The Weber State Wildcats are going back to Missoula, Mont., this weekend. And they remember their last visit all too well.

They remember how they couldn’t hear anything last year but the Washington-Grizzly Stadium crowd. How their emotions took over when they needed to keep their wits about them. How their season ended in the 24-13 loss to Montana in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals.

Have the Wildcats learned anything from it? And will it make a difference when they meet the Grizzlies at their place again on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.)?

They may have no choice.

“The game is a pivotal point in our season,” running back Trevyn Smith said. “The season is relying on this game.”

It’s probably a stretch to say Weber quarterback Cameron Higgins still has nightmares about Washington-Grizzly, but not by much. He was greeted last year by more than 20,000 fans in bowl-shaped stadium that seemed to trap every bit of the noise. It made an impression — to the point of distraction.

“The fans are rowdy and it’s pretty loud,” Higgins said. “That’s what the atmosphere does to you. I was playing in a daze. I was trying to make the big play instead of going through my reads. I wasn’t playing within myself. I played off emotion rather than with my mind.”

Higgins isn’t the only one who has ever been rattled on Montana’s home field. Currently, the Grizzlies are ranked No. 2 in the nation and are especially dominant at home. The last time an opponent went into Washington-Grizzly Stadium and beat Montana was in Nov. 2007.

But winning there is what Weber State needs to do Saturday, to not only remain in the hunt for Big Sky Conference championship, but to keep any postseason hopes alive.

Virtually all of the Wildcats’ goals for the season are wrapped up in this game. Two losses to bigger foes — Wyoming and Colorado State — and an unexpected defeat to Montana State at home have left Weber State no margin for error.

Did the Wildcats make a mistake in taking on a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision foes in September? Even though the ‘Cats made a little money and gave a good account of themselves in both games — they probably should have beaten CSU — the selection committee doesn’t consider strength of schedule.

“[The committee] is not going to look at those FBS losses as anything other than losses. That’s what really hurts them,” said FCS executive director David Coulson. “That is really coming down to haunt them. If [the Wildcats] lose another game, their chances of getting in the playoffs are 100 to 1. It’s not likely with four losses.”

If the Wildcats are going to win on Saturday, they’ll need to avoid the mistakes that hampered them the last time they played at Montana.

Montana got off to a fast start, building a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Weber State had two fumbles and Higgins had an interception. He completed 19 of 40 passes and for the first time that season, Higgins was held without a touchdown pass. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies didn’t commit any turnovers.

“They just don’t make mistakes and they really take advantage of your mistakes,” coach Ron McBride said. “They are solid in every phase of the game.”

It’s a tough predicament to be in but the Wildcats have a chance to play themselves out of it.

“We’re treating this like a playoff game. We gotta win this game,” Higgins said. “It’s do or die.”