Cal Poly football brings “all about winning” attitude into Weber State matchup

When fall training camp opened ahead of the college football season more than three months ago, the Cal Poly coaching staff put extra emphasis on finishing every repetition, practice and week stronger than the one before it.

The Mustangs have embraced that message this fall and set themselves up for a finishing kick that could result in the program’s first FCS playoff berth in four years. Two games remain on the final leg of the regular season schedule, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday against Weber State inside the 17,500-seat Stewart Stadium.

“It’s definitely all in the back of our minds,” said freshman wide receiver J.J. Koski. “But we know that we’ve got to take it each game, and we’ve got to win to get there, right? Right now it’s all about winning.”

Looking to rebound from last week’s home loss to third-ranked Eastern Washington, No. 16 Cal Poly (6-3, 4-2 Big Sky Conference) has an opportunity to potentially gain some separation from its current three-way tie in the conference standings.

The Wildcats (5-4, 4-2 Big Sky) are hoping to avoid a third consecutive loss, while surging Northern Arizona (5-4, 4-2 Big Sky) is chasing its fourth straight victory and goes to conference-leading North Dakota this week.

All three programs have an outside shot at a third-place finish in the conference and a potential at-large postseason bid. The Mustangs have perhaps the clearest path to playoffs, but it goes through Ogden, Utah, and a group of 17 equally motivated Weber State seniors.

“They definitely have me concerned,” Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh said.

The Wildcats’ strength is their defense, a unit anchored by standout senior linebacker Tre’von Johnson. Though Weber State’s defense ranks near the middle of the conference by most statistical measures, twice it has held a Big Sky opponent to 10 points or less, and three of the Wildcats’ five victories have been decided less than a touchdown.

They’ll have their hands full with the Mustangs’ methodical rushing offense that is averaging more than 370 yards per game.

All-American fullback Joe Protheroe reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark last week against Eastern Washington, and he’s averaging a conference-best 129.6 yards per game to go with nine touchdowns. Senior Kori Garcia (689 yards rushing, seven total touchdowns) could also reach that threshold with two strong performances to close the year.

The question heading into Saturday’s contest is whether junior all-purpose player Kyle Lewis will be healthy and available. Lewis appeared to injure his knee against the Eagles and was limited in practice this week. His absence would be significant, particularly against a stingy defense like Weber State.

“He’s got to feel really good for us to play him,” Walsh said. “I can’t have him and not be confident in it. It’s going to be up to him. We’re planning that he probably won’t be there.”

Lewis is third on the team in rushing with 581 yards and six touchdowns. He leads Cal Poly with 19 receptions for 339 yards and three more scores. If he is unavailable, senior DJ Peluso will likely start in his place.

The injury to Lewis could also lead to more carries for fifth-year senior quarterback Dano Graves, who rushed for two touchdowns last week, giving him eight on the ground to go with 15 passing this season.

“You don’t see it that often,” Weber State coach Jay Hill said of the Mustangs’ triple-option offense. “When you couple that with good players, it is tough to defend.”

Senior linebacker Chris Santini has emerged as one of the leaders of Cal Poly’s defense, recording a team-high 69 tackles, eight for lost yardage and 2.5 sacks in nine games. Fellow seniors Josh Letuligasenoa (52 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and Joseph Gigantino (48 tackles, one sack) have been equally steady among the front seven.

They’ll be tasked with containing Weber State senior quarterback Jarian Clark, who has completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,319 yards and 18 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

The Wildcats will be without their leading wide receiver in senior Cameron Livingston, who broke his leg during last week’s loss to Northern Arizona.

“They’re streaky,” Walsh said. “That quarterback can be really good. If he gets going, it’s gonna be tough to stop.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Cal Poly football brings “all about winning” attitude into Weber State matchup."