SLIDESHOW: Weber State vs. Montana football
MISSOULA. Mont. — So what now?
That’s what the Weber State Wildcats were asking themselves following Saturday’s humbling loss to No. 2-ranked Montana. The Wildcats, who came into the game ranked No. 14, prepared all week as if their postseason lives depended on the result, which was a fair assessment. But the Wildcats didn’t play like it, and lost their chance at repeating as Big Sky Conference champions.
However WSU (5-4, 5-2 Big Sky) still has two games left, and could possibly finish second in the Big Sky which might also include a spot in the Division I FCS playoffs.
“We came up here expecting to win and now we have to win out and hope that we can get into the playoffs to keep the season going,” said WSU wide receiver Tim Toone. “I don’t think it’s the end for this team. I think we have a lot of talent that we didn’t show here, and it’s going to sit deep in us and we’re going to play hard and hopefully make the playoffs.”
WSU is off next week, and then will finish the regular season with home games against Northern Arizona and Cal Poly. If the Wildcats beat the Lumberjacks, WSU would finish with a 6-2 league mark. The best NAU could finish would be 5-3. Eastern Washington is 5-2 following Saturday’s win over Portland State, however the Eagles also lost to WSU earlier in October and even if they finish 6-2, would lose the tiebreaker to Weber State
WSU would also need Montana State to lose one of its final three league games, which would give the Bobcats three conference losses. MSU beat the Wildcats earlier in the year and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker should both teams finish 6-2.
Since 1981, there have only been two seasons when the Big Sky did not have two teams in the playoffs.
Of course, a lot of the decision by the playoff committee as to who gets the eight at-large berths will be determined by what happens throughout the country within other power conferences. So all the Wildcats can do is worry about themselves.
“We’ve got two games left and obviously as a coach I’m not going to give them any excuses,” said WSU coach Ron McBride. “They’re going to have to step up to the plate and be men. This is not a game for kids. This is a man’s game so these guys are going to have to respond like men. Not like little kids.”
Another thing to consider is WSU’s regular season-ending game against Cal Poly. Even if the No.18-ranked Mustangs, who lost on Saturday to North Dakota, are in position to finish first in their league, the Great West Conference is not one of the leagues that is not granted an automatic playoff spot for its champion. If the Wildcats are ranked above the Mustangs and have a win, WSU would likely get a spot over Cal Poly.
But of course, it all depends on WSU beating the Lumberjacks and Mustangs and Montana State losing one more league contest.
“You’ve got to rise from the deficit,” McBride said.
Tags:
Last Edit: 5 days 12 hours ago (Oct 31 2009 - 11:32pm)
SLIDESHOW: Weber State vs. Montana football
MISSOULA. Mont. — There were no treats at Washington-Grizzly Stadium for the Weber State Wildcats, who left with an empty feeling following their highly anticipated Halloween meeting with the Big Sky Conference leading Montana Grizzlies.
In a game where big plays by the Wildcats were as scarce as the color purple amidst the 25,811 fans mostly dressed in Montana maroon, No. 14-ranked Weber State was inconsistent on defense and unproductive on offense while losing 31-10 to the No. 2-ranked Grizzlies.
The Wildcats (5-4, 5-2 Big Sky Conference) gave up 506 total yards to the Grizzlies (8-0, 5-0 Big Sky) with Chase Reynolds accounting for 241 on the ground.
“You’ve got to give them credit because they kicked us around,” said WSU coach Ron McBride. “They made the plays, we didn’t. They were the better team today, this was the first time this year that we’ve been kicked around by anybody.”
But WSU’s defense wasn’t the only reason WSU lost for the 20th time in 23 meetings with the Griz.
WSU’s offense finished with 299 total yards, the first time WSU was held under 300 yards this season, as quarterback Cameron Higgins completed just 16 of his 34 pass attempts for 243 yards and one touchdown. The biggest smudge on the stat sheet was Higgins’ four interceptions, one of which came on a poorly thrown screen pass and Montana defensive end Jace Palmer returned it 57 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter.
“Our offense was poor,” McBride said. “We didn’t execute anything on offense so we don’t move the ball and if your defense is on the field the whole time then pretty soon you’re going to get worn out.”
That pick-six Montana a 13-0 lead, and as many points as the Griz would need for the rest of their game.
Mike Snoy’s 36-yard field goal in the second quarter made the score 13-3 at halftime. Just before the intermission the Wildcat defense made an impressive stand by stopping the Griz four straight times on WSU’s one-yard line.
“Our defense was weird today,” said WSU safety Beau Hadley, who had 15 tackles on the day. “It was like we would play really good, fly around and knock the piles back, but then sometimes they would run right over us.
WSU’s defense, which was led by Taylor Sedillo’s 17 tackles, had the chance to capitalize on the momentum of that stop when Montana started the third quarter with the ball. But the Griz, who had the ball nearly 15 minutes more than the Wildcats, went 81 yards in six plays as Reynolds scored on a two-yard run less than three minutes into the second half.
“Coming out it was our job to stop them, and get the ball to the offense,” Hadley said. “So that hurt the momentum coming out of halftime that we had gained.”
The Griz also added a 42-yard field goal and a 14-yard scoring pass from Andrew Selle to Thomas Brooks-Fletcher in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats didn’t get off to a good start. After Higgins hit Joe Collins on a 29-yard pass on the first play of the game, the Wildcats had to punt three plays later. Then WSU fell behind as the Grizzlies marched 75 yards during a 10-play drive that ended when Selle hit Dan Beaudin on a three-yard TD pass.
That was the first time in five games that the Wildcats allowed a score on their opponent’s first drive. WSU’s first three opponents (Wyoming, Colorado State and Idaho State) all scored touchdowns on their first drives while Portland State kicked a field goal in its first drive during week four.
Trevyn Smith, who played most of the game on an injured ankle, finished with 64 rushing yards as the Wildcats couldn’t get going on the ground.
“It all starts on the offensive line,” McBride said. “Those guys have to be tougher and get a knock off and you’ve got to create a run game, and then the quarterback’s got to play better. He didn’t play well. He forced the ball and he did things normally he doesn’t do.”
Higgins’ lone touchdown came on a 59-yard flea-flicker pass to Mike Phillips, which beat the defense after Bo Bolen took the handoff and then pitched the ball back to Higgins.
Montana came into the game having given up an average of 285 passing yards a game, which was second-to-last in the conference. Holding WSU, which averaged a league-best 307 yards per game, to just 243 yards was a big key for the Griz.
It was also the most frustrating part of Saturday’s loss for the Wildcat offense.
“We had a lot of things set up during the week that we thought would exploit them and take advantage of what we saw on film,” said WSU wide receiver Tim Toone. “We either didn’t run it or execute it right so it just goes back to execution on our part.”
Tags:
http://www.standard.net/slideshows/2009/10/31/college-football-weber-state-vs-montana-october-31-2009
Tags:
OGDEN — Finding the strength to bounce back from a loss that could mean no trip to the playoffs, allowing time to heal from injuries and overcoming an event that has already disrupted the team and has the potential to do more damage.
Weber State’s football team has a lot to do during its bye week, and how the Wildcats handle these situations will likely determine if they will have any success in their final two regular-season games.
“You’ve just got to reset your goals and our goal now obviously is to win the last two games and get to the playoffs,” said WSU coach Ron McBride.
As they return to the practice field today for the first time this week, the No. 19 Wildcats (5-4, 5-2 Big Sky Conference) are still recovering from Saturday’s 31-10 loss at Montana, which erased any hope WSU had at a Big Sky championship. In the aftermath of that loss, details have surfaced surrounding running back Trevyn Smith’s half-game suspension on Nov. 24.
The team’s initial reasoning for the suspension was that Smith had violated team rules by missing a team meeting on the night before the game against Northern Colorado in the hotel.
While no details were given as to why Smith missed the meeting, people within the WSU athletic department and WSU football players have recently confirmed to the Standard-Examiner that Smith had passed out in his room that night after he drank an undisclosed amount of alcohol. Smith was unable to be made coherent for the team meeting.
WSU athletic director Jerry Bovee said the athletic department had no further comment about the situation, that it is sticking to the original statement that Smith was suspended for a violation of team rules and would not give any additional information.
Bovee did say the university is concerned about its student-athletes and works with student-athletes to overcome problems.
“It’s something (Smith is) going to have to get through,” McBride said. “We’re doing things to help him and it’s a tough situation.”
During his redshirt year at WSU in 2005, Smith was charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol in Salt Lake City, and then during his freshman season he was arrested for unlawful consumption of alcohol by a minor by a WSU campus police officer.
Smith’s suspension, which was voted on by team captains, was for the first half of WSU’s 28-20 win at Northern Colorado. Following the game McBride said he elected not to play Smith in the second half, because freshman Bo Bolen, who finished the day with 207 yards, was playing so well. McBride said Smith, who was dressed on the sidelines the entire game, was eligible to play.
During the week following the incident, Smith did not comment on what happened. However he did acknowledge he had made a mistake and hoped that his teammates forgave him heading into the meeting with the league-leading Grizzlies.
“I owe them an apology and I want them to know I’m going to do everything in my power to give them the best game in my life and earn their respect back because I really believe in them,” Smith said on Oct. 27. “Those guys have worked hard and played out of their minds on Saturday (against Northern Colorado). It was their best game on Saturday and it was hard on me to not be a part of it.”
However, Smith’s statistics weren’t impressive, as he gained 64 yards on 20 carries against the Grizzlies. Since the loss, some of Smith’s teammates secretly questioned his dedication to the team, something McBride disputes as a reason for the low rushing yards.
“No, it was a lack of blocking,” McBride said. “The lack of execution had an impact on the game. It wasn’t his ability not to get yards, it was the offensive line not creating creases for him and the fullback not doing a good enough job.”
Smith led the Big Sky in rushing during each of his first three seasons at WSU, and hopes to be the first player in league history to do so for four consecutive seasons. He is now third in the race for the league rushing title, averaging 98.5 yards per game behind Montana’s Chase Reynolds (102.8) and Eastern Washington’s Taiwan Jones (100.3).
Smith still has the chance to move to the top of the list by the end of the season.
The Wildcats are also using this week to get healthy. Defensive end Ryan Eastman tore his MCL in his left knee against the Grizzlies, frustrating for the sophomore since he recently returned to the field after injuring his right knee in the second game of the season. WSU hopes to have Eastman back for its next game against Northern Arizona on Nov. 14, however McBride said it might be too optimistic to hope to have Eastman back so quickly.
Tags:
The rest of the Big Sky Conference football season is almost a formality.
Before the 2009 season began, the conference championship was expected to come down to today’s Halloween meeting between No. 14-ranked Weber State and No. 2 Montana, and that’s how it’s turned out. While Northern Arizona remains alive in the Big Sky title race, the team that survives today’s Wildcat-Grizzly showdown should earn at least a share of the conference crown and an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.
Today’s game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula kicks off at 1 p.m. It will be televised by KJZZ.
“This is what you coach for, this is what you play for,” said Wildcats coach Ron McBride. “You play yourself into games that mean something.”
Weber State receiver Tim Toone said that although he concentrates on each of his team’s opponents every week, the Montana game is always in the back of his mind.
“It’s always going to be a big game because they’re so good and they’re so fundamentally sound,” Toone said. “You go into the season and you think about it. When you’re playing each week, you don’t put an emphasis on them, but you think this is to put us in position to play them and play for a Big Sky championship.”he Wildcats nearly blew their shot at playing for the conference title when they were stunned at home by Montana State four weeks ago. But they’ve won three straight games since then and Montana State lost conference games to Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington to put the Wildcats’ fate back in their own hands.
Weber State wouldn’t have it any other way, but beating Montana in Missoula is no easy task. The Wildcats haven’t won there since 1987, and they saw their 2008 dream season ended on the Grizzlies’ home field in a 24-13 loss to Montana in the FCS quarterfinals last December. Montana is once again a national powerhouse with a 7-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking.
The Wildcats are far from intimidated by Montana, however, and are the only team to beat the Grizzlies during the regular season in the last four years. Montana’s pass defense has been vulnerable, ranking next-to-last in the Big Sky. Weber State, with quarterback Cameron Higgins heating up since the Montana State loss, has the conference’s top passing attack.
Higgins has thrown 10 touchdowns and just one interception in the Wildcats’ last three games.
“He turned the ball over early in the year when he forced some things,” McBride said. “That was probably our (the coaches) problem as much as it was his problem. Each week he’s gotten better at what he’s doing. He’s playing well and hopefully he’ll play well on Saturday.”Weber State’s offense will also be boosted by the return of running back Trevyn Smith, who sat out of last week’s win over Northern Colorado. He was suspended for the first half of the game and then missed the second half when McBride chose to keep playing Bo Bolen in his place.
“I’m looking for Trevyn to play like he’s always played and I’m looking for Bolen to add to what we’re doing,” McBride said. “Both are good players.”
Montana’s offense is led by junior running back Chase Reynolds, who gashed the Wildcats for 185 rushing yards in the FCS quarterfinal game last year. He is the Big Sky’s fifth-leading rusher and he leads the conference in touchdowns with 13. The Grizzlies have scored an average of 44 points in four conference games.
If the Grizzlies lose, they’ll be in better position to qualify for an at-large berth in the FCS playoffs. There’s more pressure on the Wildcats to prevail, as they’re far from guaranteed of making the playoffs if they take second place in the Big Sky and finish with two conference losses.
“We have to take every game as it’s the last game right now,” said Weber State defensive end Kevin Linehan. “If we lose another game, we won’t make it to the playoffs. Everything we’ve worked for will be down the drain, so it’s a big game.”
Tags:
Weber State football: Montana runs wild to dash title hopes
MISSOULA, Mont. — To put it mildly, Chase Reynolds likes to run against Weber State.
Last year, the Montana running back racked up 185 yards against the Wildcats in a FCS second-round playoff game. On Saturday, Reynolds did even better, running for 241 yards and a touchdown as Montana whipped Weber State 31-10 in a battle between the Big Sky Conference’s two top teams.
“It was crazy,” Reynolds said. “The first level was so wide open.”
Montana (8-0, 5-0 Big Sky) dominated the Wildcats (5-4, 5-2) on both sides of the ball.
The Grizzlies rang up 506 yards of total offense and picked off four of WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins’ passes, including one that was returned 57 yards for a touchdown by defensive end Jace Palmer.
“We liked our plan going in,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck said. “We thought we had some formations we hadn’t shown before.”
Weber State coach Ron McBride agreed.
“Give them credit,” McBride said. “They kicked us around. They were the better team today.”
The Grizzlies took a 13-0 first-quarter lead on a 3-yard pass from Andrew Selle to Dan Beaudin and Palmer’s interception return.
Tags:
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP)—Chase Reynolds ran for 241 yards and a touchdown Saturday to lead Montana to a 31-10 victory over Weber State in a battle of the Big Sky Conference’s top two teams.
Montana (8-0, 5-0) dominated the Wildcats (5-4, 5-2) on both sides of the ball.
The Grizzlies took a 13-0 first-quarter lead on a 3-yard pass from Andrew Selle to Dan Beaudoin and a 57-yard interception return by Jace Palmer.
Weber State got a field goal from Mike Snoy to trim the gap to 13-3 at the half.
The second half was all Reynolds. The junior finished with 33 carries, including a 2-yard third-quarter touchdown run.
Brody McKnight’s field goal and Thomas Brooks-Fletcher’s 14-yard reception from Selle rounded out Montana’s scoring.
Cameron Higgins hit Mike Phillips with a 59-yard fourth-quarter pass for the Wildcats’ lone touchdown of the day.
Tags:
WSU falls to 5-2 in conference
By Matt Maynes
The Signpost
The Signpost
On Saturday, Oct. 31, the Weber State University Football Team was in Montana to face the University of Montana Grizzlies. The Wildcats turned the ball over four times and came away with a 31-10 loss to the No. 2 ranked team in the FBS.
“We got outplayed that’s all,” Head Coach Ron McBride said. “They were just a much better team than we were today on both sides of the ball.”
The night started off with a 29-yard completion between quarterback Cameron Higgins and receiver Joe Collins, but the game went downhill from there. Over the next three plays the Wildcats lost a yard and were forced to punt on fourth and 11.
The Grizzlies took possession on their 25-yard line and scored on a 3-yard Dan Beaudin reception.
Neither team’s defense gave up a first down for the next four possessions until the Wildcats had a 16-yard drive, but Higgins’ pass was intercepted by Jace Palmer. Palmer ran the ball back 57 yards for a touchdown, making the score 13-0.
Early in the second quarter WSU strung together a 29-yard drive and, thanks to good field position, were able to get on the board with a 36-yard field goal by kicker Mike Snoy.
“The kicking game was a positive,” McBride said. “Mike Snoy was really good. I felt like all parts of the kicking game were good.”
Late in the second half it looked as if the Grizzlies were going to score again when they had a first and goal on the WSU 1-yard line. The Wildcats managed to stop UM four consecutive times at the line of scrimmage and took possession on the 1-yard line.
In the second half the Wildcats scored their only touchdown on a flea flicker. Higgins handed the ball off to running back Trevyn Smith who pitched it back to Higgins. Higgins then found a wide-open Mike Phillips in the end zone.
“I really don’t think that they were that much better than us,” Phillips said. “I think on offense we had a lack of focus, made too many mistakes, the opportunities we did have to sustain a drive we weren’t able to and we couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown. I think the defense was on its heels too long and we didn’t play well enough on offense.”
The rest of the game didn’t go well for the Wildcats. WSU threw three more interceptions and UM scored 18 second-half points. Receiver Tim Toone had five receptions for 73 yards, Phillips had three for 82 and Joe Collins also had three for 35 yards. Smith had 20 carries for 64 yards.
The Wildcats had possession of the ball for 22:36 compared to 37:24 for the Grizzlies. WSU turned the ball over four times while UM didn’t turn the ball over once.
“Our offense was never able to take any pressure off of our defense,” McBride said. “The defense actually got worn down because the offense wasn’t doing anything. The offense kept the defense on the field too long.”
Tags:
ISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -Chase Reynolds ran for 241 yards and a touchdown Saturday to lead Montana to a 31-10 victory over Weber State in a battle of the Big Sky Conference’s top two teams.
Montana (8-0, 5-0) dominated the Wildcats (5-4, 5-2) on both sides of the ball.
The Grizzlies took a 13-0 first-quarter lead on a 3-yard pass from Andrew Selle to Dan Beaudoin and a 57-yard interception return by Jace Palmer.
Weber State got a field goal from Mike Snoy to trim the gap to 13-3 at the half.
The second half was all Reynolds. The junior finished with 33 carries, including a 2-yard third-quarter touchdown run.
Brody McKnight’s field goal and Thomas Brooks-Fletcher’s 14-yard reception from Selle rounded out Montana’s scoring.
Cameron Higgins hit Mike Phillips with a 59-yard fourth-quarter pass for the Wildcats’ lone touchdown of the day.
Tags:
For all the talk about Weber State being the top team in the Big Sky Conference and despite a maddening loss to Montana State earlier this season, a win Saturday in Missoula against unbeaten No. 2 Montana would keep the Wildcats in the conference title picture.
A loss would not necessarily knock the ‘Cats out of the playoff picture–as Weber still has games remaining with two other ranked teams, at Northern Arizona and vs. FCS power Cal Poly–but it would make matters more difficult for head coach Ron McBride and his troops.
Also, the Wildcats are currently ranked No. 14 and only 16 teams are invited to the FCS playoffs, so a loss at Missoula would not only potentially knock them out of the picture, but also give other teams in the conference, like NAU and MSU some life.
What’s more is Weber is a team that hasn’t won in Missoula under McBride. “They are solid in every phase of the game,” said McBride in a press release. “Number one, they just don’t make mistakes and they really take advantage of your mistakes.”
Obviously for the Wildcats to have any chance at Montana, it will take some fortunate bounces of the ball in what is expected to be a hostile environment at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
“They have what all teams strive for - belief in self and team, confident in any situation, and they obviously have great fan support,” said McBride. “We will need to keep ourselves focused on what is happening on the field and not in the stands.”
A sold-out crowd is expected in Missoula, along with regional TV coverage (1 p.m. KJZZ-TV).
With an upset victory at Montana the Wildcats would be tied for first place in the Big Sky, with only one conference game at Northern Arizona remaining on their schedule.
A loss, however, would be detrimental to Weber State’s chances of winning the Big Sky, but wouldn’t kill it, because Montana has a lot of football left. The Grizzlies still have to play Idaho State and Northern Colorado before traveling to rival Montana State for the season finale.
The last time the Wildcats played in Missoula, they lost 24-13 in the FCS quarterfinals, and 18-10 in 2007. All told, both losses were respectable, but from the looks of the Grizzlies it will take something special this Saturday in front of over 20,000 fans.
With both Weber State and Montana at or near the top of the conference in scoring offense and scoring defense, something must give and it will likely be whichever defense bends first. Very little in terms of points per game separates the two powerhouses in the Big Sky, but one telling factor could be Weber’s ability to keep the ball and limit Montana’s ability to score on the ground.
On the flip side, Weber’s defense must find a way to get through Montana’s mammoth offensive line, and limit Montana’s not-so-spectacular but all-too-effective attack led by running back Chase Reynolds. The other thing Weber must contain is the Grizzlies’ red zone offense, which is nearly automatic this season at 87.9 percent.
The Wildcats are more of a passing threat than the Grizzlies as well, and Montana’s pass defense is not stellar, ranking eighth, so the logical move would be for Weber to air it out.
However, the Wildcats have more than enough threats on the ground with Trevyn Smith and Bo Bolen to balance out their attack, a McBride staple in all the years he’s coached.
If McBride knows one thing, it’s going on the road and playing tough, as evidenced by the many times he took his undermanned Utah Utes down to Provo and knocked off the BYU Cougars in incomprehensible fashion.
That’s the task that awaits McBride this Saturday. Don’t be surprised if Weber State, a team just as athletic and talented as Montana in most positions, pull off another shocker, but it will take something Wildcat fans haven’t seen in what has been a disappointing year.
Tags:
)
)
