Cal Poly dominated by No. 5 Sac State in disappointing Big Sky opener

On a festive day that featured the announcement of the new John Madden Football Center at Cal Poly’s Spanos Stadium, the Mustangs fell to a dominant Sacramento State team, 49-21, on Saturday, in both teams’ Big Sky Conference opener.

From the start, the Hornets proved why they’re undefeated on the season and ranked No. 5 in the nation.

After building a 21-0 halftime lead, Sac State continued to pile on the points in the second half as the team cruised to its fourth straight win.

The Mustangs fell to 1-3 on the season and continue to struggle for consistency on both sides of the ball.

The Mustangs’ offense crossed onto the Hornets’ side of the field seven times but only got points on three of those drives, all of which came in the second half with the game well out of hand.

And the defense had its hands full all night with a Sac State team that racked up nearly 600 yards of total offense.

Cal Poly fell behind early and couldn’t catch up

On the opening drive of the game, it looked like the Mustangs were headed to a three-and-out before a successful fake punt from their own side of the field converted for the first down. The team then advanced to Sacramento’s 42-yard line before the drive stalled.

After the teams traded punts, the Hornets found their offensive groove going 57 yards in nine plays for a touchdown.

The big plays continued for the Hornets drive after drive after that.

Seven of the eight Hornets’ players who caught a pass on the night had a reception of nine or more yards. Four different players had receptions of 25 yards or longer. Three players posted yards after-catch numbers of 26 or greater, including one player who had 63.

“We got to get better. We got to build our depth. ... We have to limit explosives,” said Head Coach Beau Baldwin.

Cal Poly’s offense was able to move the chains with a dose of passing plays from quarterback Spencer Brasch and direct snap plays to running backs Shakobe Harper and Zion Hall. However, the offense wasn’t able to get over the hump to score in the first half.

“So you you keep on churning six yards, eight yards. Eventually sometimes a penalty or sack takes you back,” Baldwin said. “Where’s the good explosives? That’s the only way you’re gonna score big points is with explosives.”

Defense unable to stop the Sac State offense

The team bounced back on the offensive end in the second half putting up 21 points.

Shakobe Harper rushed in a 4-yard touchdown followed by a 26-yard score to receiver Logan Booher. Running back Adam Garwood added one more touchdown with 7:35 left in the game.

While the Mustangs’ offense eventually put up some points, the defense simply couldn’t stop the Hornets, who continued to make big plays en route to 28 points in the second half.

Hornets running back Cameron Skattebo rushed for 84 yards in 10 attempts to go with two touchdowns. He shed tackles and got upfield for an efficient 8.4 yards per carry, including one devastating run in which he broke multiple tackles for a 35-yard touchdown.

In total, the Hornets tallied 564 net yards to the Mustangs’ 387. Cal Poly completed four more passes then Sacramento State, but the Hornets were more efficient in their drives with a completion percentage of 68% compared to Cal Poly’s 59%.

“We’ve got to come out, ready to play. We were trying to be aggressive early and myself and some other guys made some plays out there, which people don’t understand those,” said receiver Chris Coleman. “It’s the tiny plays that you miss that have a 14- to 21-point turnaround.”

In the past few weeks, the Mustangs’ have relied heavily on Shakobe Harper in the wildcat offense to get them yardage. The team will direct snap to him and have him find a hole to attack.

“It’s something that will get our playmakers the ball in their hands quicker with me and then Zion being added this week,” Harper said.

As teams begin to key on that portion of the offense, Harper said the team needs to find “new wrinkles” to get their offense to work.

Harper finished with 61 yards on 17 attempts. Hall added 42 yards on 10 attempts.

Tight end Josh Cuevas led the team in receptions with seven for 41 yards. Coleman was second in catches with five for 97 yards. Zedekiah Centers matched Coleman’s five receptions. Logan Booher had two catches for 30 yards and the Mustangs sole touchdown through the air.

On defense, Laipeli Palu had seven tackles. Linebacker Connor Heffler and corner back Donovan Saunders each had an interception.

John Madden Football Center announced

During halftime, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong announced plans to build the $30 million John Madden Football Center at the south end of Spanos Stadium.

The facility will be the home for Cal Poly football featuring state-of-the-art facilities including a locker room, strength and conditioning room, offices, a team lounge and a team theater with room for 125 people.

In attendance for the announcement were Virginia Madden, wife of the late Hall of Fame coach, broadcaster and Cal Poly alum, his two sons, Mike and Joe Madden, and grandson, Jack Madden, a Cal Poly nutrition major.

Next up for Cal Poly

The Mustangs (1-3, 0-1) continue Big Sky conference play next week at Northern Arizona University at 1 p.m.

This story was originally published October 1, 2022 at 11:09 PM.