UC Davis crushes Cal Poly football in Battle for the Golden Horseshoe rivalry game
The Mustangs fell behind early on the road at UC Davis and didn’t come close to competing with the consensus No. 6-ranked team in the FCS in a 56-to-10 loss.
After a competitive showing in the previous week against Idaho State, where the Mustangs (2-4, 1-2 Big Sky) lost on a last-second field goal, the team couldn’t keep up against the rival Aggies.
By the end of the first quarter, the Mustangs were down 28-3, including multiple big passing plays from UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings and a pick-6 from defensive back Rex Connors.
Quarterback Richie Watts came into the game for starting quarterback Bo Kelly and injected energy into the team. He found receiver Michael Briscoe over the middle for 52 yards and then connected with Briscoe against on a 31-yard catch to put the Mustangs on the 2-yard line.
Watts ran the ball in himself on a keeper for the rushing touchdown. Despite only playing in two games, Watts leads the team in rushing touchdowns.
Watts transferred to Cal Poly from Buffalo University. Before attending Buffalo, he led the College of San Mateo to the Juco National Championship. He threw for 2,148 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions while leading his team to a 12-1 record.
Jaden Jones started the game under center against Idaho State but was put into concession protocol after receiving a big hit from a Bengals defender. The Mustangs used a mix of Kelly and Watts when Jones went out of the game.
During a practice on Tuesday, Head Coach Paul Wulff said to “expect” a similar format moving forward.
The Mustangs struggles against UC Davis
Cal Poly has lost the last seven matchups against UC Davis in the game known as the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe. The last time the Mustangs prevailed was in 2016 when they won at home. The next year Cal Poly fell in a narrow 31-28 loss.
However, since the 2017 game, the Mustangs haven’t come within a one-score defeat.
In the next three seasons, they lost 52-10, 48-24 and 73-24.
This season’s loss falls into the category of games that haven’t been competitive.
The Mustangs’ schedule gets more daunting in the coming weeks.
They play No. 7-ranked Idaho on the road followed by No. 14-ranked Montana and No. 24 Northern Arizona University, who defeated Montana last week.
Non-competitive in the Big Sky
Cal Poly has suffered major losses in the Big Sky conference, which is regarded as one of the strongest in the FCS. The team has only been somewhat close in a handful of games. Northern Colorado has been the only team worse in the conference.
Since the pandemic season in 2020, the team has faced major roster and even coaching turnover, which is no different this season, where the team brought in over 80 new players.
Wulff took over for Beau Baldwin, who departed for Arizona State, following the 2022 season. But from a talent perspective, the team has lost many promising players to higher levels.
Tight end Josh Cuevas and defensive back Jay’Vion Cole were standout players as underclassmen for Cal Poly but transferred to Washington and San Jose State. After attending those two programs, both players now find themselves at the highest levels of college football at Alabama and Texas.
From last year’s team, the Mustangs saw Sam Huard move to Utah and the team’s offensive coordinator Sheldon Cross to Stetson. The defense lost Donovan Saunders to Texas A&M.
The John Madden Football Center should help with keeping and recruiting players, but its been delayed at least a year. The original deadline was this fall.
In the new age of the transfer portal and NIL, the Mustangs will need to find a way to retain talent or else they, and the rest of the FCS, risk becoming a developmental system for FBS schools.