Bijon Samoodi senior cornerback was recently named Big Sky Conference defensive player of the week. The Cal Poly football team will face No. 3 in the country Eastern Washington on Saturday at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:40 p.m.
Jacob Lauing
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The Cal Poly football team has played a game of musical quarterbacks all season.
Through 10 games, four different players have seen action behind center, and the starter seems to change from week to week.
“We would’ve liked to have some continuity but the reality is, it hasn’t been the position we’ve stayed healthiest at,” head coach Tim Walsh said.
Heading into the Mustangs’ home finale against No. 3 Eastern Washington on Saturday, the chair is empty and music is playing once again.
Sophomore Chris Brown, who threw four touchdown passes against Sacramento State this past weekend, is still limping from that 42-7 victory. He’s nursing a sore ankle, and wasn’t taking snaps at practice on Tuesday.
Then there’s Dano Graves. The sophomore has notched a 62.7 completion rate with 379 passing yards in five games this season, and handed the reins back to Brown after getting banged up on Oct. 26 against Northern Arizona.
Walsh said the coaching staff will make a decision on who’s starting later this week.
”We’ll see which one’s the healthiest and at that point in time that’s probably the guy that we’ll start,” Walsh said on Tuesday. “If Chris can’t practice tomorrow then Dano will start. Obviously Chris did some great things last week.”
Cal Poly (5-5, 4-2 Big Sky Conference) will need to be healthy if it wants to beat Eastern Washington. With a 6-0 conference record, the Eagles remain the only undefeated team in the Big Sky.
“They’re extremely efficient on offense,” Walsh said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes and I don’t think they have any weaknesses.”
Eastern Washington leads the conference in scoring offense, total offense, pass offense and pass efficiency. The Eagles average 40.8 points per game, while quarterback Vernon Adams has recorded 39 touchdowns.
“Normally we can watch an opponent on offense and you can go, ‘Man, their left guard’s not very good or maybe they’re not that fast with this wide receiver,” Walsh said. “Every guy is a good, or better, player. And obviously their quarterback is extremely special. I think that makes them dangerous.”
Defense, however, is a different story for Eastern Washington. With a few secondary players on the shelf, the Eagles rank 11th in the conference in total defense, and last in pass defense.
Still, according to Brown, that doesn’t change the game plan.
“We approach each team with the same mindset, trying to stay true to our offense and put up points,” Brown said.
To combat the Eagles’ defense, Cal Poly features slotback Kristaan Ivory, who currently ranks No. 5 in the conference with 94 rushing yards per game. The junior has put up six 100-rushing yard games this season.
The Mustangs have seen their fair share of tough opponents in 2013, facing and falling to Fresno State and Montana on the road.
Though Cal Poly lost, 34-17 to Eastern Washington a year ago, and the Eagles own a 4-2 series record, the Mustangs have momentum, riding their first winning streak of the season into Saturday’s game.
“We’re going to have to come out faster than we did last year,” Walsh said. “One thing we’re not going to do is push the panic button.”
Saturday also marks homecoming and Senior Day in Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 12:40 p.m.