3-3 , 2-1
Weber State
0-6 , 0-2
Cal Poly Defeats Weber State 30-24, Improves to 2-1 in Big Sky Games
10/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
OGDEN, Utah – Junior quarterback Chris Brown and sophomore slotback Kori Garcia both threw touchdown passes to each other as Cal Poly defeated Weber State 30-24 in a Big Sky Conference football game Saturday afternoon at Stewart Stadium.
Brown also rushed for one score, becoming the first player in Cal Poly's 21-year Division I history to pass and run for touchdowns and catch a scoring pass in the same game.
Cal Poly evened its overall mark at 3-3 and improved to 2-1 in Big Sky games while Weber State fell to 0-6 and 0-2.
Brown completed eight of 15 passes for 198 yards, including two long passes to Roland Jackson Jr., and rushed for 90 yards on 27 carries to spark Cal Poly offensively.
Brown, who scored from one yard out in the second quarter, hit Garcia with an 11-yard touchdown pass just before halftime as Cal Poly took a 17-14 lead into the lockerroom at the break.
Ten minutes into the third quarter, Brown pitched the ball to Garcia, who lofted a 23-yard scoring pass to Brown for a 24-17 Mustang lead.
Weber State's Bo Bolen returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 24-24.
With 13:46 to play in the game, senior fullback Brandon Howe capped an 80-yard drive with a one-yard dive, putting Cal Poly in front again, 30-24. The extra-point kick was missed.
Weber State missed a 47-yard field goal and Cal Poly also was able to stop the Wildcats on two other fourth-quarter drives to preserve the victory.
Cal Poly amassed 510 total yards on 82 plays – 289 yards rushing and 221 passing – while holding Weber State to 276 total yards (179-97).
"I thought we did enough good things," said Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh. "Right now the thing really pushing us forward is the defensive confidence that we gained today."
Howe finished with 87 yards on 23 carries. Top Mustang receiver was Jackson with two catches for 100 yards and Garcia with two receptions for 57 yards.
Senior linebacker Nick Dzubnar, who led the nation and Big Sky with 13.8 tackles, per game, collected 14 tackles while Josh Letuligasenia added 10. Karlton Dennis intercepted a pass, his second of the season, while Marcus Paige-Allen recovered a Weber State fumble and Logan Mayes and Chris Judge were credited with sacks.
Zach Smith rushed for 132 yards and one touchdown for Weber State. Quarterback Billy Green, a transfer from BYU, completed 16 of 23 passes for 97 yards and one score. Drew Batchelor was the top Wildcat receiver with four catches for 31 yards.
Cal Poly's first scoring drive of 77 yards on 13 plays was fueled by runs of 17 yards by Brown, 16 by Howe and 12 by Chris Nicholls. Zach Schottenfeld ended the drive with a 20-yard field goal, his first as a Mustang after transferring from Utah.
Cal Poly led 10-7 on Brown's one-yard plunge in the second quarter, capping a 75-yard, eight-play drive. He hit Jackson with a 59-yard pass to set up the scoring play.
The Mustangs led 17-14 on Brown's 11-yard touchdown pass to Garcia with 23 seconds left in the first half. Paige-Allen's fumble recovery at the Weber State 32-yard line set up the short six-play drive.
Cal Poly lost a fumble for only the second time this season which set up a 40-yard field goal by Weber State's Josh Kealamakia, tying the game at 17-17 early in the third quarter.
The Mustangs followed with an 81-yard drive that required just six plays to get into the end zone. Brown hit Garcia on a 46-yard screen pass, then two plays later Brown handed the ball to Garcia, who took a few steps to his right, then passed the ball across the field back to Brown in the left flat for a 23-yard scoring play. The Mustangs led 24-17 with 5:22 to play in the third period.
The lead lasted 13 seconds as Bolen raced 94 yards down the left sideline with the ensuing kickoff to knot the score at 24-24.
Less than 80 seconds into the fourth quarter, Howe dove into the end zone from one yard out to finish off an 80-yard, eight-play Mustang march. Key plays on the drive were a 41-yard pass from Brown to Jackson on second and one, and an 18-yard run on a reverse by Kyle Lewis with Brown throwing a key block on the play.
Weber State got the ball back three times in the final 13 minutes of the game. One drive ended with a punt, Kealamakia missed a field goal attempt from 47 yards and Cal Poly stopped the Wildcats on downs with 58 seconds to play. Mustang cornerback Fernando Cabico hurried Green on his fourth-and-five pass and the ball fell incomplete.
Cal Poly football, presented by French Hospital Medical Center, remains on the road next week, visiting Sacramento State for a Big Sky Conference game Saturday (Oct. 18) at 6:05 p.m. in Hornet Stadium.
Photo at top of page of Chris Brown and Kori Garcia courtesy of Ray Ambler | RA Photos
Screenphoto of Zach Smith on 70-yard touchdown run courtesy of WeberStateSports.com
Team Stats
CP 3, WSU 0
CP - Z.Schottenfeld 20 yd field goal 13 plays, 77 yards, TOP 4:56
CP 3, WSU 7
WSU - Shaydon Kehano 4 yd pass from Billy Green (Josh Kealamakia kick) 11 plays, 90 yards, TOP 4:54
CP 10, WSU 7
CP - Chris Brown 1 yd run (Z.Schottenfeld kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:19
CP 10, WSU 14
WSU - Zach Smith 70 yd run (Josh Kealamakia kick), 1 plays, 70 yards, TOP 0:14
CP 17, WSU 14
CP - Kori Garcia 11 yd pass from Chris Brown (Z.Schottenfeld kick) 6 plays, 32 yards, TOP 2:03
CP 17, WSU 17
WSU - Josh Kealamakia 40 yd field goal 6 plays, 21 yards, TOP 2:08
CP 24, WSU 17
CP - Chris Brown 23 yd pass from Kori Garcia (Z.Schottenfeld kick) 6 plays, 81 yards, TOP 3:57
CP 24, WSU 24
WSU - Bo Bolen 94 yd kickoff return (Josh Kealamakia kick)
CP 30, WSU 24
CP - Brandon Howe 1 yd run (Z.Schottenfeld kickfailed), 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:36
