Cal Poly football goes down to the wire with Eastern Washington, but comes up just short

Facing Eastern Washington — the top Big Sky offense and the runner-up in the 2019 FCS National Championship game — would be a challenge for any team, let alone one looking to snap a five-game skid.

But in its final home game of the season, Cal Poly had two chances to take the lead with five minutes remaining.

Following a failed two-point conversion and a missed field goal with 1:06 left on the clock, the Mustangs dropped their sixth straight Big Sky Conference game on homecoming nigh, 42-41.

Eastern Washington beat Cal Poly 70-17 on the road last season, giving a glimpse of what Saturday could bring offensively.

Two ends of the offensive spectrum

Eastern Washington (6-5, 5-2) and Cal Poly are two teams on opposite ends of the offensive spectrum.

The Eagles entered Saturday averaging 39.2 points in scoring offense and 524.3 yards per game, both first in the Big Sky, respectively, with 48 touchdowns. Cal Poly was second to last with roughly half as many touchdowns as Eastern Washington this season (26).

But on Saturday, the Mustangs went toe-to-toe with the quick-strike offense of the Eagles, scoring more than 40 points for the first time since the opening non-conference game of the season against San Diego.

The Cal Poly defense has been gashed through the air and on the ground, entering Saturday allowing an average of 460.6 yards per game.

The best defense this season has been keeping teams off the field through time of possession.

Cal Poly possessed the ball for 23:40 to the Eagles’ 6:20 in the first half but still trailed 28-14 at the break. By the end of the game it was 43:07 to 16:53.

The combination of quarterback Eric Barriere, who had 17 carries for 164 yards, and running back Antoine Custer, who rushed for 107 yards on nine carries and four touchdowns, was lethal.

But the defense came up big when it mattered most. The Mustangs recovered three Eagle fumbles — two in the fourth quarter by Barriere.

Different personnel groups

Youngsters had a chance to play behind Jalen Hamler on Saturday as the Mustangs experimented with different personnel groupings, according to Walsh.

Dusty Frampton entered Saturday with 14 carries on the year. The freshman fullback had 13 carries for 40 yards against Eastern Washington.

Freshman slotback Xavier Moore had four carries for 17 yards and also caught a pass for 16.

“Those guys, they’ve got a bright future here,” senior wideout J.J. Koski said. “It’s good for them to get games like this. Down to the wire. It’s what you play for, man.”

Koski had a career-high three touchdowns, hauling in four catches for 76 yards.

Drew Hernandez had 9 carries for 115 yards — his second game this season with more than 100 yards.

“They need to win,” Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh said of his players. “They need to feel that winning spirit for all the work they’ve put it.”

Walsh added he thinks the Mustangs could have at least five wins this season and hopes his team can rally one more time to get one in the win column.

What’s next

Cal Poly (2-8, 1-6) will play at Northern Colorado (2-9) next week in the final game of the season.

This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Cal Poly football goes down to the wire with Eastern Washington, but comes up just short."