For the first time in almost a month, Cal Poly got a win on Saturday — their first at home this season. The 58-26 win was the most Cal Poly has scored since they dropped 70 in a game against the Bengals at home in 2012. Last season, Cal Poly lost in Pocatello to Idaho State.

Cal Poly now has to prepare for Eastern Washington. The Eagles have quickly established themselves as the team to beat in the Big Sky early in the season.

Kickoff from Cheney is scheduled for 1:05 pm.

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]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos by David Livingston

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