Shredded rubber flew off the ground on the Mustangs’ practice field for a little more than two hours Monday, as the Cal Poly football team held its first practice of the 2011 season.
Expectations are high this year for a team that finished one game short of the playoffs last season. The Mustangs have eight returning starters on defense, have shifted their offensive philosophy and have a quarterback who is expected to make big plays in the fall — Andre Broadous. Broadous is a junior from Portland, Oreg., who will now take over as quarterback after spending two years as the backup to Tony Smith.
“I love playing football at Cal Poly,” Broadous said. “I came here because the coaching staff let me play quarterback. I had offers from Portland State and Oregon State, but those schools recruited me as an athlete.”
While Broadous may technically be a new starter, it does not mean he is an inexperienced one. He started four games last season and completed 64 percent of his passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 305 yards and three touchdowns. He said he is looking forward to showing off his dual-threat ability in Cal Poly’s new offense.
“Playing out of the shotgun comes really natural to me,” Broadous said. “We have a lot of playmakers that will be able to get the ball in space, and it makes other teams have to game plan for a lot of different looks because we will still run the triple option.”
The offense’s biggest playmaker figures to be senior slot back Mark Rodgers. Rodgers is a transfer from West Virginia and led the Mustangs in rushing last season with 882 yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes and set a school record with 904 kickoff return yards.
“I was not playing as much as I wanted to at West Virginia and decided to transfer closer to home,” Rodgers said. “I was going to take a couple of recruiting visits, but after coming to Cal Poly, I canceled those because I knew that this was the place I wanted to be.”
David Mahr will return at the other starting slotback position, after a knee injury.
An intriguing newcomer, however, is running back Deonte Williams. Williams was an All-NCFA Valley Conference running back at Sierra College, prior to transferring to Cal Poly.
“We have a lot of speed on offense,” Broadous said. “Defenses are going to have a tough time tackling our backs in the open field.”
Four returning starters on the offensive line will give Broadous and the running backs plenty of room to run.
The offensive line returns Art Munoz, Geoff Hyde and Maurice McClure. Two year starter Scott Winnewisser moves to left guard. Sophomores Giovanni Sani and Lefi Letuligasenoa also have starting experience.
The only question on offense appears to be who will replace wide receiver Dominique Johnson.
Johnson had 90 catches in two seasons and is now a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Coaches are hoping Johnson’s big shoes can be filled by Lance Castaneda — a 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman from Grace Davis High School in Modesto, Calif. Castaneda’s size will also be an asset as a blocker in the running game.
“We worked a lot on our passing game this offseason,” Broadous said. “We went seven on seven three times a week, and that has been really beneficial. I know that whoever I throw the ball too will go up and make a play.”
While the offense has monopolized most of the attention this offseason, the defense is expecting to bankrupt the opposition. Eight starters return from a unit that was 14th in the country in rush defense and 26th in sacks. The defense returns an All-American cornerback, two starting linebackers and a deep defensive line.
“We have amazing depth at every position this year,” senior defensive end Kyle Murphy said. “Defensively, we have confidence that every guy knows their assignments and is capable of making plays for us. Our goal this year is to be a top five defense against the run.”
Defensive ends Gavin Cooper and Murphy were named first-team and second-team All-Great West last season and will return with Erich Klemme as the starting nose guard. Overall, the defensive line has eight players who saw significant playing time last season. The only letdown about the opening of fall practice was Cooper was out recovering from offseason surgery, but he should be ready play during the season.
Great West Defensive Player of the Year Marty Mohamed graduated, but returning starter Kenny Jackson will take over Mohamed’s old spot. Also Johnny Millard, and his 38 tackles, will return. Max Schulz and Xavier Ramos will also compete to start at the weak-side linebacker linebacker spot.
The secondary returns the defense’s most accomplished player Asa Jackson at corner. He will be joined by defensive backs Nico Molino, Bijon Samoodi and Greg Francis.
“It’s great to have the secondary we do,” Murphy said. “It allows us to unpredictable as a defense and adjusts to whatever style of offense we are facing.”
Cal Poly does not get any breaks in its schedule this season. The Mustangs play games this year in four different time zones and face the defending FCS champions Eastern Washington at home. They also play FBS foes San Diego State and Northern Illinois, which won a combined 20 games and two bowls last season. The schedule concludes with a trip to South Alabama, which went 10-0 last season. However, the schedule does not faze the players or coaches.
“Every team is going to get the best of us,” Rodgers said. “They are going to get the best of me and the best of my teammates. Nothing else will be acceptable.”