The storm has tossed around, nearly drowned and now spit up the Montana Grizzlies. Luckily for the Griz, the shingle on which they’ve washed up after the tumult of a three-game losing streak appears to be kind and temperate.
For one, they’re back in Washington-Grizzly Stadium after a two-week sojourn that included one-score road losses to a couple of top-five teams in Sacramento State and Weber State.
For another, their opposition this week is the less-than-fearsome Cal Poly Mustangs, the last remaining Big Sky team without a conference win. In their second full season after changing course from Tim Walsh’s triple option to Beau Baldwin’s high-tempo spread offense, the Mustangs haven’t appeared to make much progress, and with back-to-back games against the Montana schools on the horizon, their only chance to avoid a winless conference season might be their finale against Portland State.
Cal Poly is last in the conference in total defense, giving up a shade under 500 yards a game, and despite averaging over 400 yards themselves, the Mustangs are scoring just 19.3 points per game.
QUICK HITS
Nickname: Mustangs
Location: San Luis Obispo, California
Founded: 1901, making it the oldest of the three polytechnic schools in the California state system (Humboldt, Pomona)
Enrollment: 22,287
Famous alumni: John Madden, coach; Ozzie Smith, shortstop; Al Yankovic, musician. The Wikipedia page for famous alumni from Cal Poly lists six astronauts.
Last meeting: Justin Belknap scored on a 24-yard interception return, Malik Flowers scored on a 95-yard kickoff return and Levi Janacaro recovered a blocked punt in the end zone as Montana rolled over the Mustangs 39-7 on Sept. 25, 2021 in Missoula despite scoring just two offensive touchdowns.
THE COACH
Beau Baldwin, third season at Cal Poly (3-19, 98-54 overall)
Once upon a time, a coaching matchup between Baldwin and Bobby Hauck would have been must-see football. As a matter of fact, Montana’s blowout win in 2021 was just the third-ever meeting between the two titans, after Hauck’s Grizzlies beat Baldwin’s Eastern Washington Eagles 19-3 in 2008 and 41-34 in 2009, Baldwin’s first two years on the job.
The latter year marked Eastern’s first playoff appearance under Baldwin. The year after that he took EWU to the promised land with a 20-19 win over Delaware in the 2010 national title game — still the last natty won by a Big Sky team. Baldwin stayed in Cheney for six more years after that triumph, winning four more Big Sky titles and making three more national semifinal appearances.
After three unsuccessful years as the offensive coordinator at Cal-Berkeley, he returned to the Big Sky as the head coach at Cal Poly, tasked with overhauling Tim Walsh’s stolid triple option with his own exciting single-back run-and-shoot. Baldwin started his coaching career with a one-year stint in 2007 at Central Washington, where he’d also been a quarterback and, after his playing career, the quarterbacks coach for the Wildcats.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – OFFENSE
QB Spencer Brasch, 6-4, 205, RS Jr.
Brasch, who followed Baldwin from Cal, has been the starter for most of the season after Jaden Jones got hurt early.
WR Chris Coleman, 5-11, 186, Gr.
More than any quarterback, Coleman has been the biggest beneficiary of the Mustangs’ accelerated offense, with the former Fresno State transfer averaging 101 yards per game and going over 100 yards in five of eight contests.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – DEFENSE
LB David Meyer, 6-1, 210, RS So.
Meyer, who didn’t even enter the season as a starter, leads the Mustangs in tackles (58) and sacks (3 1/2).
CB Jay’Vion Cole, 5-11, 165, Fr.
Cole, a true freshman, had two interceptions in his second college game against San Diego, and two more a couple weeks ago against Eastern Washington.
