Junior David Mahr (above) finished last season with 19 receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown. This seaoson, he and the rest of the receiving corps could see their numbers rise with the offensive shotgun wrinkles the Mustangs showed Saturday. Photo by Ryan Sidarto- Mustang Daily

Cal Poly’s offense beat their defense 59-42 as the football team tried out new schemes in its annual spring game Saturday afternoon in Alex G. Spanos stadium. The underlying story line was Andre Broadous dueling last-year’s quarterback Tony Smith for a starting role.

Broadous led the offense as he completed all four of his passing attempts for 91 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eric Gardley. Broadous also led the Mustangs in rushing, carrying the ball 14 times for 74 yards. All six quarterbacks on the roster saw playing time. Smith struggled in the game completing only two of his six passes for 12 yards and one interception. He added a three-yard touchdown run for the green team early in the first half.

Head coach Tim Walsh said the team’s quarterback situation is still open and Broadous and Smith each will get equal repetitions heading into fall practices. He said he hopes to have a quarterback decision made by around the midpoint of practice in the fall but that both guys could see action during the season.

“Going into fall camp, it will probably be the same as we just did here where every other day they will switch off running with the (first team), and hopefully by day 10 of fall camp a solid decision will be made,” Walsh said. “It is possible that both of them could play, and I think they both have strengths that could help us win games.”

Walsh said he normally likes to settle on one quarterback, but he is going to make the decision that is best for the team.

“If it means to play Tony, we’ll play Tony,” Walsh said. “If it means to play Andre, we’ll play Andre, but either way, we are going to make sure that the best players are going to be on the field.”

The game utilized a unique scoring system designed to give the offense an advantage. The offense gained a point for every first down along with the usual scoring of three points for a field goal, six points for a touchdown and one for an extra point. The defense earned one point for holding the offense without scoring on a drive, three points for a four-and-out series, six points for an interception or fumble and 12 or 13 points for an interception or fumble return for a touchdown depending on the extra point. The offense was able to avenge a 29-28 loss to the defense in last year’s spring game.

Walsh said the game was a good way to showcase the team’s skills and that he enjoyed the support of the crowd.

“It’s always fun to come out here, and it’s tough because the defense is really at a disadvantage because of the scoring system, but I think the players like it,” Walsh said. “It’s a great atmosphere and obviously we love the support we have here and we love playing on this grass.”

Walsh said the spring is a great opportunity to work on fundamentals and try to implement new things such as the shotgun packages. He said it’s a chance to see how players develop and see what the younger players bring to the team.

“Most importantly it is to really see where your young players have developed,” Walsh said. “We were really pleased that we were able to get in as many live plays as we were, and all those young freshman got a tremendous amount of plays.”

During the game, the Mustangs displayed more shotgun packages than in previous years. Cal Poly runs a triple-option based offense, which is usually run from under center, but Walsh and Broadous said the new shotgun offense presents plenty of challenges for opposing defenses.

“I think our shotgun offense is going to open up a lot for our triple-option game, because defenses can’t focus on one thing now,” Broadous said.

Walsh said the offense will continue to grow and has the potential to create some explosive plays this season. He said the offense was able to do some good things today as they scored four touchdowns and generated 28 first downs on the afternoon.

“I think the combination of things we were doing really slowed down our defense and they played a little bit less aggressively,” Walsh said. “I think if we can continue to grow with that and continue to improve with what we are doing, then I think we can be explosive.”

Defensively, the Mustangs were led by freshman linebacker Johnny Millard who recorded eight tackles on the day and also added an interception. The defense forced four turnovers, including a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Nick Leyden who capped it off with a dive into the end zone following the 10-yard return. Defensive back Darryl Williams added an interception on the last play of the first half and defensive lineman Solomon Grosz recovered a fumble for the defense.

Defensive lineman Gavin Cooper said everyone on the defense can improve, but there is a lot of speed present on the defensive side of the ball. He said the spring is a chance for everyone to get better and evaluate guys.

“We get to see everyone as a unit, and you get to see a lot of the younger guys progressing and see them step up in spring ball,” Cooper said.

Walsh said he liked what the defense was able to do and found out that the defense will have plenty of depth up front. He said his biggest concern is in the secondary, but much of that had to do with injuries. Also, he said he wanted to figure out the linebacker position; the team boasts three players who could all see time next season.

Despite the abnormal structure of the game, many of the players enjoyed the opportunity to go out and play against one another.

“We’ve been competing with them all spring, so it just felt good to show off what we could do,” Broadous said.

Cooper said it was difficult for the defense since they were at a disadvantage, but it was still fun to be out there. He joked about how the defense does not really pull for the offense when they are scrimmaging against one another.

“I only like seeing (kicker) Jake West do good,” Cooper said. “Everyone else on the offense while we are playing, naw, I don’t want to see them do good at all.”

The Mustangs are only allotted 15 practices during the spring due to NCAA regulations. They will begin practice in the fall on August 8, and Walsh expects everyone who sat out during the spring with injuries to be ready to go when practice commences again. The Mustangs will open their season at home against Humboldt State at 6:05 p.m. in Alex G. Spanos stadium on September 4.

Tony Smith passed for 1,619 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Photo by Nick Camacho- Mustang Daily

At the start of spring practice, there is no solid leader for the Mustangs starting quarterback position. The most glorified position on the football field has become a guessing game for Cal Poly.

Will it be Tony Smith, or Andre Broadous?

A year ago, the passing offense Smith commanded was under scrutiny. Incompletion after incompletion, he and the passing game struggled to get on their feet. But Wednesday afternoon, tight spirals and accurate throws came from the quarterback who many questioned. After starting for a year, Smith has a season full of experience against Division-I defenses. Last spring, Smith had a new offense to learn under a revamped coaching staff. This spring, Smith knows the offense, he has seen what works in games, he knows where the big play is going to be.

“Now we have a good idea of who we are and what type of players we have — we have an idea on what can make us successful. I think we are ready to execute,” Smith said.

With learning the X’s and O’s out of the way, Smith can focus on the little things.

“It’s just football now,” Smith said. “I know I can come out here and work. I know the things that I have to work on. I feel good.”

During the first day of spring practice, Smith walked around the field with swagger. He held his chin high — it was his day to prove that he has what it takes to lead the Mustangs.

“This year, coming back, I can already see it today,” cornerback Asa Jackson said. “(Smith) was throwing the ball, slinging it around, looking good, putting the ball on the money, I can see (what he can be) — and I’m excited.”

Completion after completion, his performance didn’t go unnoticed — he impressed head coach Tim Walsh.

“I think Tony had a great practice today and we want to see what he can do when he puts the pads back on,” Walsh said.

But the position is not unanimously his. Standing in his shadow is Andre Broadous — a former Oregon State Player of the Year waiting to grab hold of the starting quarterback position. Broadous racked up 6,000 yards of total offense at Grant  High school in 2006 and 2007. Last season, he saw limited playing time and didn’t accumulate many stats.

“I’m athletic, and we run the triple-option here, so that works towards my strengths as a quarterback,” Broadous said. “I just got to get the mental part down, adjusting the plays at the line of scrimmage, learning the offense, being a leader on and off the field — all the other intangibles besides the physical ones.”

Still, Walsh isn’t sold on a starting quarterback. It is either Smith, the experienced veteran who knows the offense well and has the numbers, or Broadous, the inexperienced athlete who has the intangibles to be your prototypical triple-option quarterback.

“Day one, without pads on, (Smith) demonstrated some of the things we wanted to see him do to continue to stay at quarterback. On the same hand, we saw (Bradous) do some of the same things he needs to improve upon in order to be the quarterback,” Walsh said.

Each wants to become the starter; neither wants to spend his season on the bench. Walsh plans to use that to both players’ advantage. He said he is going to let the competitiveness of both players help him decide the starter.

“We want to make that position as competitive as we possibly can, for our team’s growth but also push those two guys to be the two best players that they can be,” Walsh said. “I think that’s as good competitive spirit to have.”

Each player has the skill set that the other wants. Smith wants to improve an aspect of his game Broadous possesses: athleticism.

“I want to become a better factor in the run game,”  Smith said. “I feel my training in the offseason has prepared me for that. I just need to do more of an explosive player, which I feel that I can be.”

Broadous seeks to improve an aspect of his game that Smith utilizes, awareness.

“I have a good arm,” Broadous said. “I have the ability to make all the throws in this offense. I don’t think the physical part is the problem for me right now … (Smith) picked up to the offense faster than I did. He has more of the mental game than me.”

For now, Smith looks like he will end up at the top of the depth chart, but Broadous is not going to sit back quietly.

“I’m hungry,” Broadous said. “I want to start.”

Stock photo

A year after piecing together one of the most dominant seasons in program history, Cal Poly held a 4-7 record in 2009. The Mustangs racked up four consecutive losses for the first time since 2002 and ended their six-consecutive winning seasons streak by finishing last in the Grean West.

“It was a disappointment; I’m disappointed, I’m sure our players are disappointed, I know the fans are disappointed,” head coach Tim Walsh said at a press conference at the end of last season. “It wasn’t exactly the way we scripted it. But the reality of the situation is that is where we are. We can bury our head in the sand and try to ignore it or we can go back and we can research it.”

Last week, Walsh announced a recruitment class last week that will help fill the gaps.

“We had a great class,” Walsh said. “We were able to pinpoint the young people that we wanted in our football program and then had the opportunity to go get ‘em…With the addition of the guys that we did sign, I think, will give us the opportunity to help us become who we want to become as a football program.”

This year’s class consists of 12 high school graduates, two community college transfers and one four year college transfer: two defensive linemen, three linebackers, three defensive backs, one wide receiver, three offensive lineman, two running backs and one kicker.

Of the group, two recruits hail from the Central Coast.

Santa Maria native K.J. Cusack rushed for 1,845 yards with 22 touchdowns as a senior at St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria. He carried the ball 134 times and averaged close to 14 yards per rush, helping fuel the Knights to a 12-1 record. Cusack produced eight games of 100 yards or more rushing, including four games where he breached 200 yards.

“I don’t know if we have a guy that is more talented than him,” Walsh said. “With the ball in his hands he is just special”

Cusack’s highlight tape resembles something that mirrors a Reggie Bush running style, but critics question his size. He is listed at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds. To Walsh, that is no problem.

“We know he is not the biggest guy … but he has the instincts at running back that I think you cannot teach,” Walsh said. “K.J. is an explosive guy with the football and he is probably more physical than anybody will allow you to believe.”

Another recruit that heads to Cal Poly from local ground is Kevin Britt. Britt caught 53 passes for 893 yards and 11 touchdowns at Nipomo High School. While Britt saw playing time on both sides of the ball, Walsh has recruited Britt to play defensive back.

“This man can run. He can flat run, and can make plays and he made plays against some high-quality opponents,” Walsh said.

Britt recorded 19 solo tackles among his 71 total stops in his senior year. Fresno State and San Diego State were among several other Division I schools showing interest in Britt.

“We can’t find guys that are 5-foot-11 or 6-foot that can run like he can run, but play corner,” Walsh said. “I am not going to say that two years down the road he can’t be a wide receiver, but right now he is a corner. We are happy that we have some height at that position.”

Last year, Cal Poly’s receiving corps got help from UCLA transfer Dominique Johnson. This year, another FBS transfer is heading to Cal Poly to wear green and gold — former West Virginia running back Mark Rodgers.

Rodgers will have two years of eligibility left with the Mustangs. Last year he backed up Noel Devine and mostly saw the field as a kick return specialist. His most extensive playing time as a Mountaineer came his freshman year when he rushed 15 times for 80 yards against Marshall. In high school he rushed for 4,819 yards and 50 touchdowns in his last two seasons at Leuzinger High School in Lawndale.

“He is a very exciting football player,” Walsh said. “He is extremely strong and a very gifted young man that we think can be a difference-maker.”

Other recruits include: defensive end Kyle Murphy: Cardinal Newman High School/Santa Rosa Junior College; linebacker A.J. Caviglia: Buchanan High School/Fresno Community College; wide receiver Lance Castaneda: Grace M. Davis High School; offensive lineman Joseph Coleman: Moreau Catholic High School; strong safety Dave Douglas: Oakland Senior High School; linebacker Nick Dzubnar: Mission Viejo High School; offensive lineman Joshua Hines: Jesuit High School; linebacker Brandon Howe: Dana Hills High School; defensive back Vante Johnson: Edison High School; kicker James Langford: Foothill High School; defensive tackle Chris Lawrence: De La Salle High School; offensive Lineman Lefi Letuligasenoa: Elk Grove High School.

“The addition of the guys that we did sign I think will give is the opportunity to become who we want to become as a football program,” Walsh said.

The Silvey Lining is a sports column by journalism senior Scott Silvey. He is also a Mustang Daily copy editor.

The cosmos can often times throw a person into a situation that they want no part of. Remember that time you got roped into going to watching that “Care Bears” movie with your five-year-old cousin after the babysitter cancelled?

After the movie you spent the next few hours arguing with the kid about the merit of whether Good Luck Bear was a better leader than Tenderheart Bear.

Ok, so maybe that was just me. But it turns out I’ve got nothing on Dennis Dixon.

The third-string Steelers quarterback was thrust into the spotlight on Sunday night when Ben Roethlisburger and Charlie Batch were both unable to play against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Dixon ’s only NFL completion was a 3-yarder to Hines Ward last year. The guy wasn’t even a traditional quarterback in college, as he ran the spread offense and kept many plays alive via his feet and yet here he is starting in a nationally televised game against one of the world’s scariest defenses.

The poor guy can’t catch a break. In 2006, Dixon had Oregon within a couple of games of a national championship appearance and had almost assuredly wrapped up the Heisman Trophy when he suffered an ACL tear and was sidelined for the season. The Ducks would lose out and Dixon would never be considered among the great Pac-10 quarterbacks of the era.

Somehow he plays well enough to guide the Steelers into overtime where he eventually makes the mistake people were waiting for, throwing an interception that leads to Baltimore ’s winning score.

The fans jump all over him, and he is proclaimed to be a bust. It was sad to see the Steelers show no faith in him, constantly running on first and second down while allowing the Ravens to gear up for a 3rd-and-7 situation that could only mean a pass.

And sometimes even in those situations the Steelers would run.

If you’re going to send him out there, don’t send him out there with an unloaded weapon.

But chances are, Big Ben will be back next week, especially after Ward called him out in a pregame interview, so Steelers fans can file this memory away like many other fans have had to do with third-string quarterbacks who somehow starts a game.

Vin-sanity

How many fourth downs in a fourth quarter two-minute drill can one quarterback convert in a single game?

Three if you’re Vince Young.

The self-proclaimed future hall of famer certainly looked like one when it mattered on Sunday. Young looked more like Joe Montana as he drove the Titans 99 yards in two minutes for the game-winning touchdown pass as the clock expired.

Young was 9-of-16 passing for 94 yards on the final drive alone. Compare that to Derek Anderson’s entire game-winning line against Buffalo earlier this year — 2 of 17 for 23 yards.

Some backup quarterbacks don’t even get 16 pass attempts in a career, let alone on one drive.

The whole Young versus Leinart thing was completely played out in the media, but how ironic was it that Young this time won the game with his arm, rather than his legs. The maturation process is almost complete.

The Perfect Storm

With five games to go in the regular season, the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts are closing in on twin 16-0 seasons.

In a league that proclaims to be all about parity, the NFL is on its way to having two perfect teams to go along with a 15-1 team in Minnesota.

The Saints close out the season with road games against Washington, Atlanta (who may be without Matt Ryan) and Carolina and with home games against Dallas and Tampa Bay.

Those teams have a combined record of 22-33.

Meanwhile Indianapolis has a slightly tougher road. The Colts host Tennessee, Denver and the Jets while traveling to play Jacksonville and Buffalo for a combined record of 27-28.

Pretty much everyone thought that if the Saints were going to lose, it would be on Monday night against the Patriots.

Not only did they win, they dominated New England. The Saints made Tom Brady looked more like Jay Cutler than himself.

Even Bill Belichick imploded again, going for another extremely questionable fourth down late in the third quarter in a desperate attempt to keep up with the Saints offense.

Indianapolis has won four straight games while trailing at some point in the fourth quarter. Teams continue to give Peyton Manning too much respect and he makes them pay dearly.

The question is, can a team like the Saints win consistently in the playoffs? They did make a run to the NFC Championship Game a couple years ago, but can that defense continue to play at a high level for three consecutive weeks.

We already know the Colts can.

Lost in all of this are the Vikings, who seem to have either a future hall of famer, or at least a perennial pro-bowler at every position. Minnesota easily has the most talent in the NFL. They could potentially be the most talented team in NFL history. But can head coach Brad Childress actually coach? The guy was on the verge of being fired before Brett Favre came in. He’s always had the talent to make the Vikings a contender. He just hasn’t made the right choices. We’ll find out what he can do in the playoffs this year, finally facing a Superbowl or bust mentality.

The Silvey Lining is a sports column by journalism senior Scott Silvey. He is also a Mustang Daily copy editor.

Every once in awhile there is a game so epic that you can’t help but watch it. The game goes down to the wire with both teams fighting desperately for a big win to keep their season alive. Then something amazing happens and the game is remembered for generations to come.

OK, so Cleveland and Detroit wasn’t all that, but it was close.

If these teams were a combined 16-2 instead of 2-16 coming in, this game would be remembered as one of the great games of the decade.

Matthew Stafford throws a last-second Hail Mary, getting almost killed in the process, and draws a pass interference call.

After he is peeled off the turf, Stafford gets up and with triple zeroes on the clock and throws a touchdown with what appears to be a broken arm. He then limps off the field pointing to his arm, unable to even pump his fist because his arm is probably shattered and wProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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Here is a short transcript of the entire call from the broadcasters. Keep in mind; they don’t raise their voices in the slightest.

“Throws, touchdown Detroit. They did it; the Lions came back and did it.”

It was like he was reading from a cue card or something. We need to get Gus Johnson into some of these terrible games.

If there’s one way to spruce up a bad game, it’s to have Johnson screaming at the end of it. He has a talent for making boring things interesting, which is why he calls a lot of New York Knicks games.

Still, even without Johnson, this game was amazing. The Browns scored four offensive touchdowns on Sunday. In its past games combined, Cleveland had just five offensive touchdowns.

So in one game, we got an entire season’s worth of offensive production. Could you imagine if that happened to a team like the Colts or Cardinals?

Final score from Tempe, Indianapolis 448, Arizona 384.

The Manning Complex

The Colts have been treading on thin ice in their past four victories, winning by a total of just 10 points. Teams are so scared of Peyton Manning’s two-minute drill, that they do stupid things at the end of all of these close games to give them away.

In Week 10, Bill Belichick went for a fourth down on his own 28 to try to keep Manning off the field. It failed, and even the unflappable Belichick was forced to defend himself to the media all week.

In their game against Baltimore, John Harbaugh decided he didn’t want Manning to see the field with 2:30 to go in what would likely be a one-point game.

Trailing 17-15 with 2:50 to go, Harbaugh called a third-and-7 pass play from the Colts’ 19. The pass was intercepted and any realistic chance of a Ravens win went out the window.

You have to wonder, are teams giving Manning too much respect? As Herm Edwards said, “Hello, you play to win the game.”

That means having faith that your defense can go out there and stop Manning from driving 60-70 yards for the winning score.

The Ravens have always had one of the better defenses in the league. They gave up just 17 points to the Colts. But you mean to tell me that Harbaugh had so little faith in his defense that he thought it would be worth it to throw that ball on third down instead of just running it and kicking a field goal? If I were Ray Lewis, I’d be having some words with my coach about now.

Con-Grad-ulations Raiders

Maybe Oakland finally figured it out. If you bench bums who don’t give a damn about your team, the morale will jump and you’ll get a solid all-around effort.

Bruce Gradkowski did not turn the Raiders into world champs all of a sudden. But he infused them with passion, and they all played like they had something to actually play for.

Gradkowski knows this is probably his last shot at a starting job in this league. I’m sure he probably realizes that the Raiders will likely try to bring in someone better in the offseason.

But that’s not going to stop him from playing like every down means something. Teams pick up on that kind of mentality.

While they beat Cincinnati, which was playing without Cedric Benson, they still played a dangerous Bengals team.

They got a Benson-esque game from rookie running back Bernard Scott and Carson Palmer even ran for two touchdowns.

So this was an impressive win for the Raiders. They could play a major spoiler role coming down the stretch with games against the likes of the Cowboys, Steelers and Broncos.

While Tom Cable probably won’t be keeping his job after this season (and frankly, nor should he), I applaud the move to Gradkowski. It’s hard to give up on a No.1 overall draft pick.

We see that going on across the Bay right now. The 49ers keep going to former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith, despite his many failures. While most San Francisco fans would say Smith is the quarterback only because he’s the best of the worst on that team, there is still a stigma with these players.

People see what “could be” with a former top pick, not usually “what really is.”

A 47-14 season-ending loss to Weber State Saturday marked the end of Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh’s first season leading the Mustangs.

The former Portland State head coach led Cal Poly to a 4-7 record, racking up four consecutive loses for the first time since 2002.

Before the Mustangs, Walsh had a 117-82 record in 18 seasons as a head coach. His 14-year stint with Portland State (90-98, 93-06) and his four years at Sonoma State (89-92) netted him a 70 career winning percentage.

His first year at Cal Poly resulted in a 47 winning percentage, 11 points lower than the Mustangs all-time record as a football team (453-356-20).

Succeeding former head coach Rich Ellerson, who departed last year for Army, Walsh has etched Cal Poly’s first winless road schedule in 11 years.

Under Ellerson, four-year starters Ramses Barden, James Noble, Stephen Field and Tre’dale Tolver and transfers Ryan Mole and Jonathan Dally departed after an 8-3 season.

This season,the roster featured 64 underclassman.

Cal Poly held 37 upperclassmen including 12 seniors who played their final game as a Mustangs this weekend, a group of which include the likes of Jono Grayson, Carlton Gillespe and Jon Hall, among others.

It was déjà vu all over again for Cal Poly as No. 12 Weber State ended Cal Poly’s season for the second-consecutive year.

The Mustangs offense rolled early, piecing together an 80-yard drive capped with a 28-yard David Mahr touchdown reception for the first possession of the game.

Weber State responded, notching 31 points in the second second quarter against a Cal Poly defense that has struggled in past weeks.

Thirty-eight points, 293 yards and three Mustang turnovers later, Cal Poly would answer back.

Junior fullback Jordan Yocum caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Smith, ending a 70-yard, 16-play drive that took 8:43 off the clock in the third quarter.

Weber State added a field goal and junior quarterback Cameron Higgins’ fourth touchdown pass to complete the offensive showcase.

Wildcat senior running back Trevyn Smith cracked the 5,000-yard mark in career rushing. Higgins, who passed for 364 yards, connected with Bo Bolen on a 15-yard scoring pass and with Tim Toone on 26-, 17- and 44-yard touchdown passes as Weber State improved to 7-4.

Toone finished the regular season with his 200th career catch and 28th career touchdown. He had 11 catches for 176 yards against the Mustangs.

Cal Poly’s leaders offensively were Jake Romanelli with 55 yards rushing on 15 carries and Smith, who completed 11 of 24 passes for 166 yards and both Mustang touchdowns. He was sacked five times and threw a pair of interceptions.

Mahr, Hall, Eric Gardley and Grayson each had a pair of catches for Cal Poly.

Junior linebacker Marty Mohamed recorded eight tackles and senior cornerback Xavier Gardner added seven for Cal Poly.

For Weber State, Higgins completed 23 of 33 passes. He passed for 399 yards and two scores in a 49-35 win over the Mustangs in last year’s first-round NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff game.

This season Cal Poly’s rushing attack ran through defenses for 1,963 yards and the Mustang passing threat contributed for 1,686 yards.

This season marked a 1,408 yard drop off on the ground.

The Mustangs fell short of last year’s campaign by 305 yards. Smith finished his first starting season with 1,618 yards and 15 touchdowns. Dally passed for 1,960 last year.

Cal Poly ended its season unranked and at the bottom of the Great West.