Cal Poly defensive tackle Antonio Vakameilalo fights through the Sacramento State offensive line during Big Sky Conference opener last week. The Mustangs visit Northern Arizona on Saturday.
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Cal Poly to Visit Northern Arizona for Big Sky Game on Saturday
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly (1-3, 0-1 Big Sky), which opened its Big Sky schedule with a 49-21 loss to No. 5 Sacramento State despite scoring its first two rushing touchdowns of the year, continues conference play Saturday afternoon against Northern Arizona (1-4, 0-2 Big Sky) inside the Walkup Skydome on Findlay Toyota Field (cap.: 10,000) in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Kickoff is set for 1:02 p.m. PDT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNRadio (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 12:30 p.m. The game also will be video streamed on ESPN+. Links for audio and video streams as well as live stats can be found on the football schedule page at www.GoPoly.com.
Cal Poly fell 35-7 in its opener at Fresno State despite four offensive drives of 70 or more yards, cashing in only once. Jaden Jones completed 20 of 38 passes for 211 yards and one score. In his second collegiate start, Jones jumped into the Cal Poly record book in several categories, completing 27 of 45 passes for 385 yards and four scores in the 28-27 win over San Diego. The Mustangs intercepted three passes, two by freshman Jay'Vion Cole, in the final six minutes of the game.
Chris Coleman makes one of his five catches against Sacramento State last week.
Cal Poly followed with a 38-21 loss at South Dakota despite producing six drives of 55 or more yards and Shakobe Harper surpassing the 100-yard mark carrying the football, the first Mustang to do so in three years. Cal Poly scored on just three of those drives. The Coyotes jumped to a 21-7 lead in the opening 10 minutes and never looked back. Cal Poly's first-quarter woes continued against Sacramento State — the Mustangs have been outscored 56-7 in the opening 15 minutes of play — and the Hornets led 28-0 before Cal Poly got on the scoreboard midway through the third quarter on its first rushing touchdown of the season, a four-yard run by Harper.
Cal Poly trailed 21-0 at Fresno State, 17-0 versus San Diego and 21-7 at South Dakota before bouncing back.
"We've been shooting ourselves in the foot early and we've got to clean those things up,"third-year Mustang head coach Beau Baldwin said. "I know we're capable of turning the corner, avoiding the turnovers and penalties that extend drives. I call them unforced errors. We need to learn to play ahead and not have to come from behind."
Jones, who played in three games in a reserve role as a true freshman a year ago, preserving his redshirt year, vaulted into the top of the Big Sky Conference in passing yards (596) and total offense and No. 2 in passing touchdowns and completions per game (23.5) in the first two games before suffering an injury to his right leg midway through the first quarter at South Dakota. Spencer Brasch stepped in for Jones and completed 24 of 42 passes for 362 yards and three scores. Brasch also connected on 26 of 45 passes for 267 yards and one score against Sacramento State.
Cal Poly, which ran the run-oriented Triple Option offense for a dozen years and led the nation in rushing four times in that span, is now No. 6 in the country and first in the Big Sky in passing offense, averaging 324.5 yards a game.
Northern Arizona has opened its season with a 1-4 mark, defeating Sam Houston 10-3 in Week 2 while falling to Arizona State, North Dakota, Idaho and, last week, Portland State 35-27. The visiting Lumberjacks trailed 28-7 and 35-13 before a 20-point fourth-quarter Northern Arizona rally fell just short. RJ Martinez finished 30-of-42 for 318 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Stacy Chukwumezie caught five passes for 104 yards and two scores, Jamal Glaspie added 59 yards on four receptions and five other Lumberjacks finished with at least 25 yards through the air. Draycen Hall added 54 yards on the ground to his 34 receiving yards while George Robinson ran for 47 on 10 carries.
The Lumberjacks, 5-6 and seventh in the Big Sky a year ago, are averaging 301 yards (77 rushing, 224 passing) and 14.8 points per game while allowing 373 total yards (182 rushing, 191 passing) and 26.4 points.
The first full season of Mustang football under Cal Poly head coach Beau Baldwin, which began 21 months after he was named Cal Poly's 17th head football coach on Dec. 11, 2019, ended with a 2-9 mark. The Mustangs defeated San Diego 28-17 in the opener as Brasch, in his first game as a Mustang after transferring from Cal, completed 23 of 38 passes for 316 yards, the most by a Mustang quarterback in 12 years, and two touchdowns with no interceptions and Elijah Ponder returned an interception 75 yards for another score. Cal Poly also beat Idaho State 42-39 in the penultimate contest as Jaden Ohlsen kicked a 41-yard field goal with four seconds remaining and Brasch completed 25 of 50 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns.
The offseason was highlighted with some firsts for Baldwin in his tenure at Cal Poly, namely seven uninterrupted months of conditioning from January through July, a Spring Camp that ended with a successful Spring Game, the hiring of five new assistant coaches to replace those who moved on to the NFL or FBS schools, and an explosive six-touchdown performance in the first of two Fall Camp scrimmages on the new FieldTurf inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
Chris Ball, in his fourth season at Northern Arizona, greeted 37 lettermen, including 15 starters (nine on offense, six on defense) to Fall Camp. Top Lumberjacks to watch for include Martinez (136 of 220, 1,714 passing yards, 14 TDs, two interceptions in 2021), running back Kevin Daniels (185 carries, 1,146 yards, seven TDs), wide receiver Coleman Owen (43-713-6), offensive lineman Jonas Leader (all-Big Sky third team, 30 consecutive starts before missing last two games) and defensive backs Morgan Vest (team-leading 106 tackles, five interceptions) and Anthony Sweeney (83 tackles in 2019, all-Big Sky second team in spring 2021).
Five games into the 2022 campaign, Hall has rushed for 158 yards (no TDs) and Daniels 113 yards (one TD). Martinez has connected on 123 of 194 passes for 1,075 yards (second in the conference) and five scores and his favorite targets have been Owen (31-285-2), Glaspie (24-250-0), Hendrix Johnson (21-193-0) and Hall (18-116-0). Vest leads all defenders with 44 tackles (21 solo) and five pass breakups. Jhasi Wilson and Sheldon Newton each has two sacks while Cosmas Kwete has the lone Lumberjack interception.
Like Cal Poly, Northern Arizona played its first official football season in 1915 and is 479-479-23 all time, capturing Big Sky titles in 1978 and 2003. The Lumberjacks have made six FCS playoff appearances, the last in 2017.
Jay'vion Cole tips the ball away from Jared Gipson.
Northern Arizona has a 12-2 advantage in its series against Cal Poly after posting a 45-21 victory in the season finale for both schools a year ago in Spanos Stadium. Daniels rushed for 280 yards, the most ever allowed to any opponent by Cal Poly, and five touchdowns while Martinez completed 11 of 22 passes for 167 yards. Cal Poly freshman defensive back Xavier Oliphant returned a missed Northern Arizona field goal attempt an NCAA record 100 yards for a touchdown ending the first half, marking the first time that kind of play has happened in Mustang football history. Defensively, Fenton Will made a career-high 14 tackles (nine solo) and Matt Shotwell wrapped up his Mustang career with 12 stops (five solo), giving him 127 for the season, No. 5 all-time at Cal Poly. Shotwell's 345 career tackles are No. 4 in the record book.
Cal Poly's two wins against the Lumberjacks both were in Flagstaff, including a 42-34 triumph for a share of the Big Sky title in 2012, the Mustangs' first year in the conference. The Mustangs also won 38-28 in 2018 as Joe Protheroe rushed for 217 yards and Khaleel Jenkins ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns and passed for two more scores. Dominic Frasch intercepted a pass at the one-yard line to preserve the victory for Cal Poly, which at one time led 38-7.
Baldwin is 5-3 against Northern Arizona, all but last year's game while he was head coach at Eastern Washington (2008-16) while Ball is facing Cal Poly for the second time.
Ball (13-20, Missouri Western '85) is in his fourth year with the Northern Arizona football program, named as the 30th head coach in the 107-year history of NAU Football on December 10, 2018. He succeeded Jerome Souers, who was head coach of the Lumberjacks for 22 seasons, and arrived at Northern Arizona after serving for three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Memphis under head coach Mike Norvell.
Prior to Memphis, Ball was at Arizona State from 2012-15, serving as defensive passing game coordinator and co-defensive coordinator while coaching the safeties. Ball also has coached at Washington State (1989-90, 2000-02 and 2008-11), Pittsburgh (2007), Alabama (2003-06), Idaho State (1999), Missouri Western (1986, 1997-98), Western Oregon State (1995-96), Coffeyville CC (Kansas) (1991-94), Akron (1987-88) and Northeast Missouri State (1986-87).
Baldwin was head coach at Eastern Washington for nine seasons (2008-16) and was an assistant coach for the Eagles from 2003-06. An offensive coordinator at Cal for three years (2017-19) before coming to Cal Poly, Baldwin guided Eastern Washington to an 85-32 mark, five Big Sky titles and six FCS playoff berths, including the 2010 national championship.
Cal Poly fans have seen major changes, particularly on offense, with Baldwin at the helm. The Triple Option is gone and the new offensive package features three or four wide receivers on most plays with a tight end and one running back instead of two slots, a fullback and a pair of receivers in the old Triple Option formation.
Baldwin and his staff welcomed 62 returning lettermen to Fall Camp in August, including 30 on offense, 27 on defense and five specialists on special teams. The returnees include 27 players who started at least five games during the 2021 season -- 13 on offense, nine on defense and five on special teams.
Also on the 108-man fall roster are 22 players who were true freshmen and played in at least one game but no more than four, preserving their redshirt year, five transfers from four-year schools, two community college transfers, 13 redshirts or squad members who did not play at all in 2021 and 28 newcomers from the high school ranks.
The group of veterans includes Brasch (145 of 267 passes for 1,725 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021), wide receiver Chris Coleman (43-590-4), linebacker Laipeli Palu (51 tackles) and defensive linemen Dustin Grein (36 tackles, one sack), Elijah Ponder (35 tackles, eight sacks) and Josh Ngaluafe (28 tackles, two sacks), who combined for 22 tackles for lost yardage in 2021.
Jones completed 50 of 88 passes (57 percent) for 655 yards and five scores prior to his injury in the South Dakota game. Brasch has very similar numbers — 50 of 87 for 629 yards and four scores. Coleman is Cal Poly's favorite target with 24 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns. A total of 13 Mustangs have caught at least one pass just four games into the campaign. Shakobe Harper is the Mustangs' top rusher with 251 yards on 61 carries after producing his first career 100-yard game as a Mustang with 106 yards at South Dakota and 64 more yards versus Sacramento State, scoring the Mustangs' first rushing touchdown of the season on a four-yard third-quarter run. Grein and linebacker David Meyer lead the defense, each with 20 tackles. Meyer also has three sacks while Grein has produced 4.5 tackles for lost yardage.
Cal Poly played the fifth-toughest schedule in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision last fall and faces 10 of the 11 teams again this season, replacing Weber State with Eastern Washington. The 11 opponents on the Mustangs' 2021 schedule compiled an 80-52 win-loss record for a .606 winning percentage and five of them -- South Dakota, Montana, Montana State, UC Davis and Sacramento State -- qualified for the FCS playoffs. In addition, Fresno State played in the New Mexico Bowl.
Weber State, which won or shared four straight Big Sky titles heading into the 2021 season, didn't make the postseason but was one of seven Cal Poly opponents ranked at one time or another in 2021. San Diego finished 7-4 with a share of the Pioneer League crown, its 10th in the last 11 years.
Cal Poly tackled that schedule with as many as 10 freshmen and seven sophomores in the starting lineup last fall. The 22 starters in this year's season opener at Fresno State included three freshmen, seven sophomores and six juniors along with three seniors and three graduate students.
Cal Poly, which captured the 2012 Big Sky title in its first year in the conference, claimed four Great West Conference titles in the eight-year history of the league (2004, 2005, 2008, 2011) and has earned NCAA Division I FCS playoff berths in 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2016.
Next week, Cal Poly plays the second of two straight Big Sky games on the road, visiting Idaho State on Oct. 15. Kickoff is set for noon Pacific.
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