Cal Poly football takes lead into halftime before Idaho storms back

One week after UC Davis blew out Cal Poly on the road, the Mustangs took a 14-6 lead into halftime against No.13/14-ranked Idaho.

But the momentary advantage didn’t last long, as the Mustangs gave up the advantage under a barrage of Idaho scoring and fell 34-29.

The turning point in the game came in the third quarter, when the Vandals outscored the Mustangs 21-2. Idaho’s passing game picked up, and the Mustangs managed only two points after an extra-point attempt was blocked. Safety Brian Dukes returned the ball for a 2-point score.

On offense, the Mustangs used a two-quarterback system, with Bo Kelly getting most of the passing snaps and Richie Watts coming in as a running quarterback.

Kelly completed 29 of his 41 passes and connected with Giancarlo Woods twice for touchdowns. Watts rushed four times for 13 yards and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Alek Marshall on a goal-line situation.

Woods caught eight passes for 103 yards to go along with his two scores.

The Mustangs had a chance in the third quarter to start with the ball deep in Vandals territory. Idaho fumbled the ball after a Cal Poly punt. It was initially ruled a recovery by Cal Poly, but after a review, it appeared the ball popped out and was recovered by the Vandals.

Instead of getting the ball with strong field position, the Mustangs lost possession. Within three plays, the Vandals covered 76 yards and reached the end zone to go up 27-16.

Cal Poly defensive back Kai Rapolla made an interception early in the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs gave the ball back on their offensive drive when the ball was batted into the air and snagged by the Vandals’ Isiah King.

The Vandals turned that turnover into another score to go up 34-16.

In a last-ditch effort, Woods caught the ball on a fade route for the Mustangs’ sole touchdown of the second to bring the score to 34-22.

As the Vandals attempted to run the clock out, Rapolla scooped up a fumble and returned it 71 yards to get the Mustangs within one score at 34-29. But the Vandals then recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

A competitive first half but Cal Poly falters in second half

The Mustangs’ defense held up against a ranked Idaho team that gave Oregon a scare earlier in the season. The Vandals didn’t score a touchdown in the first half, but the Cal Poly defense couldn’t sustain its performance in the second half.

The Vandals outscored Cal Poly 28-9 and seemed to make any big plays when they wanted. Outside of the Rapolla interception, Cal Poly couldn’t get stops.

Defensive linemen Elijah Ponder and Julius Jordan both had sacks. Rapolla intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.

The Vandals found receivers down field, which opened up the run and pass.

Searching for an offensive identity

The Mustangs had leaned into their run game in previous weeks, but opted to pass the ball a lot more in losses to Idaho and UC Davis.

The Mustangs completed 31 of their 43 passes and ran the ball 23 times for 77 yards. It appears the team has gone more toward a quick pass system with a lot of short completions.

Kelly made a lot of quick underneath throws for completions, but when the team needed to score points to mount a comeback, the Mustangs had trouble moving the ball.

Against Idaho State and Northern Colorado, the team rushed the ball 48 and 52 times.

Cal Poly has its second bye next week and will take on the University of Montana at home on Nov. 2.