Fall Camp Ends with Spanos Stadium Scrimmage for the Youngsters

Kahliq Paulette calls out the signals during 30-minute scrimmage Wednesday at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. Paulette's 48-yard pass to Kai Rappola accounted for the lone touchdown of the day.

Photo by: Photo by Grant Swinton

Fall Camp Ends with Spanos Stadium Scrimmage for the Youngsters

8/24/2022 1:03:00 PM | Football

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- It was a scrimmage for the young guys and third-year Cal Poly head football coach Beau Baldwin liked what he saw.

Only one touchdown was scored at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on Wednesday morning, the final day of Fall Camp. Kahliq Paulette hit Kai Rappola on a streak pattern down the right sideline and the 48-yard play capped a quick 65-yard three-play march on the third drive of the scrimmage.

Bryce Weiner drove the Mustangs 70 yards on another drive which featured a 30-yard pass to Tyler Hoffman and a 16-yarder to Paul Holyfield on a fourth-and-14 play, but the drive stalled at the 5-yard line when Mason Rivera tackled Holyfield for no gain on fourth down.

Another offensive drive to the 3-yard line, thanks in part to a 20-yard run by Troy Fletcher, stalled as well when Jerry Huddleston batted down a pass in the end zone on fourth down.

All eight players mentioned above are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

"If I just had to jump out and say something, I thought the young defensive players showed up today," said Baldwin. "I thought the running backs on offense showed up as well. Those were the two things that jumped out at me the most. The young guys on defense and the young running backs stood out most of all in this one."

Junior Spencer Brasch and redshirt freshman Jaden Jones, the top two quarterbacks on the fall camp depth chart, were held out of Wednesday's 37-play, 30-minute scrimmage as were most of the first and second strings.

The first scrimmage a week ago lasted about an hour and featured 75 plays, six resulting in touchdowns.

With six quarterbacks in camp, all taking snaps during the 19 practice sessions, Baldwin was asked which of them will be calling signals Sept. 1 at Fresno State.

"We're still working through that and still evaluating," said Baldwin.

Brasch started seven games a year ago, completing 145 of 267 passes for 1,725 yards -- the most by a Mustang quarterback in 13 years -- and 10 touchdowns, while Jones connected on seven of 18 passes for 34 yards in limited duty.

After a day off Thursday, the Mustangs on Friday afternoon will begin preparing for the season opener at Valley Children's Stadium against the Bulldogs, who were 10-3 a year ago and winners of the New Mexico Bowl.

Nearly 110 players were on hand for Fall Camp, including 40 veterans off last year's roster, 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.

"I was really pleased and so excited about how these guys attacked it and what they did in Fall Camp," said Baldwin. "They handled it like pros. I had as much fun as I've had at any camp in the past. It was just fun to see a foundational structure from January until now, where we're at."

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