Cal Poly matches South Dakota yard for yard, but can’t keep up on the scoreboard

After starting quarterback Jaden Jones went down with a knee injury in the first quarter, veteran transfer Spencer Brasch stepped in and kept the Mustangs in the game, but Cal Poly ultimately fell to South Dakota on the road, 38-21.

The Mustangs fell behind early as the Coyotes scored 21 points in the first quarter, with all three touchdowns coming off big plays. South Dakota’s shortest scoring play in the first quarter was 40-yard pass from quarterback Carson Camp to Wesley Eliodor. The longest was a 75-yard quarterback draw on the game’s opening drive.

Despite giving up multiple big plays in the first period, Cal Poly’s defense ramped up the intensity after that.

The Mustangs’ front line applied pressure to the Coyotes’ offense, and the front four were able to get into the backfield and rush the quarterback without sending an extra player, which allowed the linebackers to drop back into coverage and contain the run.

Throughout the day, South Dakota pounded the ball on the ground with 40 attempts compared to only 21 passing. The Coyotes outgained the Mustangs on the ground 205 yards to 138, but Cal Poly had the edge in the air, out-passing South Dakota 421 yards to 355.

All told, the two teams ended up with just one yard difference in total offense: South Dakota’s 560 to Cal Poly’s 559.

Cal Poly was able to stay in the game thanks to its defense, which held the Coyotes scoreless in the second and third quarters.

The problem was, Cal Poly also wasn’t able to put points on the board to cut into the lead, despite executing six drives of 55 yards or more.

As in the loss to Fresno State, it was the red zone execution that once again cost the Mustangs. They went 0-2 inside the 20, turning the ball over on downs and missing a field goal.

Then in the fourth quarter, South Dakota broke out of its offensive slump, scoring a touchdown at the 14:09 mark when Camp hit Jack Martens on a 70-yard strike. Following that score, midway through the fourth, running back Travis Theis broke loose for a 19-yard touchdown that gave the Coyotes 35-14 lead, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Spencer Brasch performs well after replacing injured Jaden Jones

Brasch stepped in at quarterback early in the first quarter after Jones went down with the leg injury. It’s unclear how severe Jones’ injury is and whether he will miss time.

In his place, Brasch got the offense moving immediately, showing poise in the pocket and making a variety of passes.

The offensive line gave the quarterback time in the pocket, and he capitalized with some large completions.

Brasch finished with 24 completions on 42 attempts and three touchdowns. He threw one interception in the second half on a pass where the receiver had a step on the cornerback but the ball was underthrown.

His three touchdowns were 35 yards to Logan Booher, 53 yards to Zedakia Centers and 26 yards to Chris Coleman.

Receiver Chris Coleman was on the receiving end of a lot of crucial catches. He finished with seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, doing damage with comeback routes and fade routes where he would high-point the ball over the defender.

The Mustangs also found success on the ground, particularly with direct snap plays to running back Shakobe Harper, who took one such snap for 40 yards and posted his first 100-yard game as a Mustang. South Dakota couldn’t find an answer as Harper averaged 9.6 yards per carry, with 110 yards on 11 rushing attempts.

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive end Dustin Grein had two sacks and six tackles. Linebacker David Meyer also added a sack and led the team with eight tackles. Elijah Ponder recorded a sack as well and Josh Ngaluafe also tallied six tackles.

Big Sky Conference play starts next week for Cal Poly

Coach Beau Baldwin’s aggressive play-calling remains a trend to watch in the coming weeks.

The team went for an onside kick in the last quarter with Cal Poly down by two scores. The Mustangs also went for it on fourth down in the red zone instead of taking the field goal.

Compared to last season, when South Dakota scored 41 points in the first half, this Mustangs team again showed improvement from last year. In Week 1, the team held Fresno State to 35 points, whereas last season the Bulldogs scored 63 on Cal Poly.

The Mustangs have the same record coming into conference play as last year at 1-2. Now the test will be to see whether those improvements against higher-level opponents will carry over to Big Sky competition.

Cal Poly has a bye next week and opens conference play against Sacramento State on Oct. 1. The Homecoming Game kicks off at 5 p.m. at Spanos Stadium.

This story was originally published September 17, 2022 at 3:33 PM.