Brennan AngelAfter their last 11-on-11 practice drill of the season Thursday morning, Cal Poly football players responded to the final whistle with more emotional cheers than usual.
For many of them, it was the last practice of their careers on the “I Field” at the track.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” senior middle linebacker Kyle Shotwell said. “I don’t necessarily think it’s hit me. I don’t know if it’s going to hit me until maybe my roommates have some football activity to go to and I’m not going to go.”
Shotwell is one of 17 Cal Poly seniors who will play their final collegiate game at 1 p.m. Saturday against visiting Savannah State at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
If the Mustangs win, their 32 victories over the last four seasons will be the most in a four-year stretch since the program’s inception in 1915.
“I think it’s momentous,” Cal Poly head coach Rich Ellerson said. “Whether they’re totally conscious of it yet or not, football has played such a big role in their lives. When you’re a nut about this stuff the way we are, it leaves an indelible mark.
“It’s how we perceive ourselves, it’s how we define ourselves, it’s how we relate to the world. I told them, ‘you’ll remember this day for the rest of your life. You’ll be able to remember what the weather was like, who you were playing, the guy lined up next to you.’ It’s such a poignant moment.”
Ellerson also said the Mustangs “have something to prove.”
After winning five of its first six games – including the first two in Great West Football Conference play – Cal Poly was ranked No. 3 in The Sports Network’s Division I-AA poll.
But the Mustangs (6-4, 2-2) have lost three of four, fallen to No. 16 and saw their hopes of reaching the postseason for a second straight year evaporate with a 51-14 loss at No. 4 North Dakota State last week.
“We don’t like the way we played last week,” Ellerson said. “We hate the way we competed. We want to finish this season and these careers the way they started.”
Cal Poly senior nose tackle Chris White, a preseason first-team All-American, echoed Ellerson’s sentiments. He added that the Senior Day game is not important only for the seniors, however.
“It’s huge game, not just for us, but we want to win it for these guys,” White said, referring to the underclassmen. “We play for each other.”
The catalyst all season for Cal Poly has been Shotwell, a Buck Buchanan Award candidate whose 114 total tackles are 41 more than any other player in the Great West.
Shotwell is also tied with his brother, freshman defensive end Ryan Shotwell, for the Great West lead in sacks (7).
Cal Poly is 16th among 121 I-AA teams in fewest points allowed per game (16.2) and sixth against the pass (137.3 yards per game).
The Mustangs’ offense has struggled for much of the season, putting up just 16.6 points per game with the exception of the season opener against Division II Fort Lewis.
Cal Poly sophomore tailback and Walter Payton Award candidate James Noble has rushed for 882 yards and six touchdowns despite battling a sprained left ankle.
The greatest benefit for the Mustangs on Saturday might be playing in the completed Alex G. Spanos Stadium, which will have a capacity of at least 11,775.
The original target date of completion was for the Sept. 2 season opener, but heavy rains during the prior school year prevented the goal from being met.
It is a possibility that the program’s all-time home attendance record (9,387) – set in 2004 against UC Davis – could fall Saturday.
“It’ll be cool to play the first game in the completed stadium,” Kyle Shotwell said. “That’s pretty special. It’s going to be a fun day, a celebration of all these guys.”
Senior Day celebrations will commence after the game.
It has been a rough two-year stretch for Savannah State (2-8), which was 0-11 in 2005.
The Tigers have been outscored 324-108 on the season and have lost to three Division II schools. Their only wins this season have come against Division II Morehouse (24-20) and NAIA Edward Waters (28-7).
Savannah State is ranked No. 237 among 241 I-A and I-AA teams in USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin ratings.
The Tigers, however, are coming off a win over Edward Waters in which sophomore quarterback Garrett Williams completed 13 of 23 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Williams threw for 2,203 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. He is not upset his statistics are down from last year, though, because Savannah State has two more wins than it earned last season.
“It’s a give and take,” Williams told the Savannah Now newspaper. “I threw for a thousand yards more last year, but we’re winning games this year.”
Savannah State is led by sophomore outside linebacker Trent Newton, who has 105 tackles and two sacks and has returned two interceptions for 84 yards and a score.
The Tigers, who feature only five seniors, will be trying to break a 21-game losing streak against I-AA opponents.
As for Cal Poly, the Mustangs are glad to have clinched a fourth straight winning season despite playing the toughest schedule in program history.
The Mustangs had two games this season at I-A opponents – a 17-7 loss at San Jose State (6-3) and a 16-14 win at San Diego State (2-7) – and three against teams in the top 19 of The Sports Network’s I-AA poll.
“It was definitely a harder schedule,” than last year, Kyle Shotwell said. “You want to play those hard games and challenge yourself. We showed that we could play with and beat some of those teams we weren’t supposed to beat. It’s been a good season.”
Kyle Shotwell was a redshirt freshman in 2003 when Cal Poly began a 7-4 campaign with a 34-13 win at I-A UTEP.
“There were times a few years ago when everyone was going crazy when we had a 7-4 record,” he said. “I think it says a lot about the program when you’re disappointed over a 7-4 season. It shows that the arrow’s pointing up.”
While Kyle Shotwell appears headed toward a future in professional football, his playing days at Cal Poly – during which he has amassed 384 total tackles – will end Saturday.
“I want to thank everyone at Cal Poly,” he said. “It’s been a great experience. I’m going to miss it. It’s sad to go, but we feel equipped to go.”