Although Cal Poly Football has beaten the University of San Diego in every meeting since 2017, they suffered a 27-21 loss in Saturday’s season opener.
The defense ultimately kept the Mustangs (0-1) in the game, allowing just one offensive touchdown while recording four sacks against the Toreros (1-0).
A fumble recovery returned for a touchdown also gave the Mustangs the lead in the third quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Jackson Akins scored a touchdown on his first drive as a Mustang after starting quarterback Bo Kelly was pulled toward the end of the fourth quarter.
Kelly threw 226 yards on 21-for-35 passing and a touchdown but threw three interceptions, including two pick-sixes.
The Cal Poly offense worked best when it kept a speedy tempo, as quick turnarounds between plays disrupted USD’s defensive flow and scheme.
Given that, the Mustangs made too many mistakes to run away with a win, and they were prevalent throughout the whole game.
Despite scoring fewer offensive touchdowns than Cal Poly, San Diego held possession of the ball for two-thirds of the game.
The Mustangs’ running game proved essentially absent, netting just eight yards.
Preventable mistakes on Cal Poly’s side, including personal fouls after the whistle and illegal blocks, only hurt them more.
Early in the game, Kelly threw a 23-yard pass to redshirt freshman receiver Kian Salehi while on third down at Cal Poly’s seven-yard line.
However, redshirt senior receiver Giancarlo Woods was flagged for a blindside block, negating the first down and resulting in a punt.
On the defensive side, the Mustangs were often punished in the run game, giving up 184 rushing yards. Positively, graduate linebacker Judaea Moon achieved a career-high 11 tackles.
In the first half, the Mustangs stayed scoreless until the final drive before halftime.
In the Mustangs’ final possession before halftime, redshirt sophomore Tyrece Fairly-Diyem broke multiple tackles to create a 43-yard reception near the goal line.
To finish the drive, Kelly found Woods for the first Cal Poly touchdown of the season with a one-handed catch in the top left corner of the end zone.
Woods collected 56 yards on six receptions, while Salehi recorded 62 yards on five receptions.
The momentum continued shifting in the Mustangs’ favor in the second half’s opening drive.
Sophomore safety DeMel Turner’s hit on USD running back Matt Columbo sent the ball out of his hands and swiftly into the possession of redshirt freshman Budha Boyd Jr.
Boyd Jr. returned this fumble recovery to the end zone to make the game 14-10, but that excitement was short-lived after Kelly threw an interception in the next offensive possession.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Kelly threw his second pick-six to make it 24-14 in favor of the Toreros.
After Kelly’s three interceptions, the offense went with Akins with three minutes left in the game and a 13-point deficit.
Despite Akins leading a 70-yard touchdown drive with 1:04 remaining in the game, it was too little, too late. The Mustangs failed to recover the onside kick, resulting in a 27-21 final.
The Mustangs may continue to change things up as it gets closer to the conference season.
The Mustangs will now stay on the road and travel to Palo Alto to play Stanford University on Sept. 7 at 4 p.m.