Big Sky football: Cal Poly boasts best defensive numbers in conference
In a classic showdown Saturday, the Cal Poly defense will play the part of the immovable object.
The opposing force – Eastern Washington’s offense – is getting more irresistible every week, Mustang coach Tim Walsh said Wednesday.
“They’re very multiple, with a special guy at quarterback,” said Walsh, adding that Eastern coach Beau Baldwin “does a good job of figuring out what you’re trying to take away, and then hitting you with the other stuff.”
When asked to compare the Eagles’ attack to the pass-heavy Fresno State scheme he faced earlier this year, Walsh said Eastern is “very multiple, with power formations, closed formations. … and some good power football.”
“A lot of people have the vision that they’re the opposite of that,” Walsh said.
Indeed, the Eagles fielded one of the most pass-oriented offenses in the Big Sky. Not anymore.
“I think we’re just jelling and peaking at the right time,” Baldwin said. “The balance that we’re showing….” Baldwin’s voice trails off, letting the numbers do the talking.
In Big Sky games only, Eastern is averaging a conference-best 6.0 yards per rush, well ahead of runner-up Cal Poly’s 5.6 average. Total offense averages 544 yards a game – almost a football field better than Cal Poly’s 462 average. The Eagles are averaging 43.2 points a game, 5 points better than runner-up Montana State.
In its last two games, against Idaho State and MSU, the Eagles ran just three plays that went for negative yardage.
And the “special guy” at quarterback? That would be Vernon Adams, whose otherworldly stat line last week against Montana State raised his FCS-leading pass efficiency rating to 192.2.
Adams also has 39 touchdown passes, but Walsh admires his “escape ability.”
Walsh also has a fondness for his own defense, which leads the Big Sky in every major category, including scoring defense (15.8 ppg) and total defense (307.7 ypg). The Mustangs give up 102.2 rushing yards per game, just behind conference leader Southern Utah.
Last Saturday, Cal Poly (4-2 in the Sky and 5-5 overall) held Sacramento State to just one touchdown in a 42-7 win over the Hornets, continuing a strong late-season run. Cal Poly has allowed an average of 10.4 points and 271.6 yards in its last five games.
Walsh said the turning point came after a head-scratching 24-10 loss to Yale. “I think it was a wakeup call, and since then we’ve played with more energy,” Walsh said.
That’s especially true in the red zone, where opponents have scored just nine touchdowns – fewest in the conference – in 19 chances.