Early mistakes prove costly as Cal Poly falls to Montana State, 34-17

Cal Poly couldn’t recover from a slow and self-inflicted start, falling 34-17 to FCS No. 5 Montana State on Saturday night at Mustang Memorial Field.

The Mustangs have now lost three straight and haven’t won since their Sept. 21 victory over Sacramento State.

Montana State’s defense proved why it’s the best statistically in the Big Sky as it shut down Cal Poly’s offense from the start.

The Mustangs couldn’t pick up a single first down in the first quarter with Ty Dieffenbach at quarterback. This led to multiple three-and-outs and poor field position.

After nothing happened offensively in the first quarter, Dieffenbach was pulled, and Bo Kelly took over in the second quarter. Kelly stayed in for the remainder of the game and eventually got the offense moving. But the early stagnation left Cal Poly playing from behind.

“We just struggled. We were three and out, and it just didn’t feel like there was anything going on at the time,” Head Coach Paul Wulff said, explaining why Dieffenbach was pulled after his first-quarter performance. “Bo deserved an opportunity to see if he could give us a spark, and he did.”

With Dieffenbach under center, Cal Poly’s offense mustered just 13 total yards — 10 on the ground, 9 of which came from his own keeper and only 3 through the air.

“We just weren’t in sync on offense,” Wulff said.

Some of those problems, he said, are “common” following a bye week.

“It didn’t necessarily shock me, but it was disappointing on how we went about executing and the reason why, and we just got going a little too late,” he added.

The run game wasn’t working, but once Kelly took over, the offense finally showed signs of life.

He led the Mustangs to their first points of the game, setting up position for a 21-yard field goal by Noah Serna. At that point, Montana State had only scored a touchdown and a field goal, and Cal Poly trailed by just 7.

“They’re really good about not giving up explosive plays, so I just tried to take advantage of all the stuff underneath and get the ball in my hands and allow our playmakers to make plays,” Kelly said.

Defensively, Cal Poly held its own for much of the first half, keeping Montana State’s high-powered offense within reach. A pivotal fourth-down stop by linebacker Josh Ngaluafe gave the Mustangs a surge of energy and kept the Bobcats from extending their lead, helping Cal Poly trail 13-3 at half.

Montana State opened the second half with a 10-yard rushing touchdown, extending its lead, but Cal Poly’s defense tightened up and allowed no more scores in the third quarter.

Offensively, however, the Mustangs continued to struggle on the ground, finishing the quarter with only 2 rushing yards. Knowing the run game wasn’t working, Kelly relied almost exclusively on the passing attack, throwing for 25 yards in the third.

“We were playing from a deficit, so it kinda naturally put us in a position where we had to kinda throw and make plays in the passing game,” Kelly said.

Still, Montana State’s defense continued to make life difficult, collapsing the pocket and limiting any big-play opportunities.

Trailing 20-3 entering the fourth quarter, Cal Poly needed a comeback. Instead, Montana State struck first, scoring on a 4-yard rushing touchdown to push the lead to 27-3.

But the Mustangs didn’t fold.

Kelly led two straight scoring drives, connecting with Fidel Pitts for a 16-yard touchdown, then finding Logan Booher for a 6-yard score to make it 27-17 with some momentum finally on their side.

However, the early mistakes left too little room for error. Montana State delivered the final blow with a late rushing touchdown to seal the win.

Despite the loss, Cal Poly’s defensive line refused to back down. The Bobcats finished with 290 rushing yards and 176 passing yards, but Cal Poly’s front, anchored by Big Sky defensive leader Mikey D’Amato, made plays throughout.

D’Amato finished with a game-high 16 tackles and one sack.

“It’s just hard to stop a team when you’ve got a lot of weapons like that on offense,” D’Amato said, crediting Montana State’s run game, passing attack and mobile quarterback.

Kelly echoed the sentiment, but felt the Mustangs beat themselves more than they were beaten.

“You can definitely see why they’re ranked as high as they are,” Kelly said. “But at the end of the day, we beat ourselves. We shot ourselves in the foot too many times, and I think we could have put a lot more points on the board.”

Kelly provided a lift to the offense in the second half, throwing both of Cal Poly’s touchdowns after replacing starter Dieffenbach in the second quarter. It marked another game in which the Mustangs made an in-game adjustment at quarterback in search of a spark.

He finished 20-for-30 for 180 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

But both he and Wulff emphasized that Cal Poly can’t afford to keep digging itself into early holes. If the Mustangs want to stay competitive in their final four conference games, they need to execute earlier and stop forcing themselves to play from behind.

With the win, Montana State extended its streak to six straight victories. Cal Poly, meanwhile, remains winless in October and will try to regroup with four conference games remaining.

The Mustangs stay home next week to face Portland State at 2 p.m.

This story was originally published October 25, 2025 at 11:05 PM.