Saturday, September 30
San Luis Obispo, CA
5:02 p.m.
vs
UC Davis
Photo by: Owen Main
Cal Poly Hosts No. 20/21 UC Davis Saturday for Golden Horseshoe
9/26/2023 11:56:00 AM | Football
CAL POLY WEEKLY RELEASE | UC DAVIS | BIG SKY CONFERENCE
ESPN+ | LIVE STATS | AUDIO | TICKETS
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The 49th Battle for the Golden Horseshoe takes place on Saturday, Sept. 30 as the Cal Poly football program hosts rival UC Davis at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital. Kickoff on ESPN+ is 5:02 p.m. for Cal Poly (2-2, 0-1), which seeks to claim its first Big Sky victory of the season after dropping the Sept. 23 conference opener at Portland State. UC Davis (2-2, 0-1), ranked No. 20 in the Sept. 24 edition of the AFCA/FCS Coaches Top 25 and No. 21 in the Stats Perform Media Top 25, also attempts to get off the mark after being edged at home last weekend in its Big Sky opener by Eastern Washington, 27-24. Cal Poly, which plays all six ranked Big Sky opponents during its final seven games, looks to reclaim the Golden Horseshoe for the first time since 2016.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVIS: With six straight series victories, UC Davis has retained the Golden Horseshoe since taking possession with a 31-28 home victory in 2017. Winning last year's matchup in Davis, 59-17, the Aggies lead the all-time series, 26-20-2. The first game of the series was played in 1939 and the two teams have met every year since 1978 (including twice during 2021 calendar year).
THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE: The official Battle for the Golden Horseshoe was established in 2004 as student-run spirit clubs from both schools came together to sponsor a perpetual trophy that resides with the team that wins each year. The horseshoe-shaped trophy signifies the agricultural influence at both universities. Since the trophy was created in 2004, UC Davis leads the series, 12-7.
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 now ranks fourth among Big Sky players for passing yards per game (215.5) and total yards (862) and sixth with 67 completions. Selected as one of Cal Poly's four captains alongside junior linebacker David Meyer, defensive lineman Elijah Ponder and offensive lineman Garrett Weichman, Huard also ranks 10th among FCS quarterbacks with eight passing touchdowns.
FAIRLY-DIYEM FAIRLY GOOD: The Big Sky's seventh leading receiver at 57.0 yards per game, freshman Tyrece Fair-Diyem owns touchdown receptions during both of Cal Poly's victories. His leading receiving game came during the program's 27-10, season-opening victory against San Diego with a 127-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) and junior David Meyer took over the top spot with nine against Lincoln (Sept. 16) before freshman Kenny Olson paced the Mustangs with a collegiate best 13 at Portland State (Sept. 23). Calvert enters Saturday's matchup with UC Davis as the Big Sky's ninth leading tackler at 7.3 per game while junior Elijah Ponder – the Sept. 3 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honoree – tops the conference and ranks 28th nationally with three sacks. As a team, the Mustangs lead the Big Sky in passing defense, allowing just 149.0 yards per game, 15.0 completions per game and only four total touchdowns. 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 984th in university history and the 324th game Cal Poly will have played since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision level in 1994. The Mustangs are currently 157-166 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) --
Oct. 7 Idaho (6/4) --
Oct. 14 at Montana State (3/3) --
Nov. 4 at Eastern Washington (25/19) --
Nov. 11 at Sacramento State (9/8) --
Nov. 18 Weber State (14/13) --
CAL POLY AGAINST THE BIG SKY: Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 1994, Cal Poly is 63-88 against Big Sky opposition. Since joining the conference as an associate member for the 2012 season, Cal Poly is 34-49 in Big Sky play.
LOOKING AHEAD (SATURDAY, OCT. 7): Cal Poly hosts the second of three successive ranked opponents, welcoming No. 4/6 Idaho for a 5:02 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+. The two programs have met just once as Big Sky Conference opponents and not since the Vandals delivered a 21-9 home victory on Nov. 2, 2019. Idaho (3-1, 1-0), which upended previously fourth-ranked Sacramento State last weekend, 36-27, visits No. 19/25 Eastern Washington on Saturday.
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.
ESPN+ | LIVE STATS | AUDIO | TICKETS
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The 49th Battle for the Golden Horseshoe takes place on Saturday, Sept. 30 as the Cal Poly football program hosts rival UC Davis at Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital. Kickoff on ESPN+ is 5:02 p.m. for Cal Poly (2-2, 0-1), which seeks to claim its first Big Sky victory of the season after dropping the Sept. 23 conference opener at Portland State. UC Davis (2-2, 0-1), ranked No. 20 in the Sept. 24 edition of the AFCA/FCS Coaches Top 25 and No. 21 in the Stats Perform Media Top 25, also attempts to get off the mark after being edged at home last weekend in its Big Sky opener by Eastern Washington, 27-24. Cal Poly, which plays all six ranked Big Sky opponents during its final seven games, looks to reclaim the Golden Horseshoe for the first time since 2016.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVIS: With six straight series victories, UC Davis has retained the Golden Horseshoe since taking possession with a 31-28 home victory in 2017. Winning last year's matchup in Davis, 59-17, the Aggies lead the all-time series, 26-20-2. The first game of the series was played in 1939 and the two teams have met every year since 1978 (including twice during 2021 calendar year).
THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE: The official Battle for the Golden Horseshoe was established in 2004 as student-run spirit clubs from both schools came together to sponsor a perpetual trophy that resides with the team that wins each year. The horseshoe-shaped trophy signifies the agricultural influence at both universities. Since the trophy was created in 2004, UC Davis leads the series, 12-7.
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 now ranks fourth among Big Sky players for passing yards per game (215.5) and total yards (862) and sixth with 67 completions. Selected as one of Cal Poly's four captains alongside junior linebacker David Meyer, defensive lineman Elijah Ponder and offensive lineman Garrett Weichman, Huard also ranks 10th among FCS quarterbacks with eight passing touchdowns.
FAIRLY-DIYEM FAIRLY GOOD: The Big Sky's seventh leading receiver at 57.0 yards per game, freshman Tyrece Fair-Diyem owns touchdown receptions during both of Cal Poly's victories. His leading receiving game came during the program's 27-10, season-opening victory against San Diego with a 127-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) and junior David Meyer took over the top spot with nine against Lincoln (Sept. 16) before freshman Kenny Olson paced the Mustangs with a collegiate best 13 at Portland State (Sept. 23). Calvert enters Saturday's matchup with UC Davis as the Big Sky's ninth leading tackler at 7.3 per game while junior Elijah Ponder – the Sept. 3 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honoree – tops the conference and ranks 28th nationally with three sacks. As a team, the Mustangs lead the Big Sky in passing defense, allowing just 149.0 yards per game, 15.0 completions per game and only four total touchdowns. 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 984th in university history and the 324th game Cal Poly will have played since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision level in 1994. The Mustangs are currently 157-166 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) --
Oct. 7 Idaho (6/4) --
Oct. 14 at Montana State (3/3) --
Nov. 4 at Eastern Washington (25/19) --
Nov. 11 at Sacramento State (9/8) --
Nov. 18 Weber State (14/13) --
CAL POLY AGAINST THE BIG SKY: Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 1994, Cal Poly is 63-88 against Big Sky opposition. Since joining the conference as an associate member for the 2012 season, Cal Poly is 34-49 in Big Sky play.
LOOKING AHEAD (SATURDAY, OCT. 7): Cal Poly hosts the second of three successive ranked opponents, welcoming No. 4/6 Idaho for a 5:02 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+. The two programs have met just once as Big Sky Conference opponents and not since the Vandals delivered a 21-9 home victory on Nov. 2, 2019. Idaho (3-1, 1-0), which upended previously fourth-ranked Sacramento State last weekend, 36-27, visits No. 19/25 Eastern Washington on Saturday.
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.
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