Cal Poly preparing for huge challenge against nationally ranked Utah. Here’s how

At Spanos Stadium this week, Cal Poly football practice sounded nothing like the usual.

Sirens blared, marching band music played and artificial crowd cheers erupted through the speakers — all designed to prepare the Mustangs for the roar of 50,000 Utah fans waiting for them in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Cal Poly (1-0) is coming off a season-opening win against the University of San Diego, where quarterback Ty Dieffenbach made his debut and earned Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 263 yards and two touchdowns while adding 69 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

Now the Mustangs turn their attention to a nationally ranked FBS opponent in No. 25 Utah.

At the center of the Utes’ attack is quarterback Devon Dampier, who earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 206 yards and two touchdowns with an 84% completion rate and no turnovers in Saturday’s 43-10 win over UCLA. He also rushed for 87 yards and another score.

Utah enters as the clear favorite over Cal Poly, backed by a defense that allowed just 220 yards and 14 first downs in the season opener against the Bruins. The Mustangs are now faced up against a far stronger unit than what they typically see in Big Sky Conference play.

“It’s going to teach us some lessons one way or another, regardless of the outcome,” Head Coach Paul Wulff said about the difficult, early-season matchup. “And then we’ve got another away game on the road, Stephen F. Austin. All those are gonna be playoff-type atmospheres that, as we elevate our program and want to get to that level, we need these games.”

How Cal Poly offense is preparing for Utah

Although the Mustangs rolled up 469 yards in their opener, matching that production against a Utah defense that stymied UCLA last week will be a far greater challenge for a team that thrives on generating pressure without the need for heavy blitzing.

After reviewing the film, Dieffenbach summed up what he expects from the Utah defense in three words: “fast and disciplined.”

Up front, the offensive line faces perhaps its toughest assignment of the season against Utah’s physical front. Dieffenbach said he is “100% fully confident” in their ability to hold up against the pressure, but the matchup will be a significant step up in size and speed compared to what the Mustangs saw against San Diego.

The ground game also remains a question mark.

Outside of Dieffenbach’s 69 rushing yards, Cal Poly generated only modest production from running back Zion Hall, who finished with 48 yards. Establishing a consistent push in the run game will be critical if the Mustangs want to prevent Utah’s defense from zeroing in on Dieffenbach.

Wide receiver Michael Briscoe, who seems to be Dieffenbach’s main target, had a breakout game in the season debut. While he appears to be the go-to option, Dieffenbach stressed that balance across the receivers will be key against a defense that doesn’t often allow single players to take over.

“All of our receivers are going to be in the mix this week, for sure,” Dieffenbach said.

Defense hopes to slow Utah quarterback

On the other side of the ball, Cal Poly’s defense faces an equally daunting task in slowing down Utah quarterback Dampier and a balanced Utes offense.

Dampier accounted for nearly 300 total yards and three touchdowns in the opener, showing the dual-threat ability that can stretch a defense thin. For the Mustangs, containing his playmaking while holding up against Utah’s physical run game will be the top priority.

Defensively, the Mustangs will lean on linebackers Kenny Olson and Mikey D’Amato to help slow down Utah’s powerful run game.

Wulff said the focus in practice has been on managing the Utes’ scheme and staying disciplined.

“They’ve proven that it’s their philosophy to run the football, so we’ve got a challenge,” Wulff said. The Mustangs know the odds are stacked against them seeing as Utah hasn’t lost to an FCS team in over 20 years, but Dieffenbach sees opportunity in the early-season challenge.

“Well, if you can make a play against these guys, we can make a play against anybody,” he said. Kickoff will be at 3 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium, live-streamed on ESPN+.