Cal Poly completes fourth quarter comeback to win home opener

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - True freshmen Jay'Vion Cole and Brian Dukes combined for three interceptions, all in the final six minutes, and Jaden Jones, a redshirt freshman, threw four touchdown passes to spark Cal Poly to a come-from-behind 28-27 victory over San Diego in a non-conference football game Saturday afternoon inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Cole garnered two of the thefts. The first one in the end zone with 5:25 to play led to a nine-play 80-yard drive for a touchdown, a 35-yard pass from Jones to Chris Coleman with 2:20 to play that gave Cal Poly the lead for the first time in the game.

Dukes' interception near midfield was returned 32 yards to the San Diego 23-yard line with 1:22 to go, but Cal Poly turned the ball back over to the Toreros on downs with 23 seconds to play.

Cole's second theft at the San Diego 39-yard line with seven seconds remaining ended the Toreros' last chance to regain the lead.

The result left both teams with 1-1 records.

San Diego scored the first 17 points of the game and led 27-14 with 12 minutes left in the contest before Cal Poly mounted its comeback, earning its first win in three years when trailing after three periods. The Mustangs overcame a 21-14 deficit for a 28-21 win against Northern Colorado in 2019.

Dylan Lawson caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Re-Al Mitchell, Aidan Lehman kicked a 30-yard field goal and Judd Erickson lateraled to Mitchell, who hit Erickson with an eight-yard pass for another score and a 17-0 Torero lead with 2:03 to go in the second period.

Cal Poly got on the scoreboard with a minute to play as Jones hit tight end Josh Cuevas with a 42-yard pass down the right sideline, capping a 75-yard six-play drive. San Diego led 17-7 at halftime.

It was 17-14 barely two minutes into the third quarter when Cal Poly scored again, Jones connecting with another freshman, Tyrece Fairly-Diyem, on a 40-yard touchdown pass, ending another six-play drive, this one covering 77 yards.

After a touchdown and field goal by San Diego re-established its 13-point cushion, Cal Poly answered with two touchdowns for the win.

Jones, the first Mustang to throw four touchdown passes in a game since Khaleel Jenkins accomplished the feat at Northern Iowa in 2017, found Ryan Rivera open in the end zone for a 10-yard scoring strike with 7:30 to play.

After Cole's first interception, Cal Poly drove 80 yards in nine plays for the go-ahead score with 2:20 to go on the 35-yard Jones to Coleman aerial.

With the win, Cal Poly is now 8-1 all-time against San Diego. The lone loss was in the 2016 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on a rainy afternoon in San Luis Obispo.

Jones completed 26 of 41 passes for 317 yards and four scores. Coleman caught nine passes for 94 yards, the most receptions by a Mustang since Ramses Barden caught 10 passes at Idaho State in 2007. Zedakiah Centers added four catches for 54 yards.

Shakobe Harper rushed for 54 yards on 16 carries.

For San Diego, Erickson connected on 19 of 32 passes for 232 yards and one score. Ja'seem Reed was the top Torero receiver with six catches for 58 yards.

Linebacker Laipeli Palu made eight tackles to lead Cal Poly on defense. David Ambagtsheer notched 10 tackles for San Diego.

Cal Poly, which did not commit a turnover last week against Fresno State, lost two fumbles Saturday, but won the turnover battle, 3-2, thanks to the three fourth-quarter interceptions.

The Mustangs conclude their non-conference schedule next Saturday at South Dakota. The Coyotes are 0-2 after falling to Kansas State last week and 24-7 at Montana on Saturday.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).