San Diego comes into the playoffs, having won nine consecutive games, although only eight of those counted, as one was an exhibition game against a team from Mexico. The one and only game they lost this year was the same place they play in the first round, at Cal Poly, 36-18. The Pioneer League champions pretty much dominated everyone in their conference and did it with a stifling defense that only allowed 10.4 points per game, in conference. Overall, they surrendered 12.1. The strength of the defense is against the pass. But that will be nullified against a running juggernaut like Cal Poly. The offense will need QB Anthony Lawrence to make near perfect decisions and RB Jonah Hodges and the offensive line will have to work in total unison to keep pace with the Mustangs.
Cal Poly’s triple option offense is a throwback to old times, but they still do it so beautifully and it’s a really treat to watch. That is unless you have to play against it. Sure, you can relax against the pass for the most part, but with so many moving parts coming from the backfield, it’s just as effective as a prolific passing attack at moving the ball and much better at controlling the clock. Defensively, the Mustangs are prone to high scoring affairs. The defense is susceptible to big plays and that’s without exotic blitz schemes. The group doesn’t turnover opponents very often, so if the opposing offense can be efficient, they can put crooked numbers up on the scoreboard.
In the end, a good Big Sky team should have little problem with even the best team from the Pioneer team. However, the Toreros have some playoff experience from a few years ago and will not be intimidated playing an opponent they’ve already seen and an in-state foe to boot. They’re playing better than they were in October. Cal Poly had to win their final game to get in, so they’ve already had a pressure game. Expect they keep that rolling. Pardon the pun, but the Mustangs have too many horses for the Toreros to tame.
Projected score: Cal Poly 45, San Diego 21
