Nha ha — Mustang Daily
The Mustangs finished the 2011 season as champions of the Great West, but the team faces a tougher task in its first season as members of the Big Sky.
Picked to finish fifth in the conference, Cal Poly will open conference play on this weekend against UC Davis. The Aggies have proven to be more than a tough opponent for the Mustangs; fourth-year head coach Tim Walsh has yet to beat the Aggies in three tries. In fact, the last time the Mustangs claimed the Golden Horseshoe was 2008 in Rich Ellerson’s final season before he accepted the head coaching position at Army.
The centerpiece of the Mustangs offense is undoubtedly senior quarterback Andre Broadous, who controls the Cal Poly offense. He completed 58 percent of his passes in 2011 and has, coming into this season, thrown just one interception in his college career. More important than Broadous’ arm are his legs, which carried the Mustangs much of last season. He averaged 65 yards per game and scored a program single season record 18 touchdowns on the ground.
Cal Poly lost four-time all-conference cornerback Asa Jackson to the NFL Draft, where he went in the fifth round to the Baltimore Ravens, but returned key contributors on the defensive end such as Kennith Jackson. He had 80 tackles and intercepted two passes in his sophomore season while starting all 11 Cal Poly games in 2011.
The team will also play Northern Colorado, Portland State and Idaho State in home conference games during their first season outside of the Great West Conference.