San Diego’s veteran secondary ready to challenge Cal Poly

San Diego fielded arguably the most talented defense in the Pioneer Football League last fall, and that group has an opportunity to take another step forward in 2016.

The top eight tacklers from last year’s team that went 9-2 overall and won six straight games to end the season all return. The most experienced unit on paper is the four-man secondary, which includes returning starters and all-conference performers Jamal Agnew and Devyn Bryant at cornerback, along with safeties Colton Giorgi and Ray Clark.

During the Toreros’ season-opening 27-0 win against Division II Western New Mexico last week, the defense forced eight punts, intercepted a pass, blocked a field goal and tallied three sacks in a strong all-around debut.

San Diego (1-0) figures to face a bigger challenge a 4:05 p.m. Saturday when it kicks off against Cal Poly inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The Mustangs (0-1) have won four straight meetings in the series, including a 31-point rout two years ago in San Diego.

“Cal Poly’s definitely very good at what they do,” said Giorgi, who led the Toreros with 64 tackles as a sophomore last fall. “They rely on someone on defense making a mistake. … One of our big keys is sticking to it for all four quarters.”

That didn’t seem to be an issue for San Diego in 2015, when it allowed 18 points and less than 310 yards per game, both of which ranked second in the PFL. The 89.4 rushing yards allowed per contest were the fewest in the conference by a wide margin.

In Bryant (51 tackles, five interceptions) and Agnew (30 tackles, four interceptions), the Toreros have two of the top returning cornerbacks in the league. Agnew, a 5-foot-10, 193-pound senior, owns the San Diego record for career pass breakups with 37, and he has an outside shot at becoming the school’s all-time leader in interceptions, needing six more to reach that mark.

Still, fourth-year head coach Dale Lindsey is wary of facing a Cal Poly team that nearly upset FBS opponent Nevada on the road during Week 1.

“We cannot give up some of the cheap plays that we’ve done in the past with them for long runs or long passes,” Lindsey said. “I think our offense has to try and go out and try to establish something.”

San Diego showed a balanced attack offensively against Western New Mexico, rushing for 192 yards and passing for 211 more. Senior running back Jonah Hodges recorded 159 all-purpose yards and scored twice in the shutout victory.

This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 10:20 PM with the headline "San Diego’s veteran secondary ready to challenge Cal Poly."