Ryan ChartrandKarl Ivory is a former Cal Poly cornerback who finished up his eligibility in 2004. He has shed his helmet and pads for a pen and notebook as a special football analyst for the Mustang Daily. Here is what “Coach K” has to say about this week’s matchup:
Two weeks ago, Cal Poly was finally able to take down rival UC Davis with a come-from-behind victory, defeating the Aggies for the first time at home since 1996.
The Horseshoe Classic lived up to be every bit as exciting as previous years had shown. Year in and year out, this is the marquee game for fans to look forward to.
Led by Kenny “The Chin” Chicoine, the defense was able to come up with huge third-quarter stops and kept the UC Davis offense on long fields with help from the special teams, which then allowed the offense to roll up 17 unanswered points.
“Big Game” James Noble was again able to surpass 100 yards rushing and Ramses “The Giant” Barden was able to get behind the UC Davis defense all night. This week brings in Great West Football Conference foe South Dakota State.
Cal Poly offense vs. South Dakota State defense:
In its last game, the Cal Poly offense was finally able to kick the turnover bug and put up some huge numbers. This week, it will have to be up to its same old bag of tricks.
The Jackrabbits’ defense is coming in giving up 333 yards on the ground and only 173 yards through the air. This is good news for a Cal Poly offense that loves to hand the ball off to Noble on almost every play.
The Jackrabbits are coming off a three-game wining streak thanks to the changes up front along the defensive line. They are led by the powerful Jason Bonwell, Mitch Pontrelli, Eric Schroeder and Danny Batten, so the holes won’t stay open too long.
Cal Poly defense vs. South Dakota State offense:
The Cal Poly defense is hands-down the best in the country, and they know it.
The Mustangs come in averaging 202 yards of total offense allowed per game. So if the Jackrabbits want to have any chance of coming up with the upset, they are going to have to play their best game of the season and have to keep Kyle and Ryan Shotwell out of the backfield causing havoc.
Look for the Jackrabbits to try to spread the Cal Poly defense out and rely heavily on the play-action pass to get large chunks of yards.
Can the Cal Poly offense show the same type of fortitude that it did in the UC Davis game and can the Cal Poly defense continue to shine?
Coach K predicts: Cal Poly 38, South Dakota State 13.