Cal Poly held its walk-through Friday at Holt Arena, site of Saturday's Big Sky Conference football game between the Mustangs and Idaho State.
Cal Poly, Idaho State Set to Play in Partially Remodeled Holt Arena
10/14/2022 6:27:00 PM | Football
WEEKLY NOTES: CAL POLY (PDF) | IDAHO STATE (PDF) | BIG SKY (PDF)
AUDIO STREAM | VIDEO STREAM | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
POCATELLO, Idaho -- Holt Arena, the first covered stadium on a college campus and the second-oldest overall -- behind the Astrodome in Houston -- is undergoing a multi-million dollar facelift over a two-year period.
The facility, which opened in 1970 on the north side of the Idaho State campus, is being remodeled in two phases. A new turf was installed recently and seats on the north side (student section) have been replaced. New seats will be installed on the south side in the second phase after the current football season.
In 1977, Holt Arena (then named the Minidome) gained national recognition. The Bengals won the Big Sky regular season title in men's basketball, hosted the conference tournament, and the 12,000-seat facility was the site of an NCAA sub-regional, UCLA defeating Louisville and Idaho State bumping Long Beach State out of the playoffs.
The following weekend, No. 2 UCLA was stunned by the Bengals in the Sweet Sixteen at the West Regional in Provo, Utah. Ernie Wheeler III, son of former Cal Poly men's basketball head coach Ernie Wheeler and a San Luis Obispo High School graduate, made four free throws down the stretch, his only points of the game, to clinch the win for Idaho State.
On Saturday, the Cal Poly football team takes on Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference game at noon Pacific. The Mustangs are 1-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Sky games while the Bengals are 0-6 and 0-3.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio (1280 AM and 101.7 FM) in San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County and KRKC (1490 AM and 104.9 FM) in southern Monterey County with Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer (play-by-play) and Stephan Hodges (analyst) calling the action. Pregame show starts at 11:30 a.m. The game also will be video streamed on ESPN+. Links for audio and video streams as well as live stats can be found at the top of the page or on the football schedule page at www.GoPoly.com.
Cal Poly has had some success inside Holt Arena, going 5-5 in the series. The Mustangs own a 15-8 advantage in the series dating back to 1937, winning last year's matchup 32-29 on a 41-yard field goal by Jaden Ohlsen with four seconds remaining.
Idaho State will welcome back head coach Charlie Ragle to the sideline Saturday. The first-year Bengal mentor missed last week's game at Montana State due to an adverse reaction to the medicine he takes for atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat. Ragle also missed one game last season, when he was working as Cal's special teams coordinator.
Ragle was special teams coordinator and tight ends coach for five seasons (2017-21) at Cal, the first three while Baldwin served as the Bears' offensive coordinator.
Cal Poly also will be rolling out the welcome mat Saturday -- for three players who missed the Northern Arizona contest, won by the Lumberjacks 31-29 on a 40-yard field goal by Collin Robbins with 1:27 to play in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Running back Shakobe Harper, who recorded his first career 100-yard game with 106 yards on just 11 carries against South Dakota four weeks ago and is Cal Poly's top rusher this season with 251 yards in four games, returns to the Mustang backfield this week. Vatulele Finau could return on the offensive front after a one-game absence as well, along with running back/return specialist Zion Hall, but defensive nose tackle Josh Ngaluafe (16 tackles in four games) will miss his second straight game.
Idaho State, which claimed the 1981 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title, one year after Cal Poly's Division II national championship run in 1980, has posted just one winning season since 2014. Including a 6-5 mark in 2018, the Bengals have compiled a 20-59 record from 2015 through the first six games this season.
The Mustangs, four-time national leaders in rushing during the height of their run with the Triple Option, this week is No. 1 in the Big Sky in passing offense, averaging 334.4 yards per game. That's a direct reflection of the change in coaching staffs following the 2019 season.
Spencer Brasch will make his third start at quarterback this season, following the injury to Jaden Jones in the South Dakota contest, and the ninth of his Mustang career Saturday. The junior transfer from Cal completed 29 of 51 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs, in the loss to Northern Arizona last week.
Sagan Gronauer, Idaho State's No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart at the beginning of the season, is expected to make his third start of the year following injuries to No. 1 Tyler Vander Waal in game two versus San Diego State and No. 2 Hunter Hays in game four at Northern Colorado. Gronauer has completed 47 of 81 passes (58 percent) for 524 yards and two touchdowns.
Cal Poly returns home for its Mustang Family Weekend game next Saturday (Oct. 22) against Eastern Washington. Kickoff in Alex G. Spanos Stadium is set for 5:02 p.m.
Mustang Notes
Cal Poly won the last two meetings against Idaho State, both in San Luis Obispo, while the Bengals have won two straight over the Mustangs in Pocatello ... Baldwin is 9-0 as a head coach against the Bengals, all but one of the wins while at Eastern Washington from 2008-16 ... Idaho State has nine sacks in six games, two more than last year's total of seven ... the Bengals are 4-1 in their last five Homecoming games ... Idaho State has 51 players on its roster who were not on the team during the 2021 season ... the lone returning all-conference player for the Bengals is center Terron Carey, a second-team All-Big Sky selection in the 2021 spring season ... Cal Poly has won 10 games indoors -- four times at Idaho State, twice at Northern Arizona and North Dakota, and once each at South Dakota and North Dakota State; the Mustangs are winless in domed stadiums at Northern Iowa and Idaho.
AUDIO STREAM | VIDEO STREAM | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
POCATELLO, Idaho -- Holt Arena, the first covered stadium on a college campus and the second-oldest overall -- behind the Astrodome in Houston -- is undergoing a multi-million dollar facelift over a two-year period.
The facility, which opened in 1970 on the north side of the Idaho State campus, is being remodeled in two phases. A new turf was installed recently and seats on the north side (student section) have been replaced. New seats will be installed on the south side in the second phase after the current football season.
In 1977, Holt Arena (then named the Minidome) gained national recognition. The Bengals won the Big Sky regular season title in men's basketball, hosted the conference tournament, and the 12,000-seat facility was the site of an NCAA sub-regional, UCLA defeating Louisville and Idaho State bumping Long Beach State out of the playoffs.
The following weekend, No. 2 UCLA was stunned by the Bengals in the Sweet Sixteen at the West Regional in Provo, Utah. Ernie Wheeler III, son of former Cal Poly men's basketball head coach Ernie Wheeler and a San Luis Obispo High School graduate, made four free throws down the stretch, his only points of the game, to clinch the win for Idaho State.
On Saturday, the Cal Poly football team takes on Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference game at noon Pacific. The Mustangs are 1-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Sky games while the Bengals are 0-6 and 0-3.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio (1280 AM and 101.7 FM) in San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County and KRKC (1490 AM and 104.9 FM) in southern Monterey County with Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer (play-by-play) and Stephan Hodges (analyst) calling the action. Pregame show starts at 11:30 a.m. The game also will be video streamed on ESPN+. Links for audio and video streams as well as live stats can be found at the top of the page or on the football schedule page at www.GoPoly.com.
Cal Poly has had some success inside Holt Arena, going 5-5 in the series. The Mustangs own a 15-8 advantage in the series dating back to 1937, winning last year's matchup 32-29 on a 41-yard field goal by Jaden Ohlsen with four seconds remaining.
Idaho State will welcome back head coach Charlie Ragle to the sideline Saturday. The first-year Bengal mentor missed last week's game at Montana State due to an adverse reaction to the medicine he takes for atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat. Ragle also missed one game last season, when he was working as Cal's special teams coordinator.
Ragle was special teams coordinator and tight ends coach for five seasons (2017-21) at Cal, the first three while Baldwin served as the Bears' offensive coordinator.
Cal Poly also will be rolling out the welcome mat Saturday -- for three players who missed the Northern Arizona contest, won by the Lumberjacks 31-29 on a 40-yard field goal by Collin Robbins with 1:27 to play in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Running back Shakobe Harper, who recorded his first career 100-yard game with 106 yards on just 11 carries against South Dakota four weeks ago and is Cal Poly's top rusher this season with 251 yards in four games, returns to the Mustang backfield this week. Vatulele Finau could return on the offensive front after a one-game absence as well, along with running back/return specialist Zion Hall, but defensive nose tackle Josh Ngaluafe (16 tackles in four games) will miss his second straight game.
Idaho State, which claimed the 1981 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title, one year after Cal Poly's Division II national championship run in 1980, has posted just one winning season since 2014. Including a 6-5 mark in 2018, the Bengals have compiled a 20-59 record from 2015 through the first six games this season.
The Mustangs, four-time national leaders in rushing during the height of their run with the Triple Option, this week is No. 1 in the Big Sky in passing offense, averaging 334.4 yards per game. That's a direct reflection of the change in coaching staffs following the 2019 season.
Spencer Brasch will make his third start at quarterback this season, following the injury to Jaden Jones in the South Dakota contest, and the ninth of his Mustang career Saturday. The junior transfer from Cal completed 29 of 51 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs, in the loss to Northern Arizona last week.
Sagan Gronauer, Idaho State's No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart at the beginning of the season, is expected to make his third start of the year following injuries to No. 1 Tyler Vander Waal in game two versus San Diego State and No. 2 Hunter Hays in game four at Northern Colorado. Gronauer has completed 47 of 81 passes (58 percent) for 524 yards and two touchdowns.
Cal Poly returns home for its Mustang Family Weekend game next Saturday (Oct. 22) against Eastern Washington. Kickoff in Alex G. Spanos Stadium is set for 5:02 p.m.
Mustang Notes
Cal Poly won the last two meetings against Idaho State, both in San Luis Obispo, while the Bengals have won two straight over the Mustangs in Pocatello ... Baldwin is 9-0 as a head coach against the Bengals, all but one of the wins while at Eastern Washington from 2008-16 ... Idaho State has nine sacks in six games, two more than last year's total of seven ... the Bengals are 4-1 in their last five Homecoming games ... Idaho State has 51 players on its roster who were not on the team during the 2021 season ... the lone returning all-conference player for the Bengals is center Terron Carey, a second-team All-Big Sky selection in the 2021 spring season ... Cal Poly has won 10 games indoors -- four times at Idaho State, twice at Northern Arizona and North Dakota, and once each at South Dakota and North Dakota State; the Mustangs are winless in domed stadiums at Northern Iowa and Idaho.
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