1996 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

1996 Cal Poly Mustangs football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Andre Patterson (3rd season)
Home stadium	Mustang Stadium
Seasons ←  1995 1997  →

1996 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Buffalo			–						8	–	3
No. 15 Youngstown State			–						8	–	3
Saint Mary's			–						7	–	3
Western Kentucky			–						7	–	4
Davidson			–						6	–	4
Towson			–						6	–	4
Samford			–						6	–	5
Wofford			–						6	–	5
Cal Poly			–						5	–	6
Hofstra			–						5	–	6
Liberty			–						5	–	6
Southern Utah			–						4	–	7
Charleston Southern			–						2	–	8
Morehead State			–						2	–	8
Jacksonville State			–						1	–	9
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1996 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University ^{[note 1]} during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season.

Cal Poly competed as an NCAA Division I-AA independent starting in 1996. They had previously been a member of the American West Conference (AWC). The 1996 Mustangs were led by third-year head coach Andre Patterson and played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6). Overall, the team was outscored by its opponents 308–356 for the season. This was coach Patterson's last year with the Mustangs. In his three years as head coach, the team compiled a record of 17–16, or a .515 winning percentage.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	at No. 20 Idaho State	Holt Arena Pocatello, Idaho	L 32–35 OT
September 14	at No. 2 Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, Montana	L 0–43	18,169 [1]
September 21	No. 17 Weber State	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	L 20–30
September 28	Central Washington	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 49–14
October 5	at Idaho	Kibbie Dome Moscow, Idaho	L 33–38
October 12	Saint Mary's (CA)	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 34–33
October 19	Southern Utah	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California	W 45–34
October 26	at No. 15 Western Illinois	Hanson Field Macomb, Illinois	L 10–51		[2]
November 2	UC Davis	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, California (Rivalry)	W 17–13
November 9	at Montana State	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, Montana	L 20–37
November 23	at Sacramento State [note 2]	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, California	W 48–28	3,398 [3]
Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^{[4] [5]}

Notes

1. The official name of Cal Poly is California Polytechnic State University. However, it has been more commonly known as either Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or just Cal Poly since 1947.
2. The official name of Sacramento State has been California State University, Sacramento since 1972. However, it is still commonly known as Sacramento State.

References

1. 2010 Montana Football Media Guide Archived July 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , University of Montana, 2010.
2. "Mustangs knuckle under, 51-10". Santa Maria Times . Associated Press. October 27, 1996. p. B6. Retrieved November 7, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Hornet Sports.com: Football (Cal Poly)" (PDF). Retrieved April 24, 2017.
4. "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Yearly Results" . Retrieved January 12, 2017.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
5. "Cal Poly Football; 2016 Media Guide" . Retrieved January 12, 2017.