Montana – Fansmanship http://www.fansmanship.com For the fans by the fans Fri, 12 Mar 2021 03:58:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.28 For the fans by the fans Montana – Fansmanship fansmanship.com For the fans by the fans Montana – Fansmanship http://www.fansmanship.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/Favicon1400x1400-1.jpg http://www.fansmanship.com San Luis Obispo, CA Weekly-ish Four plays to determine an FCS football game http://www.fansmanship.com/four-plays-to-determine-an-fcs-football-game/ http://www.fansmanship.com/four-plays-to-determine-an-fcs-football-game/#respond Thu, 04 Oct 2018 03:38:33 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=19424 On Saturday, Cal Poly hosted 17th-ranked Montana. The Mustangs came into the game 1-3 on the season, having won just two of their past 16 games overall.  So, not a great trend. This year hasn’t been easy though. The four games Cal Poly has lost (including to Montana) have all been against opponents ranked in […]]]>

On Saturday, Cal Poly hosted 17th-ranked Montana. The Mustangs came into the game 1-3 on the season, having won just two of their past 16 games overall. 

So, not a great trend. This year hasn’t been easy though. The four games Cal Poly has lost (including to Montana) have all been against opponents ranked in the top-17 in the nation. 

For me, one of the fascinating things about college sports — or any athletics at a really high level — is that there sometimes isn’t MUCH between a team that seems down in the dumps and a team that is in the top-20 in the nation. Saturday’s game, for me, was a fascinating case in point.

Cal Poly moved the ball like they wanted to and played basically as well as you can in a game you lose by 20 (the final score was 48-28).

There were 149 total plays in the game, and here are four that went a long way toward determining the outcome:

The first fouth-and-one

Cal Poly is a triple option team that goes for it on fourth down. A lot. If you depend on rushing the ball and can’t get a yard or two when you need it, then you’re probably not going to win anyway. Also, head coach Tim Walsh has long preached that touchdowns are what win games, not field goals. 

After picking up one first down on their opening drive, Cal Poly had the ball at Montana’s 48 yard line on fourth down and 1. Cal Poly handed the ball to senior fullback Joe Protheroe, but the Grizzlies sniffed it out and stopped Cal Poly short. 

Early fourth down plays can have lasting impacts on momentum in the trenches. 

THE OUTCOME – Well, Cal Poly’s defense forced a Montana three-and-out, forcing a punt. Things looked OK until…..

J’uan Campbell rushed for 31 yards on four carries Saturday against Montana.
Photo by Owen Main

The Muff

Since the Mustangs had gone for it on 4th down, Montana had good field position to pin Cal Poly back toward their own end zone. The Montana punter angled a high kick toward the corner. Cal Poly junior return man J’uan Campbell waved his teammates away as the ball bounced and rolled nearly out of bounds. Inexplicably, Campbell made a last second effort to pick up or dive on the ball. 

Instead, Campbell simply touched it and Montana took possession at the Cal Poly 7 yard line.

THE OUTCOME – Two plays later, Dalton Sneed found Gabe Sulser for a six-yard touchdown and Montana led 10-0, less than seven minutes into the game. 

The pitch-6

Down 10-0 early-on, Cal Poly still had to believe they could get back into the game by sticking with their initial game plan. While the Montana defense HAD earned one stop, Cal Poly’s offense hadn’t even started to roll. Khaleel Jenkins and co. put together a drive that was vintage Cal Poly offense for the first 13 plays of the drive. Protheroe found some rhythm up the middle. Jenkins was making good option decisions. Campbell got back on track. Chuby Danu even caught a ball out of the backfield. Cal Poly used the first 13 plays of the drive to go 60 yards. At the Montana 16 yard line, it seemed like the Mustangs were ready to score a touchdown of their own and get back into the game. 

Instead, the wheels fell off. 

On an option play toward the Cal Poly sideline, Jenkins’ pitch to Danu careened off Danu and right into the waiting arms of Montana defender Josh Buss, who returned the fumble 80 yards for a Montana touchdown.

THE OUTCOME – Instead of the score being maybe 10-7, it was 17-0 Montana with 1:31 to go in a disastrous first quarter. 

To their credit, the Mustangs didn’t hang their heads. Jenkins, Protheroe, and newly installed running back Drew Hernandez kept the Triple Option chugging. Cal Poly responded with a drive of over six minutes in the second quarter, culminating in a Protheroe touchdown, but Montana scored on their ensuing drive and once more before the half to go up 31-7 at halftime. 

When you do the math on the 14 point swing of the pitch-6 and what might or might not have happened with the Muff, you might think about somewhere between 14 and 21 points being made-up. That means that instead of being boat-raced at 31-7 going into halftime, Cal Poly might have been within striking distance at something like 24-14. That’s a big difference. 

Again, Cal Poly’s offense seemed to respond in the second half. They scored on each of their first two drives in the 3rd quarter, but so did Montana. Even trading a touchdown for a field goal, Cal Poly wasn’t making up ground. Down 41-21 early in the fourth quarter, the offense needed to keep scoring.

The fourth down, part deux

I hesitated putting this one in here. By the time you’re depending on conversion of a fourth and four, down by 20 points in the fourth quarter, maybe you’re grasping at straws. Still, Cal Poly had life. with 12:16 left in the game, on fourth and four from the Montana 22, Jenkins called his own number. He tried to cut upfield on an option play. He slipped and was smothered for no gain. 

THE OUTCOME – Montana got the ball back on downs and scored on a 68 yard rush three plays later. It was a dagger for a Cal Poly team that rallied for a touchdown late to keep the score within 20. 

****

Each of the above plays creates the circumstance needed for the next one to even take place, but when you put them all together, it makes up for most of the score difference between the two teams. I guess the good news if you’re a Mustang fan is that high leverage situations like fourth downs, special teams plays, and turnovers are things that can improve.

Drew Hernandez (27) was a pleasant surprise for Cal Poly fans, rushing for 135 yards on 14 carries Saturday against Montana.
Photo by Owen Main

Cal Poly out-gained Montana 512 yards to 468 yards and dominated time of possession (38:40 to 21:20). Cal Poly ran 95 plays to Montana’s 54. But two early turnovers weren’t something Cal Poly could overcome.

Cleaning up their play in those high-leverage areas could give the Mustangs a chance to win in the state capitol this weekend against Sacramento State. 

You’ll also notice I didn’t mention the defense yet. Cal Poly’s defense wasn’t horrific, but it wasn’t great. They made some good third down stops (Montana was just 5/10 on third downs), but they also let some big plays happen, including Adam Eastwood’s 68 yard dagger. By the time the defense forced a turnover from the Grizzlies, an interception by Carter Nichols, the game was well in-hand.

The receivers throughout the Big Sky are really good and so are most of the passing quarterbacks. Sacks are hard to come by as quarterbacks are getting rid of the ball quickly. If the offense and special teams play a clean game, Cal Poly’s defense doesn’t have to do huge things with turnovers, sacks, and tackles for losses. If the Mustangs are behind by 20 points though, then the pressure on Josh Brown’s unit becomes higher. With a young defensive front, changing the game plan and becoming more urgent might lead to some of the late breakdown we saw with the long Eastwood touchdown run. 

So, what’s next?

Look this weekend for high-leverage plays and whether they go Cal Poly’s way. Can the Mustangs convert on some fourth downs when they only have 1-3 yards to get? Can the offense keep from giving away possession and points and still run smoothly. 

Smart football is good football in so many cases. With nearly 150 plays last game, there are lots of opportunities to slip-up, but if Cal Poly can play sound football this weekend, they’ll have a chance in the Hornets nest. 

Photos by Owen Main. Click here for all photos

]]> http://www.fansmanship.com/four-plays-to-determine-an-fcs-football-game/feed/ 0 Cal Poly’s win over Montana in Tweets http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-polys-win-over-montana-in-tweets/ http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-polys-win-over-montana-in-tweets/#respond Sun, 06 Sep 2015 20:32:17 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=17179 Twitter is fun, especially during a game you’re watching. Thought I’d try to us it to start to piece together Cal Poly’s win over Montana last night via Twitter. Let’s see how this goes. Griz warming up on the field, kickoff in 55 min! pic.twitter.com/qYPVlfq9Al — Shaun Rainey (@ShaunRainey) September 6, 2015 Cal Poly defense […]]]>

Twitter is fun, especially during a game you’re watching. Thought I’d try to us it to start to piece together Cal Poly’s win over Montana last night via Twitter.

Let’s see how this goes.

]]> http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-polys-win-over-montana-in-tweets/feed/ 0 Cal Poly pulls out improbable 20-19 win in Missoula http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-poly-pulls-out-improbable-20-19-win-in-missoula/ http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-poly-pulls-out-improbable-20-19-win-in-missoula/#respond Sun, 06 Sep 2015 16:48:56 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=17171 If visiting teams are lucky, they might win a game in Missoula every two years or so. The Montana Grizzlies’ win nearly 90 percent of games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium all-time. It was against that backdrop that Cal Poly used a late field goal by back-up kicker Alex Vega (Gilroy CA) in his first collegiate game […]]]>
Chris Brown led Cal Poly with 130 rushing yards in the win over Montana. By Owen Main

Chris Brown led Cal Poly with 130 rushing yards in the win over Montana. By Owen Main

If visiting teams are lucky, they might win a game in Missoula every two years or so. The Montana Grizzlies’ win nearly 90 percent of games at Washington-Grizzly Stadium all-time.

It was against that backdrop that Cal Poly used a late field goal by back-up kicker Alex Vega (Gilroy CA) in his first collegiate game to beat Montana 20-19.

Vega, whose leg a little stronger than that of normal kicker Stephen Pyle according to Tim Walsh, drilled the 49 yard go-ahead field goal with four seconds left. Not a bad feat for a freshman whose first career attempt came with the game hanging in the balance.

In fact, the former Gilroy Mustang’s career high in high school was only

The high scoring game that was predicted by both Brint Wahlberg and I never came to fruition as both defenses played better than advertised. A 20-19 score might have been believable for the end of the first half.

Cal Poly’s offense had a few chances to extend their lead and take the momentum. Important drives were stopped by Montana’s defense at the end of the first half and in the fourth quarter, including at least one inside Montana’s 10 yard line.

Going against all of that, the Cal Poly offense,with zero time-outs, found ways to get out of bounds, stop the clock, and gain enough yards to give their kicker a chance.

Vega took advantage of his chance. Did I mention it was raining?

What a game.

26,065

It’s hard to overstate the home field advantage Montana enjoys in Missoula. I guess I’ll just put it this way: historically, Washington-Grizzly Stadium is the toughest environment to play in at the FCS level. In the rain, behind 26,065 screaming fans on Saturday night, it seemed that Montana’s ability to ride the Wa-Griz momentum would break Cal Poly’s hearts again.

Here’s a text I sent to a friend at 8:51 last night, when the score was still 17-17 and Cal Poly had just been stuffed in the red zone:

Me: Unlucky tonight. Great game plan and had every chance. Still not over, but would take a lot to hold-on at this point. 

Friend: That’s how it always is. Montana gets every big break in that building. It’s uncanny.

It seemed like things were going as normal last night. Then that last drive happened.

It was just the 21st loss for the Grizz all-time at their home stadium and the second time Cal Poly has won there.

Give it to the Fullback

I don’t know a ton about football, but the one thing I like to see from the triple option offense is when Cal Poly uses their fullback a LOT. On Saturday, Joe Protheroe had 29 attempts. Chris Brown led Cal Poly in yards and rushed it 24 times himself, but Protheroe averaged 3.9 yards per carry while never carrying it for more than eight yards. He was a workhorse.

Why do I advocate so much for the fullback? Well, the Chris Brown touchdown is why. Also, the ability of Garcia to get the edge late is why. If Cal Poly can force-feed Protheroe and Jared Mohamed to the tune of 30-plus carries and average more than four yards per carry overall, they are going to be really hard to stop. Fullback productivity can open up everything else in the triple option and control the clock too Feeding the fullback is one way Cal Poly was able to control the clock in the second half, keep Montana’s offense off the field, and give themselves a chance to win at the end.

Nard with three picks

For his first two seasons on-campus, BJ Nard was forced to sit, wait, and rehab. The junior from Bakersfield finally got a chance to play on Saturday night and certainly made the most of it, notching three interceptions.

While trying to run-back the final one, Nard was tackled by Montana receiver Ellis Henderson. Nard’s leg appeared to be awkwardly caught underneath him, causing him to fumble and miss at least a play or two. For a guy who’s worked hard to come back from multiple knee injuries, Cal Poly fans will hope his injury this time was just a scare and not anything serious.

Nard’s three interceptions in a game make him the 10th Mustang all-time to accomplish that feat and the first in 19 years. Kiko Griffin was the last to do it, in 1996.

Special Teams redemption

For a moment, Cal Poly special teams seemed to have let them down. After backpedaling for over 15 yards, Chris Fletcher attempted to field a punt inside Cal Poly’s 5 yard line with just under four minutes left. Fletcher muffed the punt but was able to dive on it at the Cal Poly two yard-line.

On the next play, Chris Brown was sacked for a safety. It seemed that Cal Poly just couldn’t get it right. But the defense held the Grizzlies on the ensuing possessions. Timeouts were used judiciously. Cal Poly gave themselves another chance. The field goal unit and Alex Vega made everyone forget just how close to disaster the Mustangs came.

Field Goals win games?

Tim Walsh has said a lot of times that field goals don’t win games in the Big Sky Conference. For at least a weekend, Cal Poly fans are glad for this field goal. Glad for this win.

Video Highlights

]]> http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-poly-pulls-out-improbable-20-19-win-in-missoula/feed/ 0 Podcast Episode 138 – Brint Wahlberg http://www.fansmanship.com/podcast-episode-138-brint-wahlberg/ http://www.fansmanship.com/podcast-episode-138-brint-wahlberg/#respond Fri, 04 Sep 2015 03:34:16 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=17165 Brint Wahlberg makes his second appearance on the podcast. From EGriz.com, Wahlberg shares his Montana knowledge and excitement about Big Sky football prior to the Cal Poly game in Missoula on Saturday.]]>

WahlbergBrint Wahlberg makes his second appearance on the podcast. From EGriz.com, Wahlberg shares his Montana knowledge and excitement about Big Sky football prior to the Cal Poly game in Missoula on Saturday.

]]> http://www.fansmanship.com/podcast-episode-138-brint-wahlberg/feed/ 0 Brint Wahlberg makes his second appearance on the podcast. From EGriz.com, Wahlberg shares his Montana knowledge and excitement about Big Sky football prior to the Cal Poly game in Missoula on Saturday. Brint Wahlberg makes his second appearance on the podcast. From EGriz.com, Wahlberg shares his Montana knowledge and excitement about Big Sky football prior to the Cal Poly game in Missoula on Saturday. Montana – Fansmanship 24:43 Cal Poly downs Sixth-ranked Montana 41-21 http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-poly-downs-sixth-ranked-montana-41-21/ http://www.fansmanship.com/cal-poly-downs-sixth-ranked-montana-41-21/#respond Mon, 27 Oct 2014 03:28:35 +0000 http://www.fansmanship.com/?p=15706 At the beginning of this season, Cal Poly’s offense was stagnant and out of synch while their defense was spotty at-best. With both units humming, the Mustangs took it to Montana on Saturday night. In front of 10,775 fans at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, the Mustangs racked-up 528 yards of offense–421 of them on the ground, […]]]>

At the beginning of this season, Cal Poly’s offense was stagnant and out of synch while their defense was spotty at-best. With both units humming, the Mustangs took it to Montana on Saturday night.

In front of 10,775 fans at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, the Mustangs racked-up 528 yards of offense–421 of them on the ground, en route to a 41-21 victory over the Grizzlies.

The win for Cal Poly avenged a 21-14 loss last season in Missoula that Cal Poly had clearly been thinking about for about a year. The win was just the fourth time Cal Poly has ever beat Montana in 19 tries.

The win pushes Cal Poly’s record two games over .500 for the first time this season at 5-3. They are now 4-1 in Big Sky Conference play.

Chris Brown set a quarterback single-game record for Cal Poly with 226 yards on 21 carries Saturday night. By Owen Main

Chris Brown set a quarterback single-game record for Cal Poly with 226 yards on 21 carries Saturday night. By Owen Main

Brown breaks his QB rushing record

Chris Brown rushed the ball 21 times for 226 yards and two touchdowns. The 226 yards was the most a Cal Poly quarterback has ever rushed for. Last season Brown set the high mark with 195 yards in a victory at UC Davis. He smashed it against Montana.

Many of Brown’s rushes were designed or option plays, but some of the biggest gainers were broken-down pass plays where the junior saw a hole and took advantage.

No Nicholls, no problem

Slotback Chris Nicholls missed the game for the Mustangs, but the rushing game didn’t seem to waver. Brandon Howe carried the ball 19 times for 98 tough yards and a touchdown. Kori Garcia rushed it 13 times for 47 yards and a score. Garcia also caught a touchdown pass.

What seemed like an unknown at the beginning of the year — Cal Poly’s depth at the running back position — has now become a strength, despite their relative inexperience. Lance Mudd and Joe Prothero continue to play the “change of pace” roles while Howe, Garcia, and Brown provide a real triple threat running the ball.

When Nicholls returns, teams will have a whole lot to game-plan for.

Kori Garcia has continued to provide Cal Poly with solid rushes. By Owen Main

Kori Garcia has continued to provide Cal Poly with solid rushes. By Owen Main

Graves impresses

Cal Poly quarterback Dano Graves, who played the entire Montana game last season, came in for Brown in the fourth quarter. With Brown cramping, Graves led Cal Poly on a 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to ice the game. Graves rushed the ball six times during the drive, culminating on a spectacular second-effort touchdown from one yard out.

Knock em down

Cal Poly’s tackling has greatly improved from the beginning of the season. After the game, head coach Tim Walsh said that tackling is something the Mustangs have been starting practice off with, and it seems to have paid off.

While tackling leader Nick Dzubnar only had 7 tackles — a season low for him — Cameron Ontko totaled 10 tackles and Josh Letuligasenoa and Chris Judge each nabbed a big sack to slow-down Montana’s offense.

The 500 Club

The Mustangs have now accumulated 500-plus offensive yards in five of their past six games. The one game they didn’t get 500 yards, they managed 485 total yards in a close loss in Flagstaff against Northern Arizona. On Saturday, the Lumberjacks, who also have just one conference loss, beat Eastern Washington.

When compared to the 24 points Montana gave up to #1 North Dakota State, Cal Poly’s 41 points on Saturday look pretty good.

Lots of fans showed up to Spanos on Saturday night to make for a great atmosphere. By Owen Main

Lots of fans showed up to Spanos on Saturday night to make for a great atmosphere. By Owen Main

Atmospheric pressure

The breeze was blowing at the end of the game, but the real change in atmosphere at Alex G. Spanos Stadium was that fans nearly filled it up. Granted, many of those fans were Montana fans. Grizzly loyalists filled the entire “visitors” section as well as about half of the general admission bleachers behind the South end zone.

It was, by far, the best home turnout of the season and should give the team some momentum toward a potential sellout next weekend in their homecoming game versus Montana State.

Top-25 Love?

Cal Poly hasn’t sniffed the top-25 yet this season. With the win, it will be interesting to see whether they get put into the rankings. They’ll definitely get some votes. Based on how they’ve been playing, I think a top-20 ranking wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

Photos by Owen Main

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