The Cal Poly Mustangs football hit the field to open day one of their fall training camp now just one month out from their first game and home opener against the University of San Diego, Sept. 2.
For new head coach Paul Wulff, he was excited to get going with his new team.
“It's like Christmas," Wulff said. "It's a first day and a lot of things to open up and see for the first time and as coaches and players, see what changed and who's made some differences in their bodies.”
Last season, the injury bug plagued the Mustangs on both sides of the ball leaving them helpless to the size and strength of the Big Sky Conference. However, with an emphasis on injury prevention and nutrition in the off-season, the team is much better prepared for the rigors of a long and hard college football season in one of the toughest FCS conferences in the country.
“[We are in] better shape, just a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger, which is something that we've been working hard to do," Wulff added. "It's been a big emphasis for us and we've definitely made strides."
While the noise and hype have mostly come from the off-season offensive additions like 5-star recruit and transfer quarterback Sam Huard, for junior defensive end Elijah Ponder staying healthy will be one of many key factors for success.
“That's my main thing right now. [We are] trying to be more sound, more efficient on defense and communicate a lot more so we can be successful.”
With still a month until their first game, there is still a lot of unknown for a team that seemingly boosted their overall talent and depth in the off-season tremendously with talented Division I transfers as well as retaining key veterans. Despite the hype, the fact is that this team did go 2-9 last year. Even so, Coach Wulff and the staff believe that this is a team that can compete on Saturdays.
“This is a team that has the ability now to start laying a quality foundation on the football field on game days. We feel like we have the pieces to really start doing some things for Cal Poly football. But there's work to be done to get there.”
