Mechanics Bank Cal Poly Student-Athlete of the Week: Kevin Howell
Kevin Howell, Junior, Cornerback, 5-10, 185, Thousand Oaks, Calif. | Thousand Oaks HS
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- It all started with a five-yard tackle for lost yardage late in the third quarter.
Cal Poly field cornerback Kevin Howell was given the signal to blitz. When he saw Northern Colorado running back Milo Hall sprinting toward him with the ball, Howell was there to drop him for a five-yard loss. After a third-down pass completion was far short of a first down, Northern Colorado was forced to punt.
In the next 16 minutes of the Big Sky Conference game, Cal Poly scored three touchdowns, including a 30-yard pick six by Howell, to turn a 21-7 deficit into a 28-21 victory.
For his four tackles and two interceptions, Howell has been selected as the Mechanics Bank Cal Poly Student-Athlete of the Week. A fourth-year junior, Howell also was named ROOT SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday.
On the second play after the Northern Colorado punt, Cal Poly pulled to within seven points on Duy Tran-Sampson's 65-yard run up the middle of the field.
With 10:13 to play in the final period, Howell intercepted Jacob Knipp's pass at the Northern Colorado 37-yard line. Four plays later, Tran-Sampson scored from one yard out to tie the game at 21-21 with 8:33 to play.
Neither team scored on their next two possessions.
Then Northern Colorado completed a pair of short passes in an attempt to set up a late field goal try, but Knipp's third pass of the drive was intercepted by Howell and returned 30 yards down the left sideline for the go-ahead score with 36 seconds to play.
"Kevin made four or five huge plays down the stretch," said Mustang head coach Tim Walsh. "One was a corner blitz and he thanked Coach (Josh) Brown for the call. He made some big plays for us in the second half."
Howell's interception return for a touchdown was Cal Poly's first since Kelly Shepard's 63-yard return for a score against San Diego in the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Howell doubled his career interceptions total with Saturday's two thefts and recorded three this season. The Thousand Oaks High School graduate transferred to Cal Poly from Nevada prior to the 2018 season.
As a senior at Thousand Oaks, Howell returned one interception 39 yards for a touchdown against West Ranch in 2015 and also returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score against Canyon (Canyon Country).
Photo courtesy of James Smith | James Smith IV Photography
