Mustangs Visit No. 2 Montana State Saturday on ESPN+

Saturday, October 14

Bozeman, MT

5 p.m.

Montana State

Tickets

Mustangs Visit No. 2 Montana State Saturday on ESPN+

10/11/2023 10:00:00 AM | Football

CAL POLY AT NO. 2/2 MONTANA STATE
SATURDAY, OCT. 7 (5:02 P.M.) / ESPN+
BOBCAT STADIUM (BOZEMAN, MT)
WEEKLY RELEASES: CAL POLY | MONTANA STATE | BIG SKY CONFERENCE
ESPN+ | LIVE STATS | AUDIO

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Facing the last of three successive ranked programs and the second straight top three Football Championship Subdivision opponent, the Cal Poly football program visits No. 2/2 Montana State on Saturday, Oct. 14. Kickoff from Bobcat Stadium is 5 p.m. PT (6 p.m. MT) on ESPN+ for Cal Poly (2-4, 0-3), which looks to snap a three-game slide against the Big Sky Conference's leading program for points scored (42.8 per game) and fewest points allowed (16.4). Cal Poly last faced a top-two opponent on Sept. 11, 2010, delivering a 35-33 home victory against No. 1 Montana. Continuing with Montana State (4-1, 2-0), Cal Poly faces six of the seven ranked Big Sky programs during its final seven games. The No. 2 selection in both the Oct. 8 editions of AFCA/FCS Coaches Top 25 and Stats Perform Media Top 25 polls, Montana State – also the Big Sky leader with 323.2 rushing yards per game – resumes action following a bye week and 38-22 home victory against Portland State (Sept. 30). Montana State's lone loss this season was a 20-16 setback at unanimous No. 1 South Dakota State (Sept. 9).

CAL POLY VERSUS MONTANA STATE: The Mustangs look to snap a five-game slide against the Bobcats, last defeating Montana State at home on Nov. 1, 2014 (35-27). Cal Poly's last win at Montana State's Bobcat Stadium came in 2004 (27-14). The all-time series is drawn, 9-9, dating to the first meeting – a 16-6 Mustang home victory – on Nov. 8, 1958.

KELLY MAKES DEBUT: In just his second collegiate start, redshirt freshman quarterback Bo Kelly gashed No. 3 Idaho for 262 passing yards – the most the Vandals have conceded this season. Kelly, who completed a career best 24 passes against Idaho, also threw for 191 yards during his first start against No. 20/21 UC Davis. One of three Cal Poly quarterbacks to see action this season, Kelly's performance against third-ranked Idaho included touchdown passes to wide receivers Tyrece Fairly-Diyem and Logan Booher.

FAIRLY-DIYEM FAIRLY GOOD: Cal Poly's leading receiver and now ranked 10th among Big Sky players at 54.2 yards per game, freshman Tyrece Fair-Diyem – alongside junior Giancarlo Woods – remains the program's favorite touchdown target, adding his third of the fall against No. 3 Idaho (Oct. 7). He also hauled in touchdowns to fuel Cal Poly's victories against San Diego (Sept. 2) and Lincoln (Sept. 16). Averaging 15.5 yards per catch, Fairly-Diyem's leading receiving game came during the program's 27-10, season-opening victory against San Diego with a 127-yard performance and seven receptions.

HUARD ON TARGET: A January transfer from Washington, sophomore quarterback Sam Huard became just the third player in program history with six touchdown completions in one game during Cal Poly's 41-20 home victory against Lincoln (Sept. 16). Having also passed for 325 yards against Lincoln and 324 in a season-opening win against San Diego (Sept. 2), Huard – despite missing Cal Poly's Sept. 30 game versus UC Davis and Oct. 7 matchup with No. 3 Idaho – ranks fifth among Big Sky players for passing yards per game (215.5), seventh in total yards (862) and ninth in completions (67). His 87-yard completion to sophomore tight end Carlton Brown against San Diego remains the longest pass completion by a Big Sky quarterback this season and trails only a 93-yard effort from Presbyterian's Tyler Wesley among FCS quarterbacks. Huard was selected as one of Cal Poly's four captains alongside junior linebacker David Meyer, defensive lineman Elijah Ponder and offensive lineman Garrett Weichman.

DEFENSE MAKES ITS MARK: Sophomore Ethan Calvert led Cal Poly with 11 tackles against San Diego (Sept. 2) and 12 at San Jose State (Sept. 9), David Meyer took top honors with nine against both Lincoln (Sept. 16) and UC Davis (Sept. 30) while freshman Kenny Olson paced the Mustangs with a collegiate best 13 at Portland State (Sept. 23) and seven – alongside junior lineman Elijah Ponder – versus No. 3 Idaho (Oct. 7). Calvert enters Saturday's matchup at Montana State as the Big Sky's 15th leading tackler at 6.2 per game. Ponder, the Sept. 3 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honoree, ranks second in the Big Sky and 13th among FCS performers with five sacks. Having twice kept the opposition under 300 yards of total offense, Cal Poly's 27-10, season-opening victory against San Diego marked the program's first performance without conceding an offensive touchdown in 81 games.

THE WULFF OF CALIFORNIA BOULEVARD: Cal Poly's 27-10, season-opening win against San Diego (Sept. 2) provided Paul Wulff his first victory as Cal Poly head coach and first triumph as a collegiate head coach in 12 years. Having led Eastern Washington to three FCS Playoff appearances (2004-05, 2007) before serving as head coach at Washington State (2008-11), Cal Poly's victory was Wulff's first as a head coach since guiding the Cougars to a 37-27 victory against Arizona State on Nov. 12, 2011. Named the Cal Poly program's 18th head coach on Dec. 6, 2022, Wulff – a near three-decade collegiate coaching veteran – is a three-time Big Sky Coach of the Year recipient at Eastern Washington (2001, 2004-05) while having directed the Eagles to a share of two Big Sky titles. Wulff's other Big Sky coaching stops include Sacramento State (2016-18) and UC Davis (2019). The 2023 season marks Wulff's 13th as a collegiate head coach.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Saturday's game is the 986th in university history and the 326th game Cal Poly will have played since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision level in 1994. The Mustangs are currently 157-168 as an FCS program. The 100th game at the FCS level was a 34-13 win at Texas-El Paso (Sept. 6, 2003) while the 200th was a 41-10 triumph at South Alabama to end the 2011 season. Game No. 300 was a 48-14 loss to South Dakota (Sept. 18, 2021). The 100th FCS win was at Old Dominion, 50-37 (Oct. 9, 2010), and the 100th loss was to Eastern Washington, 35-22 (Nov. 16, 2013). Cal Poly earned its 500th all-time win at Portland State in October 2017 and is playing its 105th overall season and 30th in the FCS this fall. Cal Poly was a member of the now-defunct American West Conference (Southern Utah, Sacramento State, CSUN) before becoming an independent in 1996. After eight years as an FCS Independent, the Mustangs became a charter member of the Great West Football Conference in 2004. Following eight seasons in the Great West (and four titles), Cal Poly moved to the Big Sky Conference in 2012, capturing the title in its first season.

BIG SKY'S THE LIMIT: Competing in the Football Championship Subdivision's deepest conference, six of Cal Poly's 11 games this fall – 55 percent – come against ranked Big Sky opponents (ranking current at time of matchup):

Date             Opponent (Coaches Poll/Stats Perform)      Result
Sept. 30        UC Davis (20/21)                                              L, 31-13
Oct. 7           Idaho (3/3)                                                         L, 42-14
Oct. 14         at Montana State (2/2)                                    --
Nov. 4          at Eastern Washington (RV/21)                         --
Nov. 11        at Sacramento State (5/4)                                   --
Nov. 18        Weber State (23/22)                                           --

CAL POLY AGAINST THE BIG SKY: Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 1994, Cal Poly is 63-90 against Big Sky opposition. Since joining the conference as an associate member for the 2012 season, Cal Poly is 34-51 in Big Sky play.

LOOKING AHEAD (SATURDAY, OCT. 21): Before closing the season with three successive ranked foes, Cal Poly hosts Northern Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 5:02 p.m. on ESPN+. Facing Northern Colorado for the first time since a 2017 home loss, for just the second time at the Division I level and third time overall, Cal Poly seeks its first all-time victory against the Bears. Northern Colorado (0-5, 0-2) hosts No. 4 Sacramento State on Saturday, Oct. 14.

ETC.: The Cal Poly program is in its 105th all-time season and playing its 29th fall of Football Championship Subdivision competition … Cal Poly improved to 8-1 all-time against San Diego with a 27-10, season-opening win (Sept. 2) while improving to 9-1 all-time against Pioneer Football League opposition … Cal Poly's leading tackler last fall, junior linebacker David Meyer was named to the Big Sky Media Preseason All-Conference Team as part of the league's July Football Kickoff Weekend … quarterback Sam Huard's 87-yard completion to sophomore tight end Carlton Brown during Cal Poly's Sept. 2 opener against San Diego marked Cal Poly's lengthiest pass play since an 89-yard effort by Chris Brown at South Dakota State (Sept. 6, 2014) … Cal Poly dropped its ninth straight matchup against FBS competition Sept. 9 at San Jose State, a streak dating to a 24-22 victory at Wyoming (Sept. 15, 2012) … Sam Huard became just the third quarterback in program history with six passing touchdowns in a game against Lincoln (Sept. 16) and the first since Tony Smith against South Dakota (Nov. 14, 2009) … in just 28 minutes against Lincoln (Sept. 16), junior wide receiver Giancarlo Woods became the first Mustang in four years and 13th in program history with three touchdown receptions in a single game … UC Davis retained the Golden Horseshoe against Cal Poly with a 31-13 rivalry victory (Sept. 30) … Cal Poly's Oct. 7 home matchup with No. 3 Idaho marked just the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs.