After a lull in production from Ty Dieffenbach, Cal Poly Football did something that they are extremely comfortable doing. They went to a different quarterback.
Instead of Bo Kelly heading out under center, it was Anthony Grigsby Jr. making his first appearance since September.
The Mustangs (3-8, 1-6 Big Sky) were looking for a spark heading into halftime, trailing No. 24 Northern Arizona University (7-4, 4-3 Big Sky) without much offensive success.
On Grigsby’s first play from scrimmage he fumbled a handoff, one that he recovered. But after that it was smooth sailing for the Nevada transfer, and he ended the first half by throwing a 57-yard hail mary to receiver Fidel Pitts.
Despite the flashes of brilliance, Cal Poly once again could not put it together and dropped their sixth straight game 35-27.
Lumberjacks air attack dices Cal Poly defense
On the surface, Cal Poly’s defense did most things right. They held Northern Arizona to zero conversions on third down, and forced two turnovers on downs.
But that just tells half of the story, as Northern Arizona did not find themselves in third down situations that often. The Lumberjacks punted it away just twice all game, and dominated against a Mustang secondary that has struggled as of late.
Northern Arizona quarterback Ty Pennington aired it out for over 350 yards and got sacked just one time all game. Wide receiver Kolbe Katsis was his favorite target, who had his best game of the season. Katsis caught three of Pennington’s four touchdowns, including a 75 yard strike as the first half wound down.
Despite the score, the Mustangs defense stepped up in crucial moments to keep the game in reach. The Mustangs were able to stuff one-yard runs on both fourth down attempts, putting the Cal Poly offensive in a position to succeed.
In the first half, the stop kept the Lumberjacks from extending what was looking to be a touchdown drive. In the second half it gave an offense that was off and on all day one last chance to tie the game.
Struggles on the ground continue
The Mustangs offense was without star receiver Michael Briscoe, but had some of the usual suspects step up.
Pitts continued his success from the Idaho State game, this time hauling in two touchdowns and gaining 138 yards for his first 100-plus-yard game as a Mustang.
Behind center, Dieffenbach went 10-23 with 119 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The Lumberjacks were able to contain his legs, gaining just four total yards when taking into account sacks taken.
The Mustangs pulled Dieffenbach both at the end of the first half and at the end of the third quarter, with back to back interceptions spelling the end of his night.
Grigsby found more overall success, but also struggled with accuracy with a 5-12 mark and an interception late on fourth down. He outgained Dieffenbach with 151 yards through the air and also added a rushing touchdown to his successful hail mary at the end of the first half.
The running theme of offensive struggles have focused on the run game, and that was no different against the Lumberjacks.
Running backs Tyrei Washington and Kendric Sanders each had six carries combining for 56 yards. The quarterback rushing, which has usually been the more consistent attack, also struggled with Grigsby and Dieffenbach not coming close to that mark.
Misa Paiau is listed as a linebacker but also saw six touches, a continuation of his growing role on offense after scoring two touchdowns against Portland State.
After the defense turned the Lumberjacks over on fourth down late in the game, Cal Poly had the ball on the Northern Arizona 27-yard line and no timeouts. Down eight they needed a touchdown and two point conversion.
Grigsby dropped back on first down, and lofted it to an open Jordan Garrison. It was just overthrown, and the ball bounced harmlessly on the turf.A false start pushed them back even further, and two more incomplete passes meant that the game was over.
Cal Poly gets one more crack to snap their losing streak and get back in the win column in their final game of the season, hosting Eastern Washington at Mustang Memorial Field for senior night Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.