Huard’s Six Touchdown Passes Help Cal Poly to 41-20 Victory

Saturday, September 16

San Luis Obispo, CA

5:02 p.m.

3-1 , 0-0

Lincoln

0-5 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Lincoln (CA)	13	7	0	0	20
Cal Poly	7	20	14	0	41

Highlights

Woods Touchdown Reception Lincoln (Main)

Photo by: Owen Main

Huard’s Six Touchdown Passes Help Cal Poly to 41-20 Victory

9/16/2023 10:07:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Sophomore quarterback Sam Huard threw for 325 yards and matched a program record with six touchdown passes Saturday evening – the first three of which found junior wide receiver Giancarlo Woods (above) – as the Cal Poly football program completed Big Sky Conference preparations with a 41-20 victory against first-time foe Lincoln University at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital.

Freshman Tyrece Fairly-Diyem, sophomore Logan Booher and junior Evan Burkhart also caught touchdown passes from Huard for Cal Poly (2-1), which trailed Lincoln (0-4), 20-7, early in the second quarter before scoring 34 unanswered points.

Huard, who finished 28-for-39, became just the third Cal Poly quarterback in program history with six touchdown passes and the first since Tony Smith did so during a Nov. 14, 2009 home matchup with South Dakota. Woods, meanwhile, was the first Mustang with three touchdown receptions since J.J. Koski against Eastern Washington on Nov. 16, 2019.

Defensively, Big Sky Media Preseason All-Conference Team selection David Meyer produced a game high eight tackles while freshman linebacker Kenny Olson and sophomore cornerback Donovon Saunders enjoyed interceptions.

Cal Poly opens its 11th Big Sky season at Portland State on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff from Hillsboro Stadium is 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

Lincoln (Oakland, Calif.), competing in just its third season, went up 13-0 midway through the first quarter after running back Otis Weah completed touchdown runs of 28 and 15 yards.

Woods, who caught two touchdown passes last fall, helped open Cal Poly's scoring with five minutes remaining in the first quarter on a 30-yard reception from Huard.

After Lincoln ran its lead to 20-7 early in the second quarter, Huard found Woods on touchdown passes of eight and six yards as Cal Poly tied the matchup two minutes before halftime.

The Mustangs forced a Lincoln punt one minute before the break and, two plays into Cal Poly's final drive of half, Huard picked out Fairley-Diyem from 26 yards for a 27-20 halftime advantage.

Third-quarter scoring passes to Booher (13 yards) and Burkhart (11 yards) followed to complete the scoring. Booher led Cal Poly with 97 receiving yards.