Northern Colorado
Cal Poly Begins Big Sky Play Saturday at Northern Colorado
9/26/2024 4:48:00 PM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Coming off a bye week, Cal Poly football is rested and ready to start Big Sky Conference play this week when they travel to Greeley, Colo. to face Northern Colorado Saturday at 12 p.m. PT.
The game will air live on ESPN+ and locally on ESPN Radio 1280AM/101.7FM. Links to all those all well as live stats can be found on the football schedule page. You can also follow Cal Poly Football on Instagram (@calpolyfootbal) and on X (@calpolyfootball) for live updates throughout the game and for behind the scenes content.
The Mustangs (1-2) will be looking to get off to a good start to Big Sky play after they finished non-conference play 1-2. The Bears (0-4) are looking for their first win of the season after falling in each of their first four games of the season.
This will be Cal Poly’s first trip over to Greeley since 2019 which resulted in a 28-21 victory for the Mustangs. Cal Poly won last year’s meeting with Northern Colorado in San Luis Obispo 24-17.
Cal Poly’s defensive front seven have been extremely strong in each of the first three games of the season as the Mustangs rank 15th in the nation in tackles for loss and 26th in the nation in sacks.
CAL POLY VERSUS NORTHERN COLORADO
Cal Poly has lost just once to the Bears in six Big Sky Conference meetings. Last season, the Mustangs beat the Bears in San Luis Obispo 24-17. The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 11-3, since the first meeting – a 29-20 Cal Poly home victory – on Oct. 15, 1977.
PONDER LEADS THE DEFENSE
After leading the Big Sky and being top five in the FCS in sacks in 2023, redshirt senior defensive end Elijah Ponder racked up all kinds of accolades: First Team All-Big Sky, FCS All-American. Heading into the 2024 season, Ponder continues to garner all kinds of preseason accolades and draw the attention of numerous NFL scouts. So far this preseason, Ponder has been named an FCS Preseason All-American, Preseason All-Big Sky, Shrine Bowl Watchlist and Reese’s Senior Bowl Watchlist.
In the first three games of 2024, Ponder has three sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, 12 tackles, three quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups.
In 2023, Ponder had 10 sacks, 52 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 17 quarterback hurries, which tied the program record for most in a season. He heads into his final season seventh all-time in career sacks in school history with 20. He needs just four more sacks to move into third all-time in Cal Poly history.
INTO THE WOODS
Cal Poly’s leading receiver from last season Giancarlo Woods returns in 2024 after ranking 15th in the Big Sky in 2023 in receptions and receptions yards per game. He had 50 receptions for 498 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Woods caught seven balls against both Lincoln (Sept. 16) and UC Davis (Sept. 30). His performance in the Lincoln victory also included 77 yards and a career best three touchdowns.
Through the first three games of 2024, Woods has 13 receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown.
THE WULFF OF CALIFORNIA BOULEVARD
Head Coach Paul Wulff enters his second season as Cal Poly’s head coach. Cal Poly’s 2023 27-10, season-opening win against San Diego 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 2024 season marks Wulff’s 14th as a collegiate head coach.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Saturday’s game is the 994th in university history and the 334th game Cal Poly will have played since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision level in 1994. The Mustangs are currently 159-174 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 106th 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.
LOOKING AHEAD
Cal Poly will host its homecoming game at Mustang Memorial Field Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. when welcoming in Idaho State. There will be drone show spectacular after the game for fans to stick around and watch.
