Entering their third straight matchup with redshirt freshman quarterback Bo Kelly as the starter, Cal Poly Football extended their losing streak to three straight games after falling to the University of Idaho 42-14 on Saturday, Oct 7 at 5 p.m. at Mustang Memorial Field.
Quarterback Sam Huard was ruled out for a third straight game with a concussion injury.
The Mustangs (2-4) and Vandals (5-1) started this game in a defensive matchup as only one touchdown was scored in the first quarter. The lone touchdown of the first period came after Vandals redshirt sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy rushed into the endzone for six yards on a read option play.
After both defenses traded stops in the opening quarter outside of the Vandals scoring on their opening drive, Idaho gave the Mustangs trouble in the second quarter.
Despite an interception from Mustangs sophomore cornerback Donovan Saunders, the Vandals scored three touchdowns and ended the first half with a commanding 21-7 lead over the Mustangs.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs struggled to match the Vandals’ firepower as the team struggled to click offensively. In the first half, the Mustangs had drives that resulted in three punts, an interception, and one touchdown.
The lone touchdown for the Mustangs came after quarterback Bo Kelly connected with redshirt freshman receiver Tyrece Fairly-Denim on a 62-yard pass. The touchdown pass, which came on a broken play, was the longest touchdown the Mustangs have scored all year.
The 21-7 deficit heading into the second half was too much for the Mustangs to overcome. In the third quarter, quarterback Bo Kelly threw his second interception of the game and ultimately the Mustangs were held scoreless as the team failed to reach the redzone.
The second and last touchdown for the Mustangs came at the beginning of the fourth quarter after Kelly connected with sophomore receiver Logan Booher on a 22-yard pass toward the left side of the endzone.
By the end of the matchup, the Vandals outnumbered the Mustangs in every major statistical category.
While the Mustangs could only muster a total of 303 yards offensively, the Vandals had a total of 421 yards. Time of possession was also lopsided, as the Vandals had the ball for 34 minutes while the Mustangs had the ball for 25 minutes.
After the game, Head Coach Paul Wulff said that the team’s loss was a result of their own mistakes.
“I think the biggest thing that was really disappointing is that the mistakes that we made…were our own doing,” Wulff said. “We are a better football team than the way we played tonight”.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Elijah Ponder felt that the team’s lack of confidence was what contributed the most to the team’s loss.
“Confidence from the beginning”, Ponder said. “Play aggressive full court football…that’s the main thing. We know what we are about, we just have to put it on tape”.
With the loss to the Idaho Vandals, the Mustangs have dropped three of their last four games. The team’s overall record has dropped to 2-4 and a tough stretch of games could add to the current losing streak.
The Mustangs are set to travel and face Montana State on Saturday, October 14 at 5 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana.
The Montana State Bobcats are currently riding a three-game win streak and are 4-1 this year. Montana State is undefeated at home and head coach Paul Wulff knows that he and his team have their work cut out for them. However, Wulff expects that the Mustangs will be up for the task.
“They’re a legitimate national championship contender,” Wulff said. “We are going to face the best. It will be hell of a measuring stick to see where we are at with a matchup against a team like this”.
The Mustangs have five more games to try and change the trajectory of their season. Three of the next five games for the Mustangs will be on the road.