One minute and six seconds remained when San Diego took possession at its 22-yard line in a tie game. Eight plays later, Sam Salazar hit a 38-yard field goal with two seconds left. The Toreros beat Cal Poly 38-35 Saturday night at Spanos Stadium, collecting their first win after two losses and finishing one last drive in a game full of them.
The decisive snap came only after quarterback AJ Nankil moved the ball out of danger. With 11 seconds remaining, he found Christopher Hall for 28 yards to the Cal Poly 24. Isaiah Criter gained three more, USD used its final timeout and Salazar converted. Thomas Nunes recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, erasing the possibility of a return or lateral sequence.
USD had controlled the game's opening rhythm. The Toreros scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions and led 28-21 at halftime. Nankil's rushing touchdown and two scoring passes gave Cal Poly different assignments to defend, while Criter kept the chains moving on the ground. When Angel Mbakwe scored after the break, the lead reached 35-21.
Then the offense stopped finishing. Cal Poly scored twice and tied the game with 8:23 left, turning a two-touchdown cushion into a final-possession test. USD's defense supplied the margin before that comeback was complete. Early in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs reached the 1-yard line; Eric Reels stopped third down and Dominic Lopez helped turn away fourth down. Four points saved there became decisive.
Nankil completed 25 of 30 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He added 39 rushing yards and a score. His accuracy mattered because USD did not give away a possession. The Toreros finished with no turnovers, a sharp contrast to a Cal Poly offense that lost the final kickoff and could not steal a short field from the passing game.
Criter carried 28 times for 179 yards and finished with 188 all-purpose yards. Jonah Monach caught eight passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. The production was not one explosive play hiding an idle night. USD gained 499 yards, including 263 rushing, made 29 first downs and held the ball for 35 minutes, 49 seconds. Those totals explain the five early touchdowns; the stalled middle explains why a kick was still required.
The Mustangs produced 384 yards and stayed close enough to punish every empty Torero possession after halftime. USD's goal-line stand and final drive did not erase the defensive leakage that allowed the tie. They did establish two winning sequences under pressure: four downs with almost no field behind the defense, then 57 yards with almost no time ahead of the offense.
The Toreros take a 1-2 record into their Pioneer Football League opener at St. Thomas on Sept. 26. A nonconference win does not change the league standings, but it gives the offense evidence that its balance travels and the defense evidence that one compressed stand can decide a game. The task in conference play is to connect those stretches, so a 14-point lead does not again require two calm seconds from the kicker.