God awful.

It’s been Idaho State head coach Mike Kramer’s go-to term to describe how his team has played. He repeated the phrase four times in a five-minute interview after losing at UNLV. Three times following the Portland State defeat.

Those two words came up once Saturday night at Cal Poly. But Idaho State’s 58-26 loss — its fourth straight, nearly killing any chance for the playoffs — didn’t appear to come across to Kramer as a disaster. It seemed like ISU’s fifth-year coach witnessed moments of hope, something his team can build off of moving into the rest of their schedule.

At 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference, the Bengals are in trouble. They’ll have to finish on a six-game winning streak to even have a chance at the postseason, and a league championship is likely out of the question.

So with the season hanging by a thread, maybe Kramer was just being positive Saturday night when he said the Bengals have the manpower and capability to beat every team left on their schedule. Maybe he’s beating home a point he wants his team to believe, whether it’s true or not.

If the Bengals don’t think they have a shot to compete, they may not win another game. They play four ranked conference opponents in their final six games, beginning with No. 25/23 North Dakota on Saturday in Grand Forks. Before that, let’s look back and decipher the pluses and minuses from the Bengals’ 32-point drubbing in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California.

PLUS: The second quarter

This was the best 15 minutes of football for Idaho State in 2015. The Bengals outscored the Mustangs 20-14, junior quarterback Michael Sanders connected with senior wideout Madison Mangum for two touchdowns and ISU accumulated 205 total yards of offense.

String three or four quarters like that together and Idaho State beats Cal Poly.

MINUS: Every other quarter

While the second quarter was brilliant for the away team, the other 15-minute periods weren’t. Cal Poly routed ISU 44-6 in the first, second and fourth quarters, dominating the time of possession and largely doing whatever it pleased offensively.

Cal Poly finished with 605 total yards and 499 rushing yards, while averaging 6.7 yards per play. The Bengals are now last in the Big Sky in scoring defense (44.8 points per game) and rushing defense (333.8 yards per game).

Kramer called the Mustangs a “god-awful matchup,” because they’re the country’s No. 1 rushing team.

“We’re not going to learn how to play against the run in one week,” Kramer said. “We just have to find a way to play better with our hands, get off blocks and make tackles on the back end.”

PLUS-MINUS: Quarterback Michael Sanders

Sanders completed 19-of-29 passes for 285 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He threw high on a few key passes but was better than he’s been since opening against Black Hills State. Sanders looked more comfortable in the pocket, decisive with his reads and spread the ball around to six receivers.

“Day by day, I feel more relaxed,” Sanders said. “I’m just getting as many reps as I can.”

His job was made easier by the presence of a solid running game, too. Senior Xavier Finney surpassed 100 yards in a game for the first time this season (he had 103 yards off 21 carries). Yes, Finney had the third-quarter fumble that stymied Idaho State’s momentum, but he’s one of the greatest tailbacks the school has ever had. It’s hard to imagine he’ll fumble again this season.

“Even a great player like X has a slip up once in a while,” Sanders said. “It’s over with.”

PLUS: Idaho State can still make the playoffs

To have a realistic chance to reach the playoffs, the Bengals need six Division I victories. That’s obviously still possible, and considering who’s still left on the schedule (No. 8/7 Eastern Washington, No. 12/12 Montana, No. 19/18 Montana State), Idaho State has the opportunity to break back into the national consciousness in a big way.

MINUS: The playoffs shouldn’t be ISU’s goal

Aiming for the postseason and winning their last six games should unquestionably be a focus for the Bengals. But the defense is getting lit up week after week and that isn’t likely going to change. As a result, there are bigger marks for Idaho State to try and hit. It isn’t time to give up on this season, but it’s smart to think long term.

What can still be accomplished? The development of Sanders and backup quarterback Tanner Gueller; letting the young players on defense continue evolving with quality game reps; and fixing the issues on special teams. All of Idaho State’s kickers, punters and long snappers are sophomores or freshmen.

ISU STATS IN THE RANKINGS

— Idaho State leads the Big Sky with the fewest penalty yards per game (35.2).

— The Bengals are last in the Big Sky and the FCS in turnover margin (minus-13).

— Finney is 10th in the Big Sky, averaging 69.6 rushing yards per game. He has 348 total yards on the ground and is on pace to finish with 766 yards this season, the fewest since his freshman campaign. The Oceanside, California, native, however, is still in position to set Idaho State’s all-time career rushing mark. He trails ISU’s career rushing leader, Josh Barnett, by 223 yards.

BIG SKY NOTES

— The Big Sky Conference players of the week are Northern Arizona running back Casey Jahn, Montana defensive tackle Caleb Kidder and North Dakota kicker Reid Taubenheim.

Jahn ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns in NAU’s 49-41 upset over Montana State. Kidder made seven tackles and one sack in Montana’s 27-13 road victory at UC Davis. Taubenheim kicked four field goals as UND knocked off Portland State 19-17 on the road.