Cal Poly Heads to Eastern Washington Saturday for Big Sky Matchup

Saturday, November 4

Cheney, WA

1 p.m.

Eastern Washington

Tickets

Sam Huard throw vs Northern Colorado 2023

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Heads to Eastern Washington Saturday for Big Sky Matchup

10/31/2023 1:30:00 PM | Football

CAL POLY AT EASTERN WASHINGTON
SATURDAY, NOV. 4 (1 P.M.) / ESPN+ / ESPN RADIO 1280
ROOS FIELD (CHENEY, WA)
WEEKLY RELEASES: CAL POLY | EASTERN WASHINGTON
ESPN+ | LIVE STATS | AUDIO (ESPN RADIO 1280)

SAN LUIS OBISPO – After getting a win over Northern Colorado in its last game and then getting a bye week to recover and get ready for the final few weeks of the season, Cal Poly football heads north this week to Cheney, WA to take on Eastern Washington (3-5, 2-3 Big Sky) Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Roos Field for a Big Sky Conference matchup for a homecoming game of sorts for Cal Poly head coach Paul Wulff, who spent eight seasons as head coach there from 2000-2007, winning 53 games and reaching the FCS playoffs three times. Wulff also served as an assistant coach with the Eagles from 1994-1999. He coached current Eastern Washington head coach Aaron Best while Best was a player there from 1996-1999. CAL POLY VERSUS EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Mustangs will be looking to avenge a 17-10 loss to the Eagles last season in San Luis Obispo. Eastern Washington leads the all-time series 11-2. Cal Poly's last win over the Eagles was a 40-35 victory in 2005. HUARD ON TARGET: A January transfer from Washington, sophomore quarterback Sam Huard completed the second-most passes in program history in Cal Poly's last game against Northern Colorado when he was 31-39 for 333 and two touchdowns. Earlier this season, he 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 – is tied for first among Big Sky quarterbacks with 13 passing touchdowns while ranking second for passing yards per game (236.7) third in completions (117) and eighth in total yards (1,360). 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 fourth longest by an FCS player. 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. FAIRLY-DIYEM FAIRLY GOOD: Cal Poly's leading receiver and now ranked 10th among Big Sky players at 49.8 yards per game, freshman Tyrece Fair-Diyem – alongside junior Giancarlo Woods – remains the program's favorite touchdown target, adding his fourth of the fall at No. 2 Montana State (Oct. 14). He also hauled in touchdowns to fuel Cal Poly's victories against San Diego (Sept. 2) and Lincoln (Sept. 16) and against No. 3 Idaho (Oct. 7). Averaging 15.3 yards per catch and Cal Poly's leader with 398 total yards, Fairly-Diyem's top receiving game came during the program's 27-10, season-opening victory against San Diego with a 129-yard performance and seven receptions. 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). Sophomore safety Brian Dukes, Jr. then became Cal Poly's fifth different leading tackler with a nine at No. 2 Montana State (Oct. 14). Meyer enters Saturday's matchup with Eastern Washington as the Big Sky's 18th leading tackler at 6 per game. Ponder, the Sept. 3 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honoree, ranks second in the Big Sky and 12th among FCS performers with seven 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 987th in university history and the 327th game Cal Poly will have played since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision level in 1994. The Mustangs are currently 157-169 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. CAL POLY AGAINST THE BIG SKY: Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 1994, Cal Poly is 64-91 against Big Sky opposition. Since joining the conference as an associate member for the 2012 season, Cal Poly is 35-52 in Big Sky play. LOOKING AHEAD (SATURDAY, NOV. 11): Following this week's game against Eastern Washington, Cal Poly heads up to face No. 7 Sacramento State for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Hornet Stadium. The Hornets are 6-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky play this season and are ranked No. 7 in both FCS Top 25 polls this week. The Mustangs have lost to Sacramento State in each of the last two seasons. 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.