After suffering its first loss of the season, the Cal Poly football team is looking to rebound this Saturday against the No. 7 Eastern Washington Eagles.
With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, each game is becoming increasingly crucial in determining a playoff berth. This week’s nonconference showdown is no exception, as it could play an important role in deciding the automatic qualifier from the Big Sky Conference.
“In beating Eastern Washington, it’s a tough task, and I think it means a lot to the outcome of the Big Sky, but it’s not everything as far as our season goes,” head coach Tim Walsh said.
The Mustangs are coming off an emotional matchup against Sacramento State last week, where they lost 35-29.
“Last Saturday night we didn’t play like the best team; you have to do it for four quarters, you can’t do it for a quarter and a half or two and expect to beat good football teams,” Walsh said. “They had a young man pass away, they dedicated the season and the game to him. They were an inspired football team.”
The defeat to Sacramento State last week was a disappointment, however, the team is focused on moving forward with the rest of the season.
“The rides not over just because somebody put a little bit of an obstacle up. There’s an obstacle because we lost, that we created, and we have to fix it,” Walsh said. “When I say ‘We’, it’s players and coaches; we’re all in this together and we need to regroup and focus on what’s in front of us.”
The loss dropped the Mustangs down to 7-1 overall and down to No. 16 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) media and coaches polls. According to Walsh, nine wins will likely be the number that gets the Mustangs into the postseason, however two of the final three games remaining are on the road against top 15 ranked teams.
Cal Poly is looking to erase the memory of a 53-51 defeat to Eastern Washington in a triple-overtime thriller at home last season. However, it won’t be a simple task against the talented Eagles offense which Walsh summarized in one word: “scary.”
On offense Eastern Washington boasts three talented wide receivers, whom all of Walsh believes could play in the NFL in the future. They also use a two quarterback system, utilizing two players with different skill sets. In addition, the Eagles possess an extremely fast and athletic offense.
“They are by far the most athletic team in the Big Sky, there’s not a question to who that is, it’s Eastern Washington,” Walsh said. “To beat them you gotta deal with their athleticism. Beau Baldwin does a great job coaching and you’re going to have to deal with what they do schematically as well.”
With the playoffs on the horizon, Walsh isn’t planning on letting the team get too caught up with how many wins it will take to earn a spot in the postseason.
“I just think you control your own destiny,” he said. “Nine wins will definitely get us in, eight might, but I sure as heck don’t want to be sitting here Sunday morning hoping we get in the playoffs.”
Jefferson P. Nolan and James Corbett contributed to this article.