3-3 , 1-0
Southern Utah
3-4 , 0-3
Cal Poly Football Rallies to Beat Southern Utah, 31-27
10/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
POSTGAME REACTION: TIM WALSH | GREG FRANCIS
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF 31-27 VICTORY OVER SOUTHERN UTAH
MURPHY NAMED GREAT WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Junior quarterback Andre Broadous scored the go-ahead touchdown on a four-yard run with 45 seconds to play and senior safety Greg Francis sealed the victory with an interception with one second to go as Cal Poly rallied to defeat Southern Utah 31-27 in a Great West Conference football game Saturday night before 8,232 homecoming fans in Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
Senior fullback Jake Romanelli earned his fourth consecutive 100-yard game rushing, accumulating 101 yards on 22 carries, and scored twice as Cal Poly improved to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in Great West games.
Southern Utah, the defending Great West champion, fell to 3-4 and 0-3.
Southern Utah held the lead throughout the first half, taking a 17-10 advantage into the locker room at the break.
The Mustangs tied the game at 17-17 and 24-24, but Cal Poly's only lead of the game came on the scoring run by Broadous which capped a 70-yard, 10-play drive with 45 seconds to play.
After the ensuing kickoff, Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorensen attempted four passes, completing one. After an incomplete pass, he was sacked on the third play by Kyle Murphy and Francis intercepted Sorensen on the final play to thwart the last-minute Thunderbird drive. It was Francis' first theft of the season and seventh of his Mustang career.
Southern Utah built its 17-10 first-half lead on a one-yard run by Deckar Alexander, a 14-yard pass from Sorensen to Daryl Brown and a 33-yard field goal by Colton Cook on the final play of the half.
Cal Poly stayed close with a 33-yard field goal by James Langford in the first quarter and a one-yard run by Broadous in the second period.
Romanelli's three-yard run less than 90 seconds into the third quarter knotted the score at 17-17.
After Sorensen connected with Brady Measom on a three-yard touchdown pass for a 24-17 Southern Utah lead early in the fourth quarter, Cal Poly answered with a three-yard run by Romanelli to knot the score at 24-24 with 10:49 to play.
Cook's second field goal of the game, a 34-yarder, gave the Thunderbirds the lead again at 27-24 with 3:22 to go, setting the stage for what proved to be Cal Poly's game-winning drive capped by Broadous' four-yard run.
The drive included 13- and 11-yard runs by Broadous, a 17-yard run by wide receiver Jarred Houston on a reverse around left end and an eight-yard pass from slotback David Mahr to Broadous.
Final team statistics were very close. Southern Utah had a 366-364 edge in total offense but Cal Poly amassed a 21-19 lead in first downs. Cal Poly rushed for 267 yards while Southern Utah threw for 296 yards.
Broadous finished with 81 yards on 16 carries while Mark Rodgers added 51 yards on 12 trips.
Broadous completed six of 16 passes for 38 yards and was sacked twice. Romanelli and Lance Castaneda each caught a pair of passes for the Mustangs.
Sorensen connected on 25 of his 42 passes for 296 yards and two scores. Abbel Aiono caught five passes for 53 yards while Measom, Fatu Moala and Anstin Minefee each caught four passes.
Linebacker Herman Sword recorded 14 tackles, including one sack, to lead Southern Utah defensively.
Cal Poly's leaders were linebacker Kennith Jackson with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery, Sullivan Grosz and Johnny Millard, each with seven tackles, and Murphy with three of Cal Poly's five sacks.
The Mustangs are now 13-1 against Southern Utah at home, winning 13 in a row after a loss in the first meeting between the two schools in 1986. Cal Poly has an 18-7 overall lead in the series.
The game was televised in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties by KSBY-TV.
Cal Poly football, presented by French Hospital Medical Center, continues Great West play next Saturday at North Dakota (4-2, 1-0 Great West). The Fighting Sioux had a bye Saturday.
Team Stats
SUU 7, CP 0
SUU - Alexander, Deck 1 yd run (Cook, Colton kick), 6 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:49
SUU 7, CP 3
CP - James Langford 33 yd field goal 17 plays, 48 yards, TOP 7:25
SUU 14, CP 3
SUU - Brown, Daryl 14 yd pass from Sorensen, Brad (Cook, Colton kick) 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 4:01
SUU 14, CP 10
CP - Andre Broadous 1 yd run (James Langford kick), 7 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:14
SUU 17, CP 10
SUU - Cook, Colton 33 yd field goal 7 plays, 58 yards, TOP 0:57
SUU 17, CP 17
CP - Jake Romanelli 3 yd run (James Langford kick), 5 plays, 76 yards, TOP 1:19
SUU 24, CP 17
SUU - Measom, Brady 3 yd pass from Sorensen, Brad (Cook, Colton kick) 10 plays, 59 yards, TOP 3:38
SUU 24, CP 24
CP - Jake Romanelli 3 yd run (James Langford kick), 2 plays, 54 yards, TOP 0:29
SUU 27, CP 24
SUU - Cook, Colton 34 yd field goal 7 plays, 50 yards, TOP 3:10
SUU 27, CP 31
CP - Andre Broadous 4 yd run (James Langford kick), 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:31
