Cal Poly (6-4, 2-2 Great West) seemed to have control after strong safety David Fullerton intercepted a Steve Walker pass in the Bison end zone with 10:02 left to give the Mustangs a 28-9 lead. But over the final 10 minutes the Bison (10-0, 3-0 Great West) scored three touchdowns on eight plays to shock the Mustangs and win by a score of 31-28, which likely ended the Mustangs’ playoff hopes.
“They were devastated,” said Cal Poly coach Rich Ellerson after the game. “To battle that hard and give yourself a chance to beat such a good football team at home. They should fire me.”
North Dakota State wide receiver Kole Heckendorf reeled in a Walker bomb for an 80-yard touchdown with 38 seconds remaining to complete the comeback that silenced a crowd of 10,899 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback in NDSU school history.
“We dug ourselves in a hole and we had to move the ball quickly down the field,” Walker said. “We had great belief on the sideline. We came back and made plays late to get the win.”
In last year’s Homecoming game, the Mustangs relinquished a significant fourth-quarter lead in a decisive conference game by similarly surrendering 21 points against South Dakota State.
Cal Poly was able to move the ball effectively with its subdivision-leading offense until the late stages of the fourth quarter. All offensive momentum and continuity was lost after Cal Poly’s 68-yard drive ended with 10:30 left and another mental mistake – when Bison safety Kyle Belmont picked off Mustang quarterback Jonathan Dally near the end zone for the second time of the game.
Dally had only thrown one interception coming into Saturday’s game.
“Anywhere in the game it could’ve turned,” Fullerton said. “It’s disappointing when everyone comes out and plays hard like that. It looks like it’s going to turn out your way, then it slips through your fingers.”
Yet the Mustang defense bailed the offense out when Fullerton picked off Walker in the end zone for Cal Poly’s final score of the game.
Walker, though, would be sparked into leading a comeback, compiling 190 yards in 10 plays as he picked apart the Mustangs’ secondary.
“Cal Poly got a chance to structure its defense slightly from this year to last year, so we really focused on that,” Walker said.
On the ensuing drive, Walker launched a ball precisely into wide receiver Jordan Schultenover’s hands for a 67-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 28-16 with 9:32 to play.
Dally scampered for 122 yards throughout the game and seven of his 25 attempts were for first downs, yet the Mustangs’ next drive consisted of three questionable quarterback keepers that netted a total of five yards.
Cal Poly then forced a turnover on downs after four plays when North Dakota State went for it on fourth-and-14. Poly suffered a similar fate, though, when it couldn’t convert on fourth-and-two after the turnover and left the Bison with good field position.
Walker completed a 48-yard strike to Schultenover on the first play of the next drive. The Mustangs committed a critical pass interference to set up a four-yard touchdown run by running back Tyler Roehl, who amassed 100 yards on 22 attempts. The gap was then narrowed to 28-23 with 4:21 to play.
The Mustangs relied on their running game on the next drive, which led to a punt on a fourth-and-five on the Bison 41.
Walker began the game-winning series with a 16-yard run to the 20, setting up the 80-yard bomb down the sideline to kill the Mustangs’ spirit.
“It was one of those heartbreakers,” said Mustang linebacker Marty Mohamed, who had a fumble recovery that resulted in a Dally interception. “I don’t even know what to say.”
Cal Poly seemed to hold the big play at bay until it mattered the most.
“They just can’t get behind us when we were already backed up,” Ellerson said. “That’s on me, that’s bad coaching. They battled their tails off and gave themselves a chance to win. I screwed it up.”
The Mustangs didn’t have an answer for the Bison’s overpowering offensive line until they got into the red zone. The crowd played an immense factor in North Dakota State’s ability to call plays, which held them to three field goals in three quarters.
“Fans were so supportive and loud they were almost a 12th man,” said Mustang fullback Jon Hall.
The Mustangs manufactured yards and moved the chains for nearly the entire game. Dally threw for 181 yards with three touchdowns and put the Mustangs on the board after a short play-action pass to Hall at the end of the first quarter.
After Bison kicker Shawn Bibeau hit one of his career-high three field goals to cut the lead to 7-3, Dally threw a perfect pass to Hall down the right sideline for a 42-yard touchdown.
The Bison threatened to tie the 14-6 Cal Poly lead after the half until Mark Cordes returned an interception 65 yards from the goal line. The next drive was capped by a Dally-Barden 10-yard connection, improving the lead to 21-6. Barden, a Walter Payton Award candidate, was nearly nonexistent in the second half, though.
Hall added 46 yards rushing and 66 yards receiving with two touchdowns in the loss. Barden was stifled with a mere 48 yards on three catches.
Cal Poly will face New York’s Iona College at 1:05 p.m on Nov. 17. at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.