Eastern Washington’s last-second Hail Mary attempt was answered with an interception by Cal Poly defensive back RL Miller to secure the Mustangs’ 31-27 win.
Cal Poly football (3-2, 2-0 Big Sky) held on against Eastern Washington (1-4) to start 2-0 in the Big Sky for the first time since 2013. Running back Jaden Green’s herculean effort of 269 rushing yards was the most by a Mustang since Craig Young in 1996. The Mustangs snapped a two-game losing streak with a touchdown in the last 70 seconds of the game.
This is the third Cal Poly football game this season that was decided by a score in the last two minutes of the game, and the second in a row following the Mustangs’ defeat to the non-scholarship University of San Diego program last week.
Green’s valiant effort of 181 all-purpose yards and a touchdown wasn’t enough against USD. Against Eastern Washington, Green nearly doubled his contribution with 311 all-purpose yards and two 50-plus-yard touchdowns. He now leads the Big Sky in rushing yards for the season with 612.
After Eastern Washington scored their first touchdown of the game, Cal Poly’s Julian Njelita blocked the extra point. Because of that missed point, the Eagles had to go for a touchdown at the end of the game instead of being able to tie it with a field goal.
The game-winning touchdown came from quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr., who threw two interceptions in the first quarter, and receiver Tayvion McCoy, who dropped a near-guaranteed touchdown at the start of the third quarter. The two connected for the 23-yard game-winning touchdown with just over a minute left in the game.
The Mustangs will attempt to extend their perfect conference record at home against Weber State next Saturday.