Cal Poly faces toughest test in program history

At Monday’s weekly Cal Poly athletics news conference, a reporter asked senior quarterback Jonathan Dally what he and the Mustangs wanted to accomplish this weekend.

On its face, the question seemed to have merit.

The Mustangs, ranked third in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), virtually guaranteed an at-large playoff berth with last week’s 51-28 win over UC Davis.

And their regular-season finale, at 12:33 p.m. Pacific Standard Time Saturday at Wisconsin in 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium, not only is against a traditional Football Bowl Subdivision (I-A) power that has been ranked as high as No. 8 this season, but it’s also the program’s first against a Bowl Championship Series opponent.

Still, Dally didn’t hesitate to provide a response.

“Uh, beat Wisconsin,” he said. “We feel like if we prepare enough and we stay on the same page and minimize our mistakes, we have a chance to give them a run.”

Badgers head coach Bret Bielema would be the first to agree.

“(I) tried to get us the best competition (when forming the schedule), and they’re more than that,” he told reporters at his own weekly news conference Monday.

Cal Poly (8-1) leads the FCS in both yards (493.7) and points (46.4) per game, has the FCS’ top-rated passer in Dally and likely its top NFL Draft prospect in senior receiver Ramses Barden, who last week broke Jerry Rice’s FCS record of 17 consecutive games with a touchdown catch.

But the Mustangs’ ground attack, featuring six players who’ve rushed for at least 277 yards – with four of them averaging no fewer than eight yards per carry – has Bielema most concerned.

Cal Poly is one of a handful of teams throughout all of college football to run the triple option, which few schools have experience preparing for because it went out of vogue years ago.

“They are unbelievable on offense,” Bielema told reporters. “Their offense is not similar to anything we’ve seen. They’re a very, very unique offense.

“It’s speed that they attack you with,” he added. “They try to keep everything fast-paced and going a million different directions at any given time.”

But the Mustangs have never faced a team as big – nor as good – as the Badgers.

“When you’re watching them on tape and trying to project how we are going to match up with them, you’re watching them play a bunch of Big Ten people – and we’re not,” Cal Poly head coach Rich Ellerson said. “So you’re guessing a little bit in terms of how this is going to look.”

At times, Cal Poly has faced FBS-caliber talent at isolated positions, not only during its season-opening, 29-27 win over San Diego State, but also in the FCS ranks, against No. 5 Montana, South Dakota State (which was ranked as highly as 12th) and UC Davis (which lost just 13-10 to San Jose State).

“We’ve played against people at different times in the season that were on a par with some of those guys that we’re going to see on Saturday,” Ellerson said. “What we’re maybe used to seeing is some really good guys here and then some average guys there. There are no average guys (with Wisconsin). It’s across the board.”

Wisconsin’s starting offensive linemen average a weight of 319 pounds, while Cal Poly’s starting defensive linemen tip the scales at 252.

“We’re taking that (size difference) to the extreme in this instance,” Ellerson said. “And these guys aren’t just big guys. These are some big, physical, athletic guys.”

They should also be motivated.

The Badgers (6-5) became bowl eligible by beating Minnesota 35-32 last week, and by concluding their regular season with another victory, could punch their ticket to Tempe, Ariz. for the Insight Bowl.

Their offensive linemen won’t be the only aspect of the game unprecedented in size for Cal Poly.

Although a capacity crowd isn’t expected, the attendance should be the largest in Cal Poly history.

To simulate the environment, the Mustangs have practiced with artificial crowd noise this week.

“Playing in a stadium for the first time where we can’t hear anything is going to be our biggest challenge,” Dally said.

A bad loss would likely mean the Mustangs would open the playoffs at either Weber State or Montana instead of at home, according to The Sports Network’s David Coulson.

But simply playing in such an unprecedented environment could be enough incentive for the Mustangs.

“Everybody’s been talking about, ‘What are you going to do against Wisconsin?’ ” Dally said. “And now it’s finally time to think about it.”

When asked what playing on such a large stage meant for the program, Ellerson said he didn’t know yet.

“It’s going to be a great adventure,” he said. “It’s something that we haven’t experienced. It’s a chance (for the players) to test themselves at the highest level in one of the most difficult places to play in the country.”

Notes: The game will be shown in San Luis Obispo at The Grad, The Shack and Laguna BBQ and Brew. . The FCS Playoff Selection Show will be televised live at 4 p.m. Sunday by ESPNU and replayed on ESPNEWS at 7 p.m. . Most forecasts predict game weather to be partly cloudy, between 28 and 38 degrees with a 10-percent chance of snow. On Nov. 26, 2005, Cal Poly won 35-21 at Montana in similar conditions. . As of Thursday night, BetUS.com and 5Dimes Sportsbook favored Wisconsin by 18.5 points.