Protheroe scores 3 TDs, Cal Poly beats Brown 44-15

Sep 15, 2018, 11:01 am

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Joe Protheroe had 43 carries for 228 yards and three touchdowns, helping Cal Poly beat Brown 44-15 on Friday night.

Cal Poly (2-2) closed the first half by going on a nine-play, 77-yard drive, ending in Protheroe's short TD run for a 24-15 lead. The Mustangs opened the second half with another 70-plus-yard drive, and Khaleel Jenkins capped it with a 1-yard run.

Cal Poly went 10 plays on its next possession with Protheroe making it 37-15 on another short run.

Jenkins, after a one-game absence due to injury, threw for 81 yards and added 69 on the ground in Cal Poly's first home game on a Friday night since 1961.

Broc Mortensen returned a kickoff 99 yards to give Cal Poly a 10-3 lead in the second quarter. It was Cal Poly's first kickoff-return touchdown since Alex Hubbard found the end zone at Northern Colorado in 2013.

Sophomore Michael McGovern made his first start for Brown (0-1) and threw for 312 yards. The Bears made their first trip west of the Mississippi River since 1916.