Cal Poly falls to Sacramento State for eighth-straight loss
Cal Poly suffered its eighth-straight defeat Saturday evening against Sacramento State, falling 41-9 inside Hornet Stadium in the Mustangs’ final road game of the season.
After the Mustangs (1-8, 0-6 Big Sky) closed the score to within 5 points in the first half, the Hornets (7-2, 6-0) quickly extended their lead, scoring a series of three touchdowns and two field goals to secure the win.
The Hornets put up the first 14 points of the game, including an interception return for a touchdown, but the Mustangs answered in the second quarter.
Cal Poly’s Josh Ngaluafe sacked quarterback Jake Dunniway in the end zone for a safety, the Mustangs’ first in 11 years. Cal Poly last recorded a safety in a 2010 contest against McNeese State.
After the safety, the Mustangs drove 54 yards on seven plays, capped off with a 15-yard Spencer Brasch pass to Zedekiah Centers, who fumbled the ball at the 5-yard line only for it to be recovered in the end zone by Giancarlo Woods for the touchdown.
But the Mustangs were unable to continue that momentum, as the Hornets scored the next 27 points.
Sacramento State’s backup quarterback Asher O’Hara ran six yards for a touchdown and Kyle Sentkowski added a field goal to give the Hornets a 24-9 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Hornets’ scoring continued in the third quarter with a 51-yard field goal from Sentkowski. Cameron Skattebo then punched in a 2-yard run, bringing the game to 34-9. Marshel Martin completed the scoring with a 2-yard reception, and the Mustangs lost 41-9.
Wide receiver Giancarlo Woods was injured on a punt return with less than seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter. He went down near the Sacramento State bench area and was carted off the field.
Brasch completed 19 of 26 passes for 225 yards. Chris Coleman collected five catches, while Centers and Quentin Harris added four apiece.
Quarterback Jaden Jones took over play-calling for a few snaps and rushed for 27 yards.
Isaiah Robinson made 10 stops, and Matt Shotwell tallied seven tackles. With 314 career tackles, Shotwell now stands behind No. 5 Kurt Robinson in Cal Poly’s record books.
Cal Poly football will return to Alex G. Spanos Stadium for the Mustangs’ final two games of the season. Cal Poly will play Idaho State on Nov. 13 and Northern Arizona on Nov. 20 with both games starting at 5:05 p.m.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 10:52 PM with the headline "Cal Poly falls to Sacramento State for eighth-straight loss."
