Cal Poly Plays at Wyoming in Lone 2012 Matchup Against an FBS Team
9/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
NOTES: CAL POLY | WYOMING | BIG SKY | MOUNTAIN WEST
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky), which opened its 60th football season as a four-year school, its 19th in the Football Championship Subdivision and its first as a member of the Big Sky Conference with a 41-14 victory over the University of San Diego on Sept. 1, travels to Wyoming (0-2, 0-0 Mountain West Conference) on Saturday for its only game of the 2012 campaign against an FBS school.
Kickoff at War Memorial Field (29,181) in Laramie is set for 3 p.m. PDT and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio (1280 am) with Tom Barket providing the play-by-play and Eric Burdick doing color commentary. Links for an audio stream as well as live stats are available at www.GoPoly.com.
Cal Poly has played 15 games against FBS schools over the last 10 seasons, winning three of the contests. The victories include a pair over San Diego State in 2006 and 2008 plus a victory at Texas-El Paso in 2003. The Mustangs are 4-24 against FBS schools since 1980.
Senior quarterback Andre Broadous rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns and completed 12 of 19 passes for 135 yards and two more scores in Cal Poly's season-opening win over San Diego. Senior slotback Deonte Williams added 109 rushing yards and the Mustang defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions.
Wyoming, which at 8-5 in 2011 earned its first eight-win season since going 8-3 in 1998, has opened the 2012 campaign with losses to then-No. 15 Texas 37-17 and Toledo 34-31. Wyoming was the sixth most improved team in the FBS last year, going from 3-9 in 2010 to 8-5 in 2011.
Facing a difficult schedule, Cal Poly posted a 6-5 mark in 2011, clinching its eighth winning season in the last nine years and nine of 11 with a 41-10 triumph at South Alabama. Cal Poly's foes on the 2011 schedule were a combined 68-45 and the Mustangs faced two FBS schools (San Diego State and Northern Illinois) while South Alabama was in transition to FBS. This week's Wyoming game represents Cal Poly's only other tuneup prior to the launch of Big Sky Conference play Sept. 22 at home against rival UC Davis.
Cal Poly football, presented by French Hospital Medical Center, opened its fourth season under head coach Tim Walsh with just seven returning starters. The Mustangs lost nine of 13 players on the defensive line, do not have a returning starter in the defensive secondary and said good-bye to 1,000-yard fullback Jake Romanelli and slotback/return specialist Mark Rodgers, both seniors in 2011.
Heading the list of returnees, Broadous completed 101 of 171 passes (58 percent) for 1,235 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior, throwing his first and only career interception in 207 career attempts Nov. 5 at UC Davis. Broadous, who also rushed for 646 yards, was No. 4 in the FCS in scoring (9.82 points per game) and No. 35 in passing efficiency (136.73) a year ago and broke a school record by rushing for 18 touchdowns.
Also topping the list of returnees are the top two Mustang tacklers of a year ago -- linebackers Johnny Millard (82 tackles) and Kennith Jackson (80 tackles) -- along with slotback Deonte Williams, who rushed for 385 yards last year and was the 2008 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year while at Northern Arizona with 950 yards and 12 TDs. Starting wide receivers Lance Castaneda (26 catches) and Willie Tucker (14 catches), both sophomores, also return as well as center Geoff Hyde, offensive linemen Giovanni Sani and Lefi Letuligasenoa and defensive tackle Sullivan Grosz.
Several transfers and redshirt freshmen also are expected to make strong contributions this fall, including defensive linemen Wesley Flowers (UCLA), Jake Irwin (Wisconsin) and Barrett Wangara (College of San Mateo), safety Alex Hubbard (College of San Mateo) and linebacker Cameron Ontko (Wisconsin).
Wyoming, coached by Dave Christensen (fourth season, 18-22, Western Washington '85), returns 41 lettermen, including 13 starters, off last year's team which placed third in the Mountain West and played in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, falling 37-15 to Temple.
Five Cowboy starters return on offense, including 2011 second-team all-MWC performers Nick Carlson at center and Chris McNeill at wide receiver (led team with 504 receiving yards), along with Dominic Rufran and Robert Herron, the team's top two receivers a year ago with 44 and 43 catches respectively.
Quarterback Brett Smith, the 2011 MWC freshman of the year who averaged 256.3 yards in total offense and completed 253 of 415 passes (61 percent) for 2,622 yards and 20 TDs, also returns. Smith was the Cowboys' top rusher with 710 yards and 10 scores in 2011 but suffered an injury in the fourth quarter of Wyoming's loss to Toledo last Saturday. He has rushed for 80 yards in two games while completing 36 of 56 passes (64.3 percent) for 615 yards and four TDs.
Seven starters return on defense, led by senior free safety Luke Ruff, a second-team all-MWC choice in 2011, and two other seniors -- Mike Purcell at defensive tackle and Korey Jones at linebacker. Wyoming, seventh in the nation in turnover margin in 2011 at plus-12, has forced just one turnover in its first two games this season.
Cal Poly and Wyoming will meet for the first time Saturday. The Mustangs will play their 93rd game against teams presently in the Mountain West. Cal Poly is 28-64 against current MWC teams, including 11 wins against San Diego State, 10 against Fresno State, three each against Nevada and Boise State and one against UNLV.
Cal Poly captured four Great West Conference titles in the eight-year history of the league (2004, 2005, 2008, 2011) and earned NCAA Division I FCS playoff berths in both 2005 and 2008, reaching the quarterfinals in 2005. The Mustangs have won 65 of their last 102 games dating back to the 2002 season finale and have won 23 of their last 48 games on the road and 42 of their last 51 home contests.
Photo above of Dave Douglas (left) and Alex Hubbard courtesy Matt Brown Photography
