Cal Poly football wrapped up their 2023 campaign at home this past weekend with a loss to Weber State in less than ideal weather conditions.
On a rainy Saturday, it was tied at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter but both the offense and defense lost steam in the second half as they went on to lose 48-21 in the season finale finishing the season at 3-8 with only one conference win.
However, for those who kept a close eye this season, it was an exciting team that had glimpses of greatness with their spread offense.
While there is still many things to fix, the team was young virtually all over the field, losing just 11 players due to eligibility and graduation leaving the door open to continue to build off of year one of the Paul Wulff era.
In the postgame interview, Wulff laid out the type of conversations players he's had with players coming back or just finishing their first season in the program: "You're going to be part of doing something different. You're going to change Cal Poly football. It's not going to be easy but that's what you signed up for, right?" Wulff explained. "For that to happen, we've got to go through the rigors and sometimes the hardships. But but we're going to come out stronger on the other end."
Four of the eleven contests this seaso came against ranked FCS opponents which provided the team with a clear look at where they want to be moving forward.
"We just played so many nationally ranked teams. I think we've got a clear understanding where we need to get to and so we're going to put in the work to get there."
Some notable standouts: Elijah Ponder finishes the season as the Big Sky co-leader in sacks with 10 while defensive back Donovan Saunders finishes with the most passes defended with a conference best 14.
On offense, Sam Huard had himself an amazing first season under center for the Mustangs, second in the Big Sky conference in touchdown passes with 18 and yards per game despite only playing in 9 games.
