Cal Poly's defense pinned Montana early before a punt return TD got the Griz rolling

At times, Cal Poly looked like a competitive football team in the Big Sky Conference.

From leading Stanford and Idaho at halftime to holding No. 8 Montana's high-powered offense to scoring twice in the first half, the Mustangs had moments of promise against strong football programs.

But there comes a point in the game where things get out of control.

That moment in the team's 42-7 loss Saturday came with a minute left in the third quarter, when Grizzlies punt returner Junior Bergen rushed 84 yards for a touchdown, giving Montana a 21-0 lead.

The Mustangs held the Griz, who came into the game second in the Big Sky in touchdowns (40) and third in total yards (3,775), to just 14 points and 32 rushing yards on 16 attempts in the first half.

After Bergen's touchdown, the Griz scored touchdowns on three of their next four drives.

On the other hand, the offense was never decided for Cal Poly.

Quarterback Jaden Jones returned as a starter after missing the UC Davis and Idaho games due to a concussion.

Jones completed just 13 of his 28 passes for 147 yards to go and two interceptions. He had a near-touchdown pass to receiver Michael Briscoe in the first half, but the ball grazed Briscoe's fingertips before falling to the turf.

In the second half, the Mustangs turned to running quarterback Richie Watts.

Watts finished with three completions on four attempts and the team's only touchdown on a 14-yard pass to tight end Jake Woods. He led the team in rushing with 23 yards on nine attempts.

On defense, safety Mason Rivera made 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss to go, with an interception and a forced fumble.

“We play some pretty good football,” said head coach Paul Wulff after training on Tuesday. “We just have to put on a complete football game. There are times when we show dominance, which we haven't had here for a long time. We haven’t done it in four quarters.”

The Mustangs have not managed more than one conference win since 2019.

But the daunting portion of the schedule, which pitted the Mustangs against three FCS teams ranked in the top 15, is now behind them.

Their final three games are against Big Sky teams that are currently unranked.

Northern Arizona stunned Montana early in conference play and is 3-2. Sacramento State has had a disappointing season so far and has a record of 1-3. Weber State has lost its last three Big Sky games, including a 21-17 loss to Northern Colorado, which the Mustangs defeated in the first week of conference play.

Five teams in the Big Sky have won so far. If the Mustangs can win two of their last three games, they could move out of the bottom two teams in the conference.

“Guys are learning how to win,” Wulff said. “We have gone from hoping to be competitive to showing signs of dominance and we need to continue to climb that ladder and expect to win. We’re growing in that direction, but we’re not there yet.”

Next week, the Mustangs continue their home opener against Northern Arizona in the Cal Poly Hall of Fame Game.