Cal Poly football loses 63-10 against Fresno State. Here are five takeaways
Cal Poly’s football team had a tall task against a high-level opponent in Fresno State on the road Saturday night — and they didn’t fare well.
The Mustangs lost 63-10 as the Bulldogs posted 671 total yards of offense, including 475 yards passing.
Comparably, Cal Poly posted 274 total yards, 221 of those through the air.
Cal Poly (1-1) was looking to upset the Bulldogs (2-1) after an opening 28-17 road win against University of San Diego on Sept. 4.
Fresno State — a top-level NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision team — was coming off a near upset in a 31-24 loss to Oregon (ranked No. 12 in the nation this week) on Sept. 4.
Cal Poly quarterback Spencer Brasch faced heavy pressure as the Bulldogs’ defense recorded three sacks and an interception in the first half, putting the game out of reach early in the third quarter.
Brasch went 18 for 33 passing for 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception on the night.
Cal Poly, a Football Championship Subdivision team, struggled to gain steam running the ball, tallying just 53 yards, 32 of them coming from Chuby Dunu.
That compared to their opponent’s 196 yards on the ground, including 60 each from backup quarterback Jaylen Henderson and running back Ronnie Rivers.
Bulldogs starting quarterback Jake Haener threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for two more short first-half touchdowns — giving way to Henderson for much of the second half.
“I thought we did some really good things in the first half and we just showed what we’re capable of,” said Cal Poly Coach Beau Baldwin. “The score got away from us a little 35-10 (at the half) but I still thought we got some stops on defense and moved the ball on offense. There were some really good things. Our second half wasn’t our best football and we know that.”
Baldwin added: “I have to get better, staff has to get better, everybody ... it’s all the way through as we played the second 30 minutes.”
Cal Poly moves on to play South Dakota (1-1) in its first home game at 5:05 p.m. on Sept. 18, marking the return of fans to the Alex G. Spanos Stadium for the first time since 2019.
Here are five takeaways.
Mustangs offense
Despite some miscues, the Mustangs offense showed flashes of an effective passing game as the rushing attack struggled.
Brasch, a Cal transfer, threw his first career interception as a Mustang in the second quarter, scrambling to his right and finding the hands of Bulldog Levelle Bailey as he underthrew a receiver.
Brasch settled in on the next drive, however, tossing a 35-yard strike on the run to Mustangs receiver Giancarlo Woods to advance into Fresno State territory, setting up kicker Jahden Olsen’s field 47-yard field goal.
Olsen, a freshman from Aurora, Colorado, shook off the nerves after missing his first three Cal Poly field goal attempts over two games to connect on his longest attempt of the season yet.
Brasch and Fresno State transfer Chris Coleman also connected on a 33-yard pass with about five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Coleman led the Mustangs with four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, after he posted a team-high of 76 yards receiving and a touchdown in the win against San Diego.
Mustangs receiver Michael Briscoe, who hauled in three receptions, caught a 37-yard pass in the fourth quarter, snagging a ball just out of reach of a defender.
“I would say we threw the ball OK today, definitely not as good as we’re capable of, but the running game is not even close to where it needs to be,” Baldwin said.
Defense struggles
After consecutive defensive stops to start out, and a 7-0 deficit after the first quarter, Cal Poly gave up a string of touchdowns to let the game get away.
Fresno State outscored Cal Poly 28-0 after the break.
Cal Poly’s secondary was burned on long passes of 51, 62 and 53 yards, as the Bulldogs showcased their speed and Haener’s strong arm.
Haener also punched in runs of 1 and 2 yards, and connected on a 24-yard scoring pass to Jalen Cropper and a 14-yard strike to Josh Kelly in the half.
The Bulldogs used a trick play at 7:44 in the second quarter, a lateral pass to Jalen Cropper who bombed a 51-yard pass to a wide open Josh Kelly.
Kelly scampered in for an easy score that led to a 28-3 Fresno State lead.
Wearing down the Mustangs defense, the Bulldogs frequently found gaps for big gains.
Cal Poly was led in tackles by senior linebacker Matt Shotwell who posted seven. Zach Hernandez recorded six tackles and a sack.
“There were certain times where they made plays, and they have playmakers, but there were other times where there might have been unforced errors where we need to do a better job with our defense, so it was a combination of both,” Baldwin said.
Protecting the quarterback
Cal Poly’s offensive line struggled at times.
Fresno State’s Kevin Atkins sacked the 6-foot-4 Brasch twice, and Leonard Payne Jr. also took Cal Poly’s quarterback down behind the line of scrimmage.
Brasch was forced to throw the ball away while scrambling at critical moments as the Mustangs tried to gain offensive momentum.
Baldwin inserted Cal Poly freshman backup quarterback Kahliq Paulette as a running option for some drives in both halves.
Paulette was limited to nine yards passing and three yards rushing in limited action.
“We’ll need to clean up the things we an control,” Baldwin said. “... We’ll go back and look at the tape.”
Special teams play leads to touchdown
With less than a minute in the half, the Mustangs put themselves in scoring position on the 5-yard line after Fresno State muffed a punt on special teams, turning the ball over near their own end zone.
Typically a receiver, Cal Poly’s Michael Roth booted punts totaling 94 yards, including a long of 51.
After failing to score on the first three downs after Fresno State’s special teams miscue, Brasch then converted on a fourth down touchdown pass to Coleman to end the half to make it 35-10.
But along with Olsen’s kick, that was all the scoring Cal Poly could muster. Cal Poly punted 10 times in the game.
Looking ahead
Cal Poly will try to rebound with its first home game with fans (due to COVID protocols in a shortened season last spring) in two years against South Dakota.
Baldwin said South Dakota will be a “tough opponent.”
“At the end of the day, we have to focus on us,” Baldwin said. “Those are the things we can control.”
But Baldwin added “it’s going to be great to see the fans out there excited for it, and excited for that opportunity.”
This story was originally published September 12, 2021 at 12:15 AM with the headline "Cal Poly football loses 63-10 against Fresno State. Here are five takeaways."
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