Cal Poly improved to 2-0 in the California Conference Saturday, beating San Diego State 28-12 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Mustangs trailed much of the first half, but held the Aztecs scoreless after intermission to secure the win.

For the second-straight week, Cal Poly coach Dave Burnett attributed a portion of the team’s success to the play of his front row.

“Very physical game,” said Burnett. “Our scrum did very well. We caused them a bit of trouble in the set piece, which gave us a good foundation.”

Cal Poly struggled to keep up with the Aztec backline in the first half, but adjusted at halftime and pressured SDSU into making mistakes, which the Mustangs capitalized on.

“Their tries came from a couple of our errors, and I think we sort of switched on. They were playing an expansive game and we spread out a lot better. Some good line speed sort of forced some errors on them,” said Burnett.

“They had a few chances but just dropped the ball a little bit a few meters out. Our counterattack worked very well. We were able to get some good field position and capitalize on a bit of space on times when they’d kick.”

The win was a big one for Cal Poly as a program, as San Diego State has been a tough nut for the Mustangs to crack in recent years.

“It’s a massive achievement from our end. I still have to check with the stats, but I think it’s the first time in six years Cal Poly has beaten San Diego State,” said Burnett.

“When we saw them come into the conference this year we knew it was going to be a tough game…Very happy with the win. The boys are very excited. They’re a very good side and will certainly trouble all the other sides in the competition.”

Cal Poly now looks ahead to a daunting challenge, a road game against Cal, in a week’s time. The Mustangs were one of two teams to snipe the mighty Golden Bears last year, and Cal won’t have likely forgotten. The Bears have been outstanding this spring, posting triple digits on their last two opponents.