Utah football opponent preview: Home opener vs. FCS foe

The Utes take on the Cal Poly Mustangs for their 2025 home opener

Cal Poly Mustangs head coach Paul Wulff will lead his team into Rice-Eccles Stadium for a matchup against the Utah Utes on Sept. 6. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

After opening the college football season with a matchup against UCLA at the Rose Bowl, Utah kicks its home schedule off the following week with a matchup against Cal Poly out of the Big Sky Conference.

The Mustangs, coming off a 3-8 campaign in 2024, have made considerable renovations on the offensive side of the ball as they head into head coach Paul Wuff's third year at the helm. Wuff, formerly at Eastern Washington and Washington State, is striving to guide Cal Poly to its first above-.500 season since the program's last appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in 2016, when the Mustangs went 7-5 under Tim Walsh and finished tied for third in the Big Sky standings.

Over the past eight seasons, though, the Mustangs have posted a 19-61 (.311) record and failed to crack the top six of their league table during that span. As Wuff and his staff strive to turn the tide in 2025, they hope their only contest against a power conference program this season will set a positive tone leading into Big Sky play.

Utah vs. Cal Poly

Date: Saturday, Sept. 6

Kickoff time: 3 p.m. PT/4 p.m. MT

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

TV/Streaming: ESPN+ 

Cal Poly offense

John Madden's famous adage of "If you have two quarterbacks, you have none" doesn't align with the Mustangs' philosophies on offense. Cal Poly, which deployed five different signal callers last season, returned four quarterbacks who threw at least one touchdown pass and started in one game for the Mustangs in 2024, making for quite the position battle to monitor through the spring and fall camps.

Cal Poly retained leading passer Bo Kelly, a rising junior who threw for 1,162 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions while appearing in eight contests as a sophomore. Jackson Adkins also came back for his second season after recording 586 yards through the air across his first two starts of 2024. Jaden Jones withdrew his name from the transfer portal as well, giving the Mustangs quite the collection of talent at the quarterback position.

While all three make strong cases to see the field, Nevada transfer Anthony Grigsby Jr. might have the edge over his competition. The 5-foot-11 dual-threat quarterback didn't log a snap with the Wolf Pack in 2024, though he gained considerable experience while at College of San Mateo, a public community college in San Mateo, California. In 2023, Grigsby ranked second in the California Community College Athletic Association with 3,527 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns, in addition to recording five scores on the ground.

Pitt transfer Ty Dieffenbach is another strong candidate to line up under center for the Mustangs. Dieffenbach didn't play in a single game with the Panthers during his two seasons with the program, though perhaps a return close to home will reinvigorate the former three-star recruit out of Agoura High School (California).

Surrounding the Mustangs' crowded quarterback room is a wide receiver room that's headlined by returning seniors Michael Briscoe and Logan Booher. The 6-foot-2 Briscoe finished second on the team last season with 538 receiving yards on 25 catches, while the 6-foot-1 Booher was third after hauling in 347 receiving yards and 35 receptions.

Cal Poly's pass-heavy offense finished near the bottom of the Big Sky in efficiency (third-worst) and scoring (20.7 points per game, second-worst). If the Utes play to the level they are capable of reaching on defense, the Mustangs could face serious trouble while trying to move the ball against Lander Barton, Logan Fano and company.

Cal Poly defense

Along the defensive line, the Mustangs brought back nearly every key piece from a unit that was top-five in the Big Sky against the run. The big exception is standout defensive end Elijah Ponder, a four-time all-conference player who signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent this spring.

Redshirt senior Ethan Rodriguez headlines the group of 14 returners along Cal Poly's defensive line. He's coming off earning All-Big Sky honorable mention recognition for playing sidekick to Ponder on the other side of the line, recording 9.5 tackles and 3.0 sacks off the edge while appearing in all 11 games.

In the secondary, Mason Rivera is back in the safety spot after earning All-Big Sky second team defense honors at the end of his redshirt sophomore season. The 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back had a standout year, though overall, the Mustangs struggled to defend the pass in 2024. In addition to yielding over 30 points and 400 yards of total offense per game last season, Cal Poly also allowed the third most yards through the air (278.0 per game) and the highest completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks (70.0%) in the Big Sky.

Verdict

Utah is 14-0 against FCS competition in the Whittingham era. Unquestionably the most winnable game on the 2025 schedule, the Utes' home opener against the Mustangs should provide ample opportunities for Kyle Whittingham's squad to work out any kinks that didn't get resolved during fall camp or in the UCLA game the week prior.