Cal Poly snaps six-game skid in season finale against Northern Colorado

A last-minute interception returned for a touchdown snapped a six-game losing streak for Cal Poly, which defeated Northern Colorado 28-21 on Saturday to wrap up the 2019 season.

Corner Kevin Howell had his second interception of the fourth quarter and returned it 30 yards for a score. Cal Poly did what it could not do all season long — complete a comeback and overcome a slow offensive start.

Junior linebacker Matt Shotwell had another interception to ice the game, ensuring that Cal Poly would not finish last in the Big Sky.

Almost a different season

Although their record doesn’t reflect it, the Mustangs (3-8, 2-6) were in the majority of the games they played this season. Against Southern Utah, Cal Poly eked out a 24-21 victory to open Big Sky play.

But until Saturday, they had been on the other end of close games during their conference schedule. Cal Poly was plagued by either slow starts or poor finishes.

Games against North Dakota, Eastern Washington and Montana State each came down to a single score. Against Montana State, Cal Poly came back from a deficit of 21 points.

Against North Dakota, the Fighting Hawks erased a 23-14 deficit in the final 18 minutes to steal a win. Idaho held the Mustangs without a touchdown until the fourth quarter of its 21-9 victory.

If there’s any solace in losing, it’s that the Mustang’s were competitive against Montana State and Eastern Washington — two of the top five teams in the conference this season.

Reid gets a shot

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Reid had his first meaningful action of the season. Coming into Saturday, Reid had a rush and one passing attempt with appearances in two games.

Starter Jalen Hamler left the game after the first quarter for an unknown reason and did not return. Hamler sat out of practice earlier this week with a lingering hamstring injury.

The offense had the most success with Reid on the field, who was listed third on the depth chart entering the game.

Reid had his second rushing touchdown of his collegiate career and rushed for 143 yards on 24 carries. He also completed three passes on eight attempts for 39 yards.

Duy Tran-Sampson rushed for a 65-yard touchdown and became the 23rd Mustang to reach 1,000 yards rushing in a season. Tran-Sampson finished with 135 yards on 20 carries and two scores.

Tran-Sampson had only one carry all of last year.

Experienced future

Hamler returns next season as a redshirt sophomore with another season under Tim Walsh and the triple-option offense under his belt. Another competition may ensue next season between Reid, Hamler and Jake Jeffrey.

Either way, there will be a roster full of young, experienced players.

Tran-Sampson will also return, along with the majority of the backfield, including Drew Hernandez, Lepi Lataimua, Xavier Moore and Dusty Frampton.

16 seniors will graduate, including safeties Kitu Humphrey, Carter Nichols, offensive linemen Tyler Whisenhunt, Paul Trujillo-Langdon and defensive lineman David Chellsen.

Linebacker Nik Navarro and corner Sharky Reza will also graduate.

Senior wideout J.J. Koski’s final regular season game was quiet after a career-day last week against Eastern Washington.

Koski had one catch for five yards. But it won’t be his last game. He was selected to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 18 and will also play in the revived Hula Bowl on Jan. 26, which hasn’t taken place since 2008.

What’s next

Cal Poly will pick up the 2020 season on the road at ULM, formerly Lousiana-Monroe, on Sept. 5. The schedule contains another Pac-12 matchup at Cal the following week.

The Mustangs will have four Big Sky games at home, including Weber State, UC Davis, Idaho State and Northern Arizona.

This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Cal Poly snaps six-game skid in season finale against Northern Colorado."