fresh-legged senior had plenty in the tank to plow forward for six fourth-quarter first downs as Cal Poly milked the clock with the lead.  

Balance and shift

Freshman slot back Chuby Danu had a nice game against Portland State. By Owen Main

Cal Poly decided to shift their offensive personnel some last week in Davis. This week, it paid off. Freshmen Chuby Danu and Broc Mortensen got all the wingback carries on Saturday as Kyle Lewis manned his new position as a wide receiver on the edge. Lewis didn’t catch any passes, but Walsh complimented the blocking of the receivers, saying it was the best job they’ve done of blocking all season. 

Mortensen, a true freshman from Ventura, took the ball on the team’s first offensive play and made the most out of it. Breaking at least three tackles, Mortensen changed fields and scampered for 44 yards. After Mortensen caught an 11 yard pass from quarterback Jake Jeffrey a few plays later, fellow freshman Danu scored from seven yards out on the right edge. 

Freshman Broc Mortensen took control of the game early, rushing for 44 yards on Cal Poly’s first play. By Owen Main

The use of Danu and Mortensen and their early success kept Mohamed or Jeffrey from shouldering too much of the load early and set the tone for Cal Poly to be truly unpredictable on offense for the rest of the game. 

Danu would score two touchdowns on the night to go with 74 yards rushing. Mortensen only managed seven carries for 83 yards himself, but when you reel off 44 on your first carry, other teams are looking at you as a weapon. It’s weird to think that “stars” are bad on offense — they aren’t — but having and really using a variety of ball carriers is an important adjustment Cal Poly has made over the past few weeks. 

Defense finishes

With the ball, down by seven points, it seemed Portland State had scored a touchdown to tie the game when Davis Alexander found Charlie Taumoepeau in the back of the end zone with less than one minute to play. 

But Taumoepeau landed out of bounds beyond the end zone and the Mustangs were spared. On the next play, safety Mark Reza intercepted an Alexander pass to seal the game for Cal Poly. The difference between winning and losing isn’t that great very often. That razor’s edge was in full display in the final minute at Spanos. 

Cellar dwellers

With their first win of the season, Cal Poly vaulted out of the Big Sky cellar. With two conference games to play, Cal Poly joins Northern Colorado as a one-win team in conference play and Portland State remained winless on the season. 

Two left

Cal Poly will play Sacramento State (5-4, 4-2 in Big Sky Conference) at Spanos Stadium on Saturday night before finishing their season in Greeley, CO against the previously mentioned Northern Colorado team. Cal Poly hasn’t lost to Sacramento State in at least four seasons, the last loss coming in 2012 at home.

In the four Mustang wins since, they haven’t scored less than 36 points and have averaged over 48 points per game. 

Kickoff for Saturday’s home finale is set for 6:05 pm.

Photos by Owen Main.To view more photos, click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

On Wednesday morning, much of San Luis Obispo was socked-in with a low layer of fog. On-campus at Cal Poly though, the sun was shining as the 0-6 football team finished their early morning practice. Winless is winless, but the Mustangs haven’t been THAT bad. Four of their six losses have been by a touchdown or less. They haven’t played a single complete game and they haven’t been able to finish games collectively.

Head coach Tim Walsh said he’s never been 0-6 at any level and described what everyone — coaches, players, etc… is doing to try to pick up their first W of the season. 

Senior fullback Jared Mohamed has shouldered much of the rushing load since Joe Protheroe went down in week two. As always, the positivity and resilience of a Cal Poly athlete in their early 20’s is something that never ceases to astonish me. 

Jake Jeffrey is a redshirt freshman — barely 20 years old — and has been thrust into quarterback duties since Khaleel Jenkins was injured last week. With Jenkins out for the season, Jeffrey will get the keys to the Cal Poly offense. A Folsom High School product (like his quarterback coach Dano Graves), Jeffrey threw for over 4,100 yards as a high school senior. In their game on Saturday in Utah, Jeffrey and the Mustangs set season-high marks in pass attempts and completions, but fell short 20-14 against the Thunderbirds. 

Cal Poly has their second bye this weekend, followed by a home game against Weber State during Parents and Family Weekend on October 21st. 

To view more photos, click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

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. 

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.

Two weeks earlier, the offense was the clear winner. On Saturday, Cal Poly’s defense bowed up and, in a rarity, won the Cal Poly Spring Game, 48-25. In a contest where the defense got points for forcing turnovers and four-and-out drives by the offense. 

In stark contrast to the Saturday scrimmage a few weeks ago, Cal Poly’s offense just couldn’t get going. Tim Walsh’s defense finished the day with five turnovers in what was an unexpected rout of their offensive teammates. The offense did manage to hit on three field goals and got a late 54-yard pass from Khaleel Jenkins to Kyle Lewis, but wasn’t able to do much else.

Jayson Lee led the defense with seven tackles and LJ Mealancon notched six tackles and a fumble recovery.

The offense will have to hang onto the ball better than they did Saturday in the Fall. By Owen Main

Keep it off the ground

Sure, it was just the spring game, but Cal Poly’s triple option offense won’t be able to withstand the rate of turnovers they committed. It wasn’t just one guy, but turnovers doomed the Mustangs two years ago.

It will be interesting to see the tone Jenkins and co. set when it comes to holding onto the football in the Fall. Hopefully something like this won’t be a scene in any classrooms on-campus in the Fall… .

TURN DOWN THE SOUND BEFORE YOU WATCH THIS AT WORK.

If you were a bright-side guy, and I often am, you could argue that the defense did a really great job of stripping the ball and causing the turnovers. Cal Poly’s defense hasn’t been good at causing turnovers over the past few years, so maybe this could be indicative of a new trend. Also, maybe it was just the Spring Game. 

Offensive depth

Cal Poly will have some offensive depth at a few key positions. Quarterback won’t be one of them. Khaleel Jenkins is presumed to be the number-one guy, with Kory Fox and Jake Jeffrey backing him up. 

Chuby Danu is a redshirt freshman who looks like he can step in and play right away in 2017. By Owen Main

Where they do seem to have depth is at some of the “wear and tear” positions. At fullback, Joe Protheroe will be back as a senior. We know he’s a beast, but keeping his touches down early while still running a productive offense will be an interesting challenge. That’s where Jared Mohamed could really be key. Mohamed, who will also be a senior next season, has proven to be reliable with the ball and has a knack for falling forward. Two tough-running seniors at fullback are always a welcome sight for a first-year starting quarterback at Cal Poly.

At slot back, senior Kyle Lewis will be important. Lewis caught the only touchdown on Saturday and will be the Mustangs’ most consistent home-run threat. The problem will be that opponents will look at tape on Lewis and try to find ways to disrupt him getting into space. Stopping Protheroe and Mohamed up the middle vs. Lewis in space figures to be a tough decision for opposing defenses next year. 

Chuby Danu looked polished and strong for a redshirt freshman Tim Walsh called “very fast.” Tre Green, also a redshirt freshman, broke off a nice run as well from the slot back position. 

Pursue and destroy

Cal Poly’s defense put on a good show Saturday. Coach Walsh noted after the game that they did so without a number of linebackers who didn’t play. They were also without Kevin Griffin and Jerek Rosales, so depth throughout the defensive roster seems to continue to be a strength. 

BJ Nard and Kitu Humphrey should be returning starters at safety for a defense that has some room to improve from last season. 

Junior Khaleel Jenkins rushes on Saturday. By Owen Main

The Jenkins Show

Khaleel Jenkins, a junior next season, will have a lot riding on his decision-making in the Fall. His ability to be a third threat out of the backfield, hold onto the ball, and make great decisions will have tremendous impact on the Mustangs’ ceiling in 2017. If he can minimize turnovers, throw the ball accurately, and make great reads, Cal Poly has the supporting cast to, again, be really good offensively. While he didn’t have the greatest showing on Saturday, Jenkins has shown, in spurts, the ability he has to break big plays in games and put points on the board. 

The boot

Cal Poly kickers looked good on Saturday, at least on field goals. Casey Sublette (50 yards) and Alex Vega (52 yards) each made long ones. Sublette, a left-footed place-kicker, has punted both lefty and righty in games before. Kind of an oddity, but a fun one to watch on special teams. 

Who’s ready for Fall?!

Cal Poly 2017 schedule

Home Games in Bold,   <>    * Big Sky Conference game

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August 27th (Sunday) vs. Colgate (4:05pm)

September 2 at San Jose State (TBD)

September 9 at Northern Iowa (2:00pm)

September 23 vs. Northern Arizona (6:05pm)*

September 30 at Idaho State (TBD)*

October 7 at Southern Utah (TBD)* 

October 21 vs. Weber State (6:05pm)*

October 28 at UC Davis (TBD)*

November 4 vs. Portland State (6:05)*

November 11 vs. Sacramento State (6:05)*

November 18 at Northern Colorado (TBD)*