Cal Poly football falls to No. 2 Montana State as QB Sam Huard returns

The Cal Poly football team needed to build more confidence as a program throughout the rest of the season, according to Head Coach Paul Wulff.

They may have found something on the offensive side of the ball on Saturday, as the team threw for 233 yards in quarterback Sam Huard’s return after the University of Washington transfer missed the past two weeks due to a concussion suffered against Portland State.

However, Montana State, the No. 2 team in the FCS, put up 578 yards and scored two or more touchdowns in three of the four quarters on its way to a 59-19 win over the Cal Poly in Bozeman.

It was the third time Cal Poly has given up 59 points in a game this year.

If the Bobcats were a measuring stick of the game, the Mustangs competed for stretches against a top FCS team, but their deficiencies showed. The defense couldn’t contain the Bobcats offense, which consistently left the Cal Poly offense in a tough position to score.

Still, Huard threw for three touchdowns and 233 yards on 19 of 36 passing, and Redshirt senior running back Mark Biggins averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 10 attempts for 54 yards.

At one point in the second half, the Mustangs had eight plays with 15 or more yards gained, only one less than the Bobcats.

Huard made multiple deep throws, including a 41-yard strike to Evan Burkhart in the second quarter, reminding viewers that he holds the Washington state record for career passing yards during his time at Kennedy Catholic High School.

Redshirt freshman Tyrese Fairly-Diyem shed two defenders for a 23-yard score from Huard while redshirt junior Giancarlo Woods scored on a 16-yard screen pass.

Burkhart finished with six catches for 86 yards and a score, and Woods had five catches for 58 yards.

From here, the rest of the Mustangs schedule gets easier.

The team takes on winless Northern Colorado at home next week, followed by a road game at Eastern Washington, who will likely fall out of the top 25 rankings following its loss to Idaho State.

Sacramento State is the Mustangs’ most formidable opponent the rest of the way, on the road on Nov. 11. The Hornets are fifth in the FCS and defeated Stanford earlier in the season.

The Mustangs will close out the season on Nov. 18 at home against Weber State, who also will likely drop out of of the top 25 after falling to UC Davis on Saturday