CAL POLY AT NO. 9/11 SACRAMENTO STATE
SATURDAY, NOV. 11 (2 P.M.) / ESPN+
HORNET STADIUM (SACRAMENTO)
WEEKLY RELEASES: CAL POLY | WEBER STATE | BIG SKY CONFERENCE
ESPN+ | LIVE STATS | AUDIO
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly soccer program closes the 2023 season, enjoying its sixth, closing and first dwelling recreation in 5 weeks when welcoming Weber State to Mustang Memorial Area Offered by French Hospital on Saturday, Nov. 18. Kickoff on ESPN+ is 5:02 p.m. for Cal Poly (3-7, 1-6), which resumes play following a slim 41-30 setback at No. 9 Sacramento State (Nov. 11) and seeks to snap a two-game slide throughout Saturday’s season finale. Weber State (5-5, 3-4), in the meantime, enters Saturday’s matchup with successive victories, first having topped Idaho State, 33-21 (Nov. 4), earlier than derailing Idaho’s Large Sky Convention title aspirations with a 31-29 dwelling triumph towards the Vandals (Nov. 11).
CAL POLY VERSUS WEBER STATE: The Mustangs look to snap a five-game sequence slide towards Weber State relationship to a 30-24 dwelling victory on Oct. 11, 2014. The Wildcats prevailed within the final assembly between the 2 sides on Oct. 2, 2021 (38-7) at Mustang Memorial Area and lead each the Large Sky Convention (5-3) and all-time (10-6) sequence.
HUARD ON TARGET IN FIRST SEASON: Inserting the ultimate touches on some of the prolific passing seasons in program historical past, sophomore quarterback Sam Huard’s 483-yard efficiency at No. 9 Sacramento State (Nov. 11) comprised the second highest single recreation whole by a Mustang and a brand new single recreation report of 37 completions. Additionally finishing 31 makes an attempt as a part of a 333-yard passing effort versus Northern Colorado (Oct. 21) – on the time, the best completion whole by a Mustang in 23 seasons – Huard turned simply the third participant in program historical past with six landing completions in a single recreation throughout Cal Poly’s 41-20 dwelling victory towards Lincoln (Sept. 16). Additionally with a 368-yard afternoon throughout his Cal Poly debut towards San Diego (Sept. 2), Huard has thrown for 300-plus yards in 4 of eight appearances. Huard – regardless of lacking Cal Poly’s Sept. 30 recreation versus UC Davis and Oct. 7 matchup with No. 3 Idaho – leads all Large Sky quarterbacks with 16 passing touchdowns whereas rating second for passing yards per recreation (256.0) and fifth for whole yards (2,048) and completions (168). His 87-yard completion to sophomore tight finish Carlton Brown towards San Diego stays the second longest move completion by a Large Sky quarterback this season and twelfth longest by an FCS participant. In Cal Poly single season historical past, Huard ranks seventh with 168 completions, eighth with 2,048 yards and eleventh with 16 touchdowns.
INTO THE WOODS: Fueled by a 10-catch outing – the 18th double-digit catch recreation in Cal Poly’s 30-year Division I historical past – and 107 receiving yards at Sacramento State (Nov. 11), junior Giancarlo Woods enters Saturday’s finale main the Mustangs and ranked eleventh amongst Large Sky receivers with 51.2 yards per recreation. Additionally seventh within the Large Sky with 46 whole receptions, Woods caught seven balls towards each Lincoln (Sept. 16) and UC Davis (Sept. 30). His efficiency within the Lincoln victory additionally included 77 yards and a profession greatest three touchdowns.
FAIRLY-DIYEM, FAIRLY GOOD: Alongside Giancarlo Woods, Sam Huard’s different favourite landing goal this season has been freshman extensive receiver Tyrece Pretty-Diyemwho co-leads Cal Poly with 4 landing receptions. Pretty-Diyem, third in Cal Poly’s lineup with 41.8 receiving yards per recreation and 29 catches, caught a season greatest seven balls for 123 yards and a landing within the season-opening win towards San Diego (Sept. 2). He additionally owns landing receptions towards Lincoln (Sept. 16), No. 3 Idaho (Oct. 7) and No. 2 Montana State (Oct. 14).
PONDER LEADS THE DEFENSE: The Large Sky Convention’s sack chief stays junior lineman Elijah Ponderwho boosted his whole to 9 with one other at No. 9 Sacramento State (Nov. 11) and now ranks seventh amongst all FCS performers. Second amongst Mustangs with 49 whole tackles, Ponder – whose 9 sacks have moved opposition passers again 49 collective yards – has loved three multi-sack video games, starting with a profession greatest three to gas Cal Poly’s season-opening victory towards San Diego (Sept. 2). Sophomore security Brian Dukes, Jr., third within the lineup with 45 tackles, turned Cal Poly’s fifth completely different tackler with a season greatest 9 at No. 2 Montana State (Oct. 14). Most lately, sophomore linebacker Je’Kob Jones and sophomore cornerback Jamauri Jackson turned the sixth and seventh completely different main tacklers with 11 apiece at Japanese Washington. Having saved the opposition beneath 300 yards of whole offense 3 times, Cal Poly’s 27-10, season-opening victory towards San Diego marked this system’s first efficiency with out conceding an offensive landing in 81 video games.
THE WULFF OF CALIFORNIA BOULEVARD: Cal Poly’s 27-10, season-opening win towards San Diego (Sept. 2) supplied Paul Wulff his first victory as Cal Poly head coach and first triumph as a collegiate head coach in 12 years. Having led Japanese Washington to 3 FCS Playoff appearances (2004-05, 2007) earlier than serving as head coach at Washington State (2008-11), Cal Poly’s victory was Wulff’s first as a head coach since guiding the Cougars to a 37-27 victory towards Arizona State on Nov. 12, 2011. Named the Cal Poly program’s 18th head coach on Dec. 6, 2022, Wulff – a close to three-decade collegiate teaching veteran – is a three-time Large Sky Coach of the Yr recipient at Japanese Washington (2001, 2004-05) whereas having directed the Eagles to a share of two Large Sky titles. Wulff’s different Large Sky teaching stops embody Sacramento State (2016-18) and UC Davis (2019). The 2023 season marks Wulff’s thirteenth as a collegiate head coach.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Saturday’s recreation is the 990th in college historical past and the 330th recreation Cal Poly can have performed since shifting to the Soccer Championship Subdivision stage in 1994. The Mustangs are at the moment 158-171 as an FCS program. The one hundredth recreation on the FCS stage was a 34-13 win at Texas-El Paso (Sept. 6, 2003) whereas the 2 hundredth was a 41-10 triumph at South Alabama to finish the 2011 season. Sport No. 300 was a 48-14 loss to South Dakota (Sept. 18, 2021). The one hundredth FCS win was at Previous Dominion, 50-37 (Oct. 9, 2010), and the one hundredth loss was to Japanese Washington, 35-22 (Nov. 16, 2013). Cal Poly earned its five hundredth all-time win at Portland State in October 2017 and is enjoying its a hundred and fifth general season and thirtieth within the FCS this fall. Cal Poly was a member of the now-defunct American West Convention (Southern Utah, Sacramento State, CSUN) earlier than changing into an impartial in 1996. After eight years as an FCS Unbiased, the Mustangs turned a constitution member of the Nice West Soccer Convention in 2004. Following eight seasons within the Nice West (and 4 titles), Cal Poly moved to the Large Sky Convention in 2012, capturing the title in its first season.
BIG SKY’S THE LIMIT: Competing within the Soccer Championship Subdivision’s deepest convention, 4 of Cal Poly’s 11 video games this fall – 36 p.c – got here towards ranked Large Sky opponents (rating present at time of matchup):
Date Opponent (Coaches Ballot/Stats Carry out) Outcome
Sept. 30 UC Davis (20/21) L, 31-13
Oct. 7 Idaho (3/3) L, 42-14
Oct. 14 at Montana State (2/2) L, 59-19
Nov. 11 at Sacramento State (11/9) L,
CAL POLY AGAINST THE BIG SKY: Since shifting to the Soccer Championship Subdivision in 1994, Cal Poly is 64-93 towards Large Sky opposition. Since becoming a member of the convention as an affiliate member for the 2012 season, Cal Poly is 35-54 in Large Sky play.
ETC.: The Cal Poly program is in its a hundred and fifth all-time season and enjoying its twenty ninth fall of Soccer Championship Subdivision competitors … Cal Poly improved to 8-1 all-time towards San Diego with a 27-10, season-opening win (Sept. 2) whereas bettering to 9-1 all-time towards Pioneer Soccer League opposition … Cal Poly’s main tackler final fall, junior linebacker David Meyer was named to the Large Sky Media Preseason All-Convention Crew as a part of the league’s July Soccer Kickoff Weekend … quarterback Sam Huard’s 87-yard completion to sophomore tight finish Carlton Brown throughout Cal Poly’s Sept. 2 opener towards San Diego marked Cal Poly’s lengthiest move play since an 89-yard effort by Chris Brown at South Dakota State (Sept. 6, 2014) … Cal Poly dropped its ninth straight matchup towards FBS competitors Sept. 9 at San Jose State, a streak relationship to a 24-22 victory at Wyoming (Sept. 15, 2012) … Sam Huard turned simply the third quarterback in program historical past with six passing touchdowns in a recreation towards Lincoln (Sept. 16) and the primary since Tony Smith towards South Dakota (Nov. 14, 2009) … in simply 28 minutes towards Lincoln (Sept. 16), junior extensive receiver Giancarlo Woods turned the primary Mustang in 4 years and thirteenth in program historical past with three landing receptions in a single recreation … UC Davis retained the Golden Horseshoe towards Cal Poly with a 31-13 rivalry victory (Sept. 30) … Cal Poly’s Oct. 7 dwelling matchup with No. 3 Idaho marked simply the fourth all-time assembly between the 2 applications … Sam Huard’s 31 move completions towards Northern Colorado (Oct. 21) marked the best whole by a Cal Poly participant in 23 years and probably the most since Seth Burford established a Cal Poly Division I report with 34 towards Northern Iowa on Nov. 4, 2000 … Cal Poly set a brand new program report by recording three safeties at Japanese Washington (Nov. 4).
