Cal Poly football falls to Idaho State for fifth consecutive Big Sky loss

Three wins in the opening stretch had the Mustangs believing this season could finally be different. It was their chance to rewrite the storyline that had been written in previous years.

​After a promising 3-2 start, the Mustangs looked ready to move past recent struggles, but that hasn’t been the case.

Cal Poly (3-7, 1-5 Big Sky) hasn’t won since September. They went winless through October and last week gave Portland State its first win of the season. Now, Cal Poly has dropped five straight Big Sky matchups after a 27-17 loss to Idaho State.

Strength of schedule has played a role in the Mustangs’ losing skid. Of Cal Poly’s 10 games this season, five have come against ranked opponents, including a matchup with nationally ranked Utah early in the year.

But even with the tough slate, the Mustangs’ larger issue has been offensive consistency. Much of that can be traced back to issues in the rushing game.

Kendric Sanders rushed for a season-high 121 yards last week, but he was limited to just 47 yards against the Bengals, leaving most of the ground production to quarterback Ty Dieffenbach.

Although Cal Poly’s rushing attack has struggled, Dieffenbach has been the exception. When healthy, he’s been their most reliable ground option. Before suffering an injury against Stephen F. Austin, Dieffenbach led the team in rushing yards. The 6-foot-7-inch quarterback’s mobility has become one of the only steady threats in the offense.

The Bengals opened the game with back-to-back touchdown drives to go up 14-0 early. Cal Poly finally answered late in the half, when Dieffenbach kept the ball on a scramble and rushed 17 yards for a touchdown.

However, Idaho State responded with eight seconds left in the half, with a five-yard rushing score of its own to extend its lead. While Dieffenbach showed that defenses struggle to contain him in scramble situations, there wasn’t a consistent rushing threat behind him. The Mustangs struggled to establish any ground presence outside of his designed keeps.

Starting under center against Idaho State, Dieffenbach finished as Cal Poly’s leading rusher. Head Coach Paul Wulff has leaned into a two-quarterback system between Bo Kelly and Dieffenbach this season. But the offense found most of its momentum through Dieffenbach’s quarterback keeps on Saturday, and there was little reason to turn to anyone else. He played all four quarters.

The Bengals added a field goal in the third quarter, and Cal Poly responded with one of its own. Idaho State opened the fourth with another field goal to extend its lead. With just minutes remaining, Dieffenbach found Fidel Pitts on a 15-yard touchdown pass to pull the Mustangs within reach.

The Mustangs tried to claw back late, but the early deficit held. The result was another game where Cal Poly chased from behind and couldn’t close the gap. The Mustangs haven’t been able to set the pace early, which is forcing them to rally from behind every week.

Though the Mustangs struggled early after falling behind two touchdowns to end the first half, Idaho State was limited to only field goals in the final two quarters.

Mikey D’Amato led the defense with 12 total tackles. The defensive line adjusted after the first quarter and limited Idaho State’s rushing attack the rest of the way.

On offense, Dieffenbach led Cal Poly on the ground with a career-high 142 rushing yards while completing 18 of 29 passes.

The Mustangs finished with 237 rushing yards and 172 passing yards, marking the second straight game in which they ran for more than they threw. Much of that production came from Dieffenbach’s quarterback keeps and his ability to find open running lanes when plays broke down.

No player has accounted for more of Cal Poly’s offense than Dieffenbach. He leads the team in rushing, passing and total scoring production this season.

Cal Poly travels to face Northern Arizona next Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. With two games left, the Mustangs are still searching for their first win since September and a way to finish the season on steadier ground.