Mustangs back at No. 9 in I-AA poll

The Cal Poly football team fell three spots to No. 9 Monday in The Sports Network’s Division I-AA poll following a 10-9 loss Saturday at No. 2 Montana.

After losing two of their last three games, the Mustangs (6-3, 2-1 Great West Football Conference) likely must beat both No. 5 North Dakota State (8-1) on Saturday and Savannah State (1-8) on Nov. 18 to reach the postseason.

Despite being ranked No. 1 among 16 I-AA conferences in USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin ratings, the five-team Great West will not receive an automatic bid to the postseason until it has six playoff-eligible teams aligned for at least two seasons.

Still, the Mustangs do boast a tougher schedule than most I-AA teams. Having played a pair of I-A schools, Cal Poly’s strength of schedule is rated No. 128 in the Sagarin ratings. That ranks above the strengths of schedules for the top three teams in The Sports Network’s poll – No. 1 Appalachian State (No. 152), No. 2 Montana (No. 135) and No. 3 Massachusetts (No. 142).

That’s a big reason players like senior middle linebacker and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Kyle Shotwell said Sunday they feel the Mustangs deserve to get into the playoffs.

“I know that we’re one of the top 16 teams in the country,” Shotwell said. “We just have to go out there and prove it on Saturdays.”

Junior linebacker Jason Relyea agreed.

“I think we will be there,” Relyea said. “I think we’re a capable team and a playoff team.”

Junior defensive end Adam Torosian classified Cal Poly’s final two games as must-win if the team is to make the playoffs.

“I think we belong there,” Torosian said. “We have to win, that’s it. We don’t have a choice right now. Forgetting the (Montana) game is crucial and focusing all on North Dakota State. We have to win.”

Sacks continue to pile up

With seven sacks Saturday, the Cal Poly defense has 35 on the season, amounting to 248 yards in losses.

Shotwell leads the Mustangs in both total tackles (97) and sacks (7). Five players for Cal Poly have four or more sacks.

Torosian, who has 4.5 sacks, credited the Mustangs’ double-eagle flex scheme, which uses a 3-4 base but at times looks more like a 5-2.

“With our pressure we should expect those kind of sacks every game,” Torosian said. “We got some more pressure off the edge (Saturday). We expect those kinds of sacks.”

Cal Poly ranks third among 121 Division I-AA teams in sacks, behind only James Madison and Harvard, who have 41 apiece.

Brennan performs well

With an NCAA passer rating of 116.3 Saturday, Cal Poly sophomore quarterback Matt Brennan played one of his best games of the season.

In his last four starts prior to Saturday, Brennan’s rating was 80.5 and he had a touchdown-interception ratio of 2-5.

On Saturday, Brennan completed 14 of 27 passes for 207 yards without a touchdown or pick. He had ratings of 169.09 and 139.65, respectively, in wins over Sacramento State and Southern Utah this season.

Coromelas honored again

After going 3 for 3 on field-goal attempts Saturday, Cal Poly senior kicker Nick Coromelas was named Great West Special Teams Player of the Week for the second straight week.

Coromelas is 12 for 18 on the season but 9 for 11 in his last five games. He hit from 30, 35 and 47 yards out Saturday and also punted nine times for an average of 39.6 yards.

With its last four games decided by a combined four points, the Mustangs can benefit from having as reliable a kicker as possible.

“We have extreme faith in Nick,” Shotwell said.