The Mustangs even their record at 2-2 after handing the Jackrabbits (3-1) their first loss.
“Right at the start we were feeling good,” said fullback Jordan Yocum, who accumulated 43 yards on 13 carries. “We knew it was one of the biggest games on our schedule and that the South Dakota defense would give us a hard time. When the defense dominates like that though, it really makes it easier for us,” he said.
Middle linebacker Marty Mohamed forced the fumble on the Jackrabbits’ four yard line with linebacker Carlton Gillespie on the fumble recovery. It was the Mustangs’ second defensive touchdown of the evening, the first coming from a 47-yard interception return by cornerback Asa Jackson just before the second half. Cal Poly’s offense has scored a mere two touchdowns in the past three games.
The fumble came after a switch decision by head coach Tim Walsh. It appeared the Mustangs were going to go for a fourth down conversion to try and break the 14-14 tie. But after a timeout the Mustangs punted, putting the Jackrabbits inside their own 10.
“I thought, ‘we gotta make a play, make a stop and get the ball back to the offense,’” said Muhamed, who had a game-high 13 tackles and two sacks. “We were showing [blitz] the whole game, but we backed off and then rushed.”
Mohmamed not only attributed the win to thorough preparation, but certain intangibles as well.
“I felt like we knew our assignments and were well prepared,” Muhamed said. “There’s a lot different energy at home. The crowd was definitely lively and it gets us pumped.”
The Mustangs never led the Jackrabbits until the final fumble recovery, but the game was a close battle plagued by injuries. With four minutes to go in the first, Cal Poly leading wide receiver Dominique Johnson received an undisclosed shoulder injury. Next to go down was the Jackrabbits starting quarterback Ryan Crawford.
Coming into the game, Crawford was the major threat to the Mustang defense with a 69.7 percent completion rate. Thomas O’Brien, SDSU’s second-string quarterback, took the helm for the rest of the game, completing 13 of 22 passes for 98 yards.
Cal Poly quarterback Tony Smith found some rhythm during the game, completing 13 of 24 passes for 131 yards and one interception. His long pass of 38 yards to wide receiver Eric Gardley set up a two-yard David Mahr touchdown to tie the game at seven in the onset of the second quarter. Gardley had two catches for 47 yards. Running back David Mahr added five catches for 35 yards.
Running back Jaymes Thierry carried the ball 12 times for 64 yards, yielding an average 4.8 yards per carry. Smith tallied 56 yards on nine carries.
Running back Kyle Minett led the Jackrabbits running game with 56 yards on 17 carries. Minett scored both of South Dakota’s touchdowns, bringing his total up to seven. The first came at 8:24 in the first on a one-yard run, the second on a nine-yard run with 5:15 remaining in the second. The game marked the ninth consecutive game that Minett had scored a touchdown.
The Mustangs visit Montana on Oct. 10 in a non-conference match up.