Cal Poly ends season on a high note with comeback win over Portland State
On the final game of the season, the Cal Poly football team came out with its best offensive performance and its first and only win in Big Sky play.
The Mustangs took down Portland State 49-42 in a game that saw them come back from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit thanks to a 28-point second quarter, only to see a 14-point lead of their own evaporate in a matter of minutes before one final touchdown drive sealed the win.
The win snapped the team’s eight-game losing streak, and with it, the Mustangs finished 2-9 for the year and 1-7 in conference.
Leading the way was quarterback Spencer Brasch, who had a career day completed 25 of 39 attempts for 415 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Josh Cuevas was his favorite target with 10 catches for 118 yards.
Receiver Zedekiah Centers also contributed five receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Cal Poly overcomes early deficit
The Vikings struck first with two touchdowns in the first quarter, but the Mustangs responded with a 28-point second quarter whose point total matched or exceeded the team’s total scoring in eight of its contests this season.
Receiver Chris Coleman got the Mustangs on the board with a 30-yard haul, followed by a Giancarlo Woods 33-yard touchdown catch. The Vikings had a huge 76-yard touchdown run, but defensive back Brian Dukes intercepted a pass and returned it 33 yards for a pick-six.
Centers finished off the big quarter with a five-yard catch to make the score 28-21 at halftime.
The Mustangs’ momentum continued into the third with Woods adding his second touchdown grab of the day on a 64-yard catch that saw him beat two Vikings’ defenders downfield.
The running game that has largely struggled in the last few weeks also picked up.
The two true freshman running backs, Paul Holyfield Jr. and Troy Fletcher, each had a touchdown run in the second half. Holyfield extended the Mustangs lead to 42-28 with 11 minutes to go in the fourth.
Despite being down 14, Portland State didn’t go quietly.
The Vikings scored twice between the 4:04 and 2:53 mark on the last period.
But then with under a minute left, Fletcher broke a tackle and ran in for the game-winning touchdown.
Strong defensive performance
The defense stepped up for the Mustangs after Montana State scored 72 points on them last week. Linebacker David Meyer had 11 tackles and an interception on the Vikings’ last drive.
He also made a crucial stop in the third quarter. The Mustangs were up 28-21 at the time, and the Vikings had the ball on a fourth-and-2 on the Cal Poly 32-yard line. They ran a design quarterback run and Meyer blew up the play in the backfield, forcing a turnover on downs.
Dukes added nine tackles to his pick-six in the second quarter.
Linebacker Je’kob Jones had seven total tackles, six of which were solo.
Looking forward for the Mustangs
While the Mustangs largely struggled this season, there is hope the team can improve next year. The Mustangs have largely played young this season with significant contributors having two or fewer seasons of college football.
Redshirt freshman Josh Cuevas at the tight end spot is poised to be a big part of the Mustangs’ offensive attack. He finished second in receptions with 57, behind Chris Coleman’s 60.
Coleman will be graduating after this season, so Cuevas will have more opportunity to shine in 2023.
Before he suffered a season-ending injury, Cuevas’ fellow redshirt freshman and roommate, quarterback Jaden Jones, showed immense promise at the quarterback spot with his ability to extend plays on the ground and also pass the ball. After Jones went down, Baldwin experimented with a dual-quarterback system using designated passing and running quarterbacks.
Jones, however, is a threat with both his arm and his legs, which makes the offense unpredictable.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Mustangs played two true freshmen in Jay’Vion Cole and Dukes. Cole had two games with two interceptions. In the team’s game against Eastern Washington, he had two picks and a blocked field goal.
Dukes was second in the team in tackles with 52. He also was tied second with Cole in pass breakups with five.
The team also saw contributions from the two true freshman running backs, Holyfield Jr. and Fletcher.
“We know this process may take a little while. We know it’s not gonna happen overnight,” said Cuevas.
The team continued to play hard even when the wins weren’t there, which bodes well for the program moving forward.
Big Sky Conference standings
The fight for the Big Sky title ended in a tie with both Sacramento State and Montana State finishing with perfect 8-0 records.
The Hornets wrapped up their 11-0 overall season beating UC Davis 27-21 in the Causeway Classic, while the Bobcats beat rival Montana 55-21 in the Brawl of the Wild at Bozeman. Montana State finished with a 10-1 overall record.
This story was originally published November 19, 2022 at 10:14 PM.