The path that Cal Poly Football travels refuses to get any easier, as they will take on No. 4 Montana in Missoula this weekend.
It is the third straight ranked Big Sky opponent for the Mustangs (3-3, 1-1 Big Sky), and the fourth ranked contest overall if you include then No. 25 FBS squad Utah from earlier in the season.
After upsetting Sacramento State on the road and losing a close one at home to UC Davis, Cal Poly faces the Grizzlies (5-0, 2-0 Big Sky), a top ten scoring offense in the FCS.
Montana can do it all on the offensive side. Eli Gillman leads the way on the ground with 590 yards and nine touchdowns, both top ten marks in the FCS. Quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat is no slouch through the air either, with eight touchdowns to go along with over 1400 passing yards.
“We have to do our best to try and control the run game,” head coach Paul Wulff said. “Hopefully get them in as many predictable situations where it’s going to be a passing down.”
For as many challenges as that Montana offense presents, their defense is just as strong. They are a top 50 team in points given up per game (25.6 points per game) and have forced seven turnovers.
On top of that, the quarterback situation is still up in the air for Cal Poly. Last week Ty Dieffenbach was named the starter in pregame announcements and never saw the field, instead Bo Kelly saw every snap under center.
Wulff said at practice that the time between their Thursday practice and Saturday morning would have a lot to do with who starts under center.
Cal Poly looks to get their first win since 2016 against the Grizzlies Saturday, Oct. 10 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium at 1 p.m.
