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Cal Poly football failed in its return game by a 38-7 score against Weber State on Saturday, October 2 inside the Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
In the first home game since the home opener, the Mustangs (1-4, 0-2 Big Sky) again had a stadium filled with fans looking forward to the 2021 home game against the Wildcats ( 2-3, 1-1 Big Sky).
Redshirt rookie quarterback Jackson pavitt got his first career college start five games in the season for Cal Poly. While the result was not what the young quarterback wanted, there is still a lot to be gained from the opportunity to compete, according to Pavitt.
“It was great, I love football,” Pavitt said. “We have things to work on and I have things to work on. But I love to be there. I loved every second. It’s an opportunity to make my teammates and coaches proud, and that’s all you can ask for.
Mustang’s offense did not find momentum that day as it was outscored 364-115 by the Wildcats.
Weber State kicked off and got to work early, scoring the game’s first points. The Wildcats’ offense capped a 12-play, 79-yard practice with a rushed touchdown inside the five-yard line to give them a 7-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the Mustang’s offense came out a bit slower and didn’t do much in the game’s first practice. However, Cal Poly’s defense grew stronger.
The Mustangs had the first swing game of the day when the first-year defensive back Tommy griffin forced a fumble on Weber State’s second drive of the game. Senior Linebacker Redshirt Aaron Cooper came with the recovery which led to a new drive for Cal Poly on the Weber State side of the field.
Redshirt in second year of running back Sam Stewart jr. recorded his first two ground attempts of the season at the perfect time. After the Mustang’s offense crossed the five-meter line, Stewart jr. rushed for a first down on the fourth and thumbs up and took the next carry into the end zone for a Mustang touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.
The Wildcats responded with another strong push. Two games before the end of the first quarter, Rashid Shaheed landed a contested catch to bring the Wildcats into the red zone. Wildcats quarterback Kylan Weisser then rushed into his second touchdown of the game less than a minute into the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead.
After the teams traded punters, the Wildcats came back and extended their lead to 21-7 after Weisser found receiver Dave Jones for an 18-yard touchdown.
Seeking to react, the Mustangs began to roll across the field. After a possible touchdown was recalled for a penalty, the Mustangs continued to advance. However, practice stalled on the Wildcat’s 37-yard line and the Mustangs’ 47-yard field goal failed.
Cal Poly stopped the Wildcats in a two-minute drill and forced a punt with one minute left before halftime. The Mustangs lined up in their one-minute attack, but in the second game of practice, Pavitt threw a back pass that Weber State recovered and scored with 42 seconds before halftime to give them a lead 28-7.
An unsuccessful opening half-time practice by Cal Poly led the Wildcats to add another seven points to their lead with 11:09 remaining in the quarter, extending their lead to 35-7.
The Wildcats took a break on the next haul after the second-year flashback in a red shirt Chakobe harper groped deep into Cal Poly territory. Weber State took the opportunity, scoring a 25-yard field goal to widen the lead to 38-7, a score that would hold for the remainder of the game.
The pace in the fourth quarter slowed exponentially, with both teams looking to end the game strong and tighten on both sides of the ball. Neither team managed to break the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.
After the game, senior redshirt Matt Shotwell was optimistic about the direction this team is taking.
“We take every day very seriously,” Shotwell said. “We’re not where we want to be or need to be, but we go out to work every day. We still have a long way to go, still learning a new system, and it just takes time when you are rebuilding programs. [with] new coaches and new systems. But we are definitely on an upward trajectory.
The Head Coach Handsome baldwin had a similar attitude when considering the future of the program.
“Absolutely, there are only a good number of us,” Baldwin said. “We’re young and it’s a new system, and there are a lot of things that go with it. It will be a process with us, but we will continue to take these steps. “
The Mustangs are looking to get back on track next week when they travel to Bozeman, MT to take on Montana State on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. inside Bobcat Stadium.
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