Cal Poly (9-2)
at Sam Houston State (8-3)
Saturday, Dec, 1, 3:05 p.m. CST, Huntsville, Texas
Bowers Stadium (14,000 Real Grass Pro Surface)
Internet: ESPN3.
The Records: Cal Poly enters the second round with a 9-2 record. The Mustangs, in their first season in the Big Sky, shared the league title with Montana State and Eastern Washington. Cal Poly earned an at-large bid to the playoffs. The Mustangs started the season 7-0 before losing to Sacramento State and Eastern Washington on the road. Sam Houston State earned an at-large bid out of the Southland. The Bearkats lost to FBS teams Baylor and Texas A&M, and also to conference rival Central Arkansas.
The Series: First Meeting
The Coaches: Cal Poly’s Tim Walsh is 26-18 in his fourth season with the Mustangs. He was named Co-Big Sky Coach of the Year. Walsh is 143-100 in his 22nd season as a head coach. He is 0-1 in the FCS playoffs. He guided Portland State to an appearance in 2000, falling to Delaware. 49-14. Sam Houston State’s Willie Fritz 28-9 in his third season. He is 3-1 in the playoffs. Fritz compiled a 97-47 record as the head coach at Central Missouri from 1997-2009. He went 39-5-1 in four seasons at Blinn College, winning JC national championships in 1995 and 1996.
Big Sky vs. the Southland: The Big Sky is 24-13 against the Southland in the Playoffs. Southland teams, however, hold a 9-3 lead in Southland Stadiums. Big Sky teams are 0-4 at Sam Houston State in the playoffs...Cal Poly is 0-1 all-time vs. the Southland in the playoffs having lost 14-7 to Texas State in a 2005 quarterfinal. Sam Houston is 4-2 all-time vs. Big Sky teams in the playoffs.
Up Next: Saturday’s winner advances to a quarterfinal between the winner of Saturday’s game between Montana State and Stony Brook.
Notes: Cal Poly has set a single-season Big Sky record with 3,666 rushing yards...Cal Poly RB Deonte Williams, a Walter Payton Award candidate, leads the Big Sky with 1,458 rushing yards...Sam Houston State’s Tim Flanders, a Walter Payton Award candiate, averages 104.64 rushing yards per game and 9.82 points per game...Both of Sam Houston State’s losses to Big Sky teams in the playoffs came at Montana (2001 and 2004)...Cal Poly QB Andre Broadous has an effeciency rating of 178.5. He’s thrown 18 TD passes and 3 interceptions. He doesn’t have enough pass attempts to qualify in the NCAA rankings...Sam Houston QB Brian Bell ranks 11th in effeciency at 150.72. He has thrown 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions...Sam Houston State went 3-0 at home in the playoffs en route to the national championship game...Cal Poly is 1-1 in road playoff games, with the win coming at Montana in 2005...Baylor (232), Texas A&M (157) and Southeast Louisiana (105) are the only teams to rush for more than 100 yards against Sam Houston State this season...Cal Poly has rushed for at least 300 yards in nine of its 11 games...Safety Darnell Taylor, a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, leads the Bearkats with 79 total tackles...Cal Poly has 36 rushing touchdowns, which is three shy of the Big Sky single-season record set by Montana State in 1966...Cal Poly DB Nico Molino is tied for the conference lead with four interceptions and leads with 16 pass breakups.