Weber State University Athletics
#12 Weber State at #5 Montana in NCAA Division I FCS Quarterfinal Playoff Game
12/4/2008 7:00:00 AM | Football
G A M E # 14 for Weber State
NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs - Quarterfinals
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY vs. @MONTANA
Saturday, December 6, 2008 * 12:05 p.m. (MST)
Washington-Grizzly Stadium * Missoula, Montana
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA "GRIZZLIES"
HEAD COACH
BOBBY HAUCK is in his 6th season at Montana. All six of his teams have either won or shared the Big Sky Conference title. ... His record coming into Saturday's game is 64-15 (.810). He is 39-6 (.867) in Big Sky Conference regular season games. ... Hauck is 5-1 vs. Weber State.
SERIES HISTORY
Montana, along with Idaho State, is Weber State's oldest and longest continual football rival. . . . The two schools have met continuously since the 1962 season when Weber State attained four-year status. ... Montana won that game 26-5 in Missoula. . . . The next season (1963), both schools became charter members of the Big Sky Conference. . . . Montana holds a commanding 35-12-0 lead in the series and are 17-5-0 when playing in Missoula. . . . WSU's 45-28 win on Oct. 4, 2008 in Ogden snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Grizzlies. . . . Montana is 17-5-0 vs. the Wildcats when playing in Missoula. The Wildcats have lost their last TEN TIMES in Missoula. The last WSU win in Missoula came in 1987 with the Wildcats winning 29-26 in their first time playing in the new Washington-Grizzly Stadium. . . . In a somewhat ironic twist, that 1987 Wildcat team went on to post a 10-3 record and make a first ever appearance in the Division I-AA playoffs. . . . Each team has posted ONE SHUTOUT in the series. WSU won 28-0 in Missoula in 1966, UoM won 10-0 in Ogden in 1973. . . . The 81 points (81-22) Montana put up on the Wildcats in 1999 is still the most points ever given up in a single game by WSU, and the only team to score 80 or points vs. the ?Cats. . . . There has not be an OVERTIME game played in the series. . . . Weber State has only had BACK-TO-BACK WINS over Montana, twice, in this long series. WSU won 38-21 (1980 in Ogden) and 7-6 (1981 in Missoula). The last time is happened was in 1984 (47-14 in Ogden) and 1985 (57-29 in Missoula). . . . The 45 points scored by the Wildcats in the first meeting this season, marked the first time since that 1985 game (57-29) that the Wildcats 40 or more vs. the Grizzlies, and only the second time since 1992 they had scored 30 or more.
LAST YEAR IN MISSOULA
The 0-3 Wildcats came into the lair of the number one ranked Montana Grizzlies and for most of the afternoon kept the 23,267 grizzly faithful silent. The Wildcats took a quick 10-0 lead on a halfback pass from ADRIAN CONWAY to B.A.HARRELL and a 30-yard field goal by CONOR FOLEY, but that's all the Wildcats could muster offensively as the Grizzlies scored 18 unanswered points to escape with an 18-10 victory.
Weber State's defense did a lot of bending but didn't break holding the Grizzlies to just 311 total yards. DAN CARPENTER, however, made good on 4-4 field goal attempts to keep the Montana offensive attack moving forward. The Grizzlies got their only touchdown of the day late in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by GREG COLEMAN.
Weber State had a golden opportunity late in the game to tie the game when MARCUS MAILEI caught an 11-yard pass from CAMERON HIGGINS and advanced to the Montana seven-yard line. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on one of the Wildcat offensive linemen sent the ball back to the 22. WSU was then called for a holding penalty and were moved back to the 32. After two incomplete passes, the Wildcats were then called for a false start and went back to the 37. On the third-and-25 play, TIM TOONE was called for offensive pass interference and the Wildcats were back at their own 48. HIGGINS was then sacked for -11 yards leaving the Wildcats with a fourth and 52 situation. HIGGINS' long pass to MIKE PHILLIPS was incomplete.
n his first collegiate start, HIGGINS was a respectable 13-27-1 passing for 133 yards. ... AKAMU AKI has his best game in a Wildcat uniform with five catches for 58 yards. ... MIKE SNOY averaged 48.7 yards per punt. ... It was Weber State's eight straight loss to the Grizzlies and the 10th straight setback in Missoula where WSU has not won since 1986.
FIRST GAME THIS SEASON - Oct. 4
On a cold, windy, rainy afternoon, the Wildcats finally got the "bear" of its back with a 45-28 defeat of #3 ranked Montana. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Grizzlies, and also snapped Montana's 25-game win streak in regular season games and 16-game win streak in Big Sky Conference games. =
TREVYN SMITH had a big game with 22 carries for 158 yards and one touchdown and caught four passes for 54 yards and one touchdown giving him 212 all-purpose yards.
CAMERON HIGGINS completed 21-30-1 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns. The defense came up big. After allowing 21 first half points, the Wildcats came back in the second half and held the Griz to just one touchdown and 174 yards of total offense. WSU recorded eight tackles for loss, seven of them quarterback sacks for minus 37 yards. Six different defenders had a sack.
KEVIN LINEHAN had two. SCOTTY GOODLOE recovered two fumbles while TERRELL CLOUD and BEAU HADLEY each had an interceptions giving Montana an uncharacteristic four turnovers.
Montana came out of the gate quickly to take a 14-3 first quarter lead on a 10-yard run by CHASE REYNOLDS and big 75-yard pass from COLE BERGQUIST to TYLER PALMER. Sandwiched between those two scores was a 42-yard field goal by WSU's JON WILLIAMS.
WSU made it 14-10 just three minutes into the second quarter on a 28-yard pass from HIGGINS to MIKE PHILLIPS, but Montana answered going 52 yards in six plays with BERGQUIST scoring on a seven yard run making it 21-10. On UoM's kickoff, WSU's return specialist BRYANT ETEUATI took it back 53-yards to the Montana 30. On the first play HIGGINS found TREVYN SMITH coming out the back side for a 30-yard TD pass.
The turning point of the game came on Montana's possession following that touchdown. BERGQUIST was intercepted by TERRELL CLOUD who returned it 23-yards to the Montana 26. After a 10-yard penalty, then a 16-yard pass from HIGGINS to CODY NAKAMURA, the WSU coaching staff sent in quarterback BRENDON DOYLE who took a direct snap and bullied his way 20-yards for the touchdown giving the Wildcats a 24-21 lead. The Wildcats then scored their fourth touchdown of the quarter with just 15 seconds left in the half on an eight-yard toss from HIGGINS to PHILLIPS.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but on the first play of the fourth quarter Montana's CHASE REYNOLDS was tackled for a 10-yard loss, fumbled the ball. GOODLOE scooped it up and ran to the five and two plays later SMITH scored on a five-yard run. ... Montana went 77 yards in 12 plays on the following possession with BERGQUIST finding MIKE FERRITER on and eight-yard TD pass.
The Wildcats came right back with ETEUATI returning the kickoff 25 yards to the WSU 33. UoM was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty putting the ball at the WSu 48. SMITH rushed for 13 and 21 yards down to the 18. WSU was called for a hold, but HIGGINS then tossed a 28-yard TD pass to ETEUATI for the final score of the game at the 8:41 mark. ... The Wildcats moved to 4-2 overall and 2-0- in Big Sky play for the first time since the 1998 season.
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Montana comes into Saturday's game with a 12-1 record, the only loss at 45-28 setback at Weber State as mentioned above. . . . The Grizzlies come into Saturday's game ranked FIFTH in both The Sports Network poll and NCAA Divsion I FCS Coaches poll. They are riding a current Big Sky best eight game win streak. . . . The Grizzlies are about as playoff savvy as any team in NCAA Division I FCS. This is their 16TH STRAIGHT SEASON they have made the playoffs. Montana is making its 19th playoff appearance overall, tied with Eastern Kentucky for the most appearances. ... Montana is 25-16 (.610) in playoff games. They are tied with Youngstown State (25) for the second most wins in playoff history behind Georgia Southern (38). . . . Montana is 8-0 (1.000) when playing QUARTERFINAL GAMES in Washington-Grizzly Stadium and 8-1 overall. The Griz only quarterfinal game loss on the road was a 24-20 setback @McNeese State in 2002. . . . UoM won at home in the opening round last week with a 31-13 win over Texas State. The Griz erased an early 10-0 deficit. ... UoM running back Chase Reynolds rushed 38 times for a career high 233 yards, and scored two touchdowns, in the victory. . . . Since losing to Weber State 45-28 on October 4 in Ogden, the Grizzlies have out scored their last eight opponents 272-78 (34.0 points to 9.75 points). . . . Montana LEADS the Big Sky in RUSHING OFFENSE averaging 176.40 yards per game.
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY "WILDCATS"
HEAD COACH RON McBRIDE 2008 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year
Weber State head coach, RON McBRIDE, is in his FOURTH SEASON as head coach the Wildcats. In 2005 he guided the Wildcats to a 6-5 (.545) record overall and a 4-3 (.571) mark in Big Sky Conference play. Last year the Wildcats were 5-6 overall and 4-4 in Big Sky play.
MAC is now 25-21 at WSU (.543) and 113-84 (.574) overall in his 17th seasons as a head coach. McBRIDE picked up his 100th career coaching victory in the 23-0 shutout of Northern Colorado last October. ... McBride was 88-63 in 13 seasons as the head coach at the University of Utah from 1990-2002. McBride is 1-3 lifetime vs. Montana
On TUESDAY (Nov. 4 election day) McBride signed a new contract which will keep him at WSU through the 2012 season. ... On Wednesday, November 26, McBride was named the "Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.
Despite six bowl appearances and three conference titles during 13 years as the head coach at the University of Utah, Ron McBride never won a Coach of the Year.
In his fourth season at Weber State, the 69-year-old McBride was voted the 2008 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year by his league peers on Wednesday.
McBride guided the Wildcats to arguably the best season in school history. The Wildcats claimed a share of the Big Sky regular-season title for the first time in 40 years, finishing 7-1 in league and 9-3 overall. Weber State earned the Big Sky's automatic bid to the Division I Football Championship playoffs, which begin on Saturday with the 12th-ranked Wildcats taking on Cal Poly. It's just the school's third playoff appearance, and first since 1991.
Weber State was picked to finish fifth by the coaches and media in the preseason polls. Weber State climbed to as high as eighth in the nation after beginning the season unranked.
"This is huge for this team and the guys who work for me," McBride said of the honor. "It just says that you are doing some good stuff for the football program, and the other teams respect what you are doing. That's a huge plus."
Weber State's regular season included the program's first win over Montana in 10 seasons, a 7-0 start to conference play, and a six-game winning streak. On Tuesday, a record 12 Wildcats were named to the All-Conference first team. Sophomore quarterback Cameron Higgins, a candidate for the Walter Payton Award, was named the Offensive MVP, and junior running back Trevyn Smith was a unanimous first-team pick.
McBride came to Weber State in 2005 after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Kentucky. From 1990-2002, McBride was the head coach at Utah, where he compiled an 88-63. He guided the Utes to conference titles in the WAC and Mountain West Conferences, and led them to three bowl victories
"I thought time was running out, to tell you the truth," McBride said of not having won a Coach of the Year honor. "When you get to be 69, and you are still flailing around, that's not bad, I guess. I appreciate this. It makes me happy, and I'm happy for the program and for the kids."
McBride's record in 17 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level is 112-84. McBride went 88-63 at Utah, and is 24-21 at Weber State. He is one of just a handful of coaches to win league titles in three Division I conferences.
McBride is the fourth Weber State coach to win the honor. Current Weber State Athletics Director Jerry Graybeal won the award in 2003. Sark Arslanian was named Coach of he Year in 1965, and Mike Price took home the honor in 19897.
RADIO / TV
All Weber State football games will be carried LIVE on radio station KLO (1430 AM). CARL ARKY will be making the call on Saturday with BRAD LARSEN, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Weber State, providing color commentary. Former WSU football standout, a new father, TY SPARROW, will provide sideline commentary. ... Saturday's Pre-Game Show airs at 11:30 a.m.. (MST). ... The game will be shown on ESPN Syndication/GamePlan/ESPN 360.com with TREY BENDER calling the action and DOUG CHAPMAN providing color analyst. ... ALTITUDE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT out of Denver, Colorado, will carry the game LIVE. ... In UTAH, they can be found on COMCAST CHANNEL65 (HD Channel 664), DIRECT TV on Channel 681, ALT2 on Channel 682 (HD Channel 681-1) and on Dish Network Channel 410 (410-HD).
T R A V E L P L A N S
The official travel party is set to depart from Salt Lake City via chartered jet on Friday, December 5 at 11:00 a.m. (MST), arriving at the Missoula, Montana airport at 12:15 p.m.. (MST). ... Team headquarters on Friday night will be the HOLIDAY INN AT THE PARK (406) 532 - 2054. ... Team and travel party will depart Missoula at 7:00 p.m. (MST) by charter jet arriving back in Salt Lake City at 8:30 p.m. (MST)
MEDIA INTERVIEWS
The Wildcats are scheduled to practice at Washington-Grizzly Stadium at 4:00 p.m. (MST) on Friday, December 5. ... Anyone wishing player or coach interviews should contact WSU SID Brad Larsen (801) 626-6010 or cell (801) 698-9548.
47TH SEASON OF FOOTBALL
Weber State is in its 47th year of playing football on the four-year level, and the 46th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. In 1962, Weber State attained four-year status and played as an NCAA Division II member until 1978 when they moved up to the newly created NCAA Division I-AA level (now I-FCS). ... Weber State's ALL-TIME RECORD in football is 243-258-3 (.482).
TEAM CAPTAINS
The team elected five captains for the 2008 season. ... The DEFENSIVE CAPTAINS will be J.D. FOLSOM (6-3, 230 Sr. SLB), RYAN GALOVIC (6-0, 220 Sr. ROV) and KEVIN LINEHAN (6-3, 255 Jr. DE). The OFFENSIVE CAPTAINS are PAUL CARPENTER (6-6, 305 Sr. OT), CAMERON HIGGINS (6-2, 195 Soph. QB) and MARCUS MAILEI (6-1, 245 Sr. FB) . BRYANT ETEUATI (5-7, 160 Sr.) will be the SPECIAL TEAMS captain.
?CATs 12TH IN BOTH POLLS
Following the home field 33-26 loss to Eastern Washington last Saturday, the Wildcats dropped from 8th to 12th in both The Sports Network poll and NCAA Division I FCS Coaches polls.
The highest ranking the Wildcats have ever attained in Division I FCS, came back in 1980. The Wildcats lost their season opener @Northern Iowa, the reeled off four straight wins at home. The only I-AA poll at the time was by the Associated Press.
The Wildcats were ranked 5th following their win over Montana but then lost their last six games of the season to finish 4-7 and coach Pete Riehlman was dismissed as head coach and replaced by Mike Price.
The highest ranking ever by a WSU football team came in 1966. The Wildcats were ranked THIRD in the old "small college poll". WSU finished the 1965 season ranked FIFTH with an 8-1 mark and were Big Sky Conference Co-Champions. The Wildcats began the 1966 season with a 32-14 road win at Northern Arizona and moved up to third. The Wildcats then hosted #1 ranked San Diego State in Ogden, but lost 38-34. WSU ended the 1966 season with a 6-3-0 mark.
WE'VE ONLY BEEN HERE ONCE BEFORE
This is only the second QUARTERFINAL APPEARANCE by the Wildcats in the Division I FCS playoffs. In 1987 after defeating Idaho, 59-30, in the opening round, the Wildcats flew cross country to Huntington, West Virginia where the lost 51-23 to the Marshall Thundering Herd.
SECOND TIME IN ONE SEASON
Saturday's game marks the THIRD TIME in Weber State football history that they have played a team TWICE in the same season. ... In 1980, the Wildcats played two REGULAR SEASON games against Idaho State. WSU won at home 31-17 and lost at ISU, 46-5. . . . In 1987, the ?Cats lost at home to Idaho (41-38) in the regular season, then defeated the Vandals 59-30 in Moscow, Idaho in the first round of the then NCAA Division I-AA playoffs
PLAYING RANKED TEAMS
Saturday's game will be WSU's FOURTH game this season against a team ranked nationally, and the third against a team ranked in the top FIVE. ... On September 27 the Wildcats faced BCS contender UTAH in Salt Lake City when the Utes were ranked 17th. They are now SIXTH. ... The next week (Oct. 4) the Wildcats faced Montana when the Grizzlies were ranked THIRD. ... Last week, the Wildcats went on the road and knocked off Cal Poly which was also ranked third.
A WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD...
- Make all Wildcat fans happy.
- Give Weber State it's most wins in a single season. The 1987 team was 10-3.
- Would be the most wins for Coach McBride in a single season. He was 10-2 at Utah in 1992.
- Put the Wildcats into the FCS semifinal game for the first time in school history.
IT'S AS SIMPLE AS 1 - 2
Saturday's game pits team which match strengths in many areas in the Big Sky Conference rankings.
- SCORING OFFENSE: Weber State (36.9) and Montana (34.1), ranked one-two in the latest Big Sky Conference rankings.
- SCORING DEFENSE: It's just the opposite. Montana (16.9) and Weber State (22.5) ranked one-two
- TOTAL OFFENSE: The Wildcats (460.60) and Grizzlies (404.7) rank one-two in the Big Sky. Weber State is ranked 5th in NCAA Division I FCS.
- PASS DEFENSE: Montana is ranked first the Big Sky allowing just 203.9 pass yards per game, while the Wildcats are second allowing 217.2).
- PASSING EFFICIENCY DEFENSE: Weber State leads the Big Sky allowing a 110.5 rating for opponents, while Montana is second at 113.7.
- PASSING EFFICIENCY: The twist here is, both teams throw the ball with accuracy. The Wildcats lead the Big Sky, AND ARE 2ND NATIONALLY, in Passing Efficiency with a rating of 171.5. Montana is second in the Big Sky at 157.30.
- TURNOVER MARGIN: This will be the KEY to the whole game. Montana leads the Big Sky with a +0.85 margin. They have 12 fumble recoveries / 17 interceptions and have only lost nine fumbles and thrown nine interceptions. . . . Weber State is second in the Big Sky at +0.77. The Wildcats have recovered 12 fumbles and picked off 19 passes while only losing nine fumbles and throwing 12 interceptions.
- FIRST DOWNS: Both teams are good at getting them. The Wildcats lead the Big Sky with 286 (22 pg), Montana is second with 278 (21.8)
-THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: A crucial stat in keeping drives alive, Weber State is 69-155 (.445) this season. Montana is second at 77-176 (.438).
- FOURTH DOWN CONVERSION: When you REALLY need it, Montana is the best in the Big Sky with 15-24 (.625) this season. ... Weber State is second (9-15 .600).
There are some one-two individual battles as well.
- PASSING EFFICIENCY: The two most efficient quarterbacks in the Big Sky square off on Saturday. CAMERON HIGGINS leads the Big Sky, and is second nationally in Division I FCS, with a rating of 172.80. Montana's COLE BERGQUIST is second in the Big Sky at 159.5.
- PUNT RETURNS: Montana's MARK MARIANI is the Big Sky leader averaging 18.3 yards per return and has taken two back for touchdowns this season. ... Weber State's BRYANT ETEAUTI is second at 12.1 yards per return. Eteuati is the Big Sky's career leader in Punt Returns with 117 and punt return yards (1,206). Eteuati has two career punt returns for touchdowns.
- SCORING: Weber State's TREVYN SMITH not only leads the Big Sky, but NCAA Division I FCS in scoring with 162 points (12.5 per game). ... Montana's MARK MARIANI and CHASE REYNOLDS are tied for second in the Big Sky with 102 points each (7.8 ppg).
"R E D Z O N E" N O T E S
This will be a head-to-head match up featuring the Big Sky's most proficient Red Zone OFFENSE (Weber State 47-56 .839) against the league's stingiest Red Zone DEFENSE (Montana: allowed 27-38 .711). . . . Montana's red zone offense, however, ranks last (9th) with 44-60 conversion in scoring chances. Weber State's red zone defense ranks 5th (35-45 .778).
THEY COUNT NOW
Playoff and bowl stats are now countable to towards NCAA career, season and game records. That ideology was changed beginning in the 2002 season.
RECORD 12 FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SKY
Weber State had a record 12 players earn FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE honors in 2008. The previous record was 11 by Nevada and Eastern Washington. The previous best by a Weber State team was six in 1968, 2006 and 2007. ... CAMERON HIGGINS was named the 2008 Big Sky Conference OFEFNSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR. He became jus the second Wildcat to earn that honor. Jamie Martin (1991, Co-1992) was the other player. ... The Wildcats also set a record with 20 players earning First, Second and Honorable Mention team honors. ... WSU placed SEVEN on the offensive side, which included the entire backfield, and FIVE on the defensive side. Those earning honors were:
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
- Paul Carpenter Sr. Offensive Tackle
- Marcus Mailei Sr. Fullback
- Lawaia Naihe Sr. Offensive Guard
- Kyle Mutcher Jr. Center
- Treyvn Smith Jr. Running Back
- Tim Toone Jr. Wide Receiver
- Cameron Higgins Soph. Quarterback
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
- Bryce Scanlon Sr. Defensive Tackle
- J.D. Folsom Sr. Outside LB
- Beau Hadley Jr. Safety
- Kevin Linehan Jr. Defensive End
- Josh Morris Jr. Cornerback
Second Team Offense
- Cody Nakamura Jr. Tight End
- J.C. Oram RsFr. Offensive Guard
Second Team Defense
None
Honorable Mention Offense
- Bryant Eteuati Sr. Return Specialist
- Mike Phillips Soph. Wide Receiver
Honorable Mention Defense
- Scotty Goodloe Sr. Safety
- Pate Moleni Sr. Defensive End
- Biff Swan Sr. Inside LB
- Ryan Eastman Fr. Defensive Line
Honorable Mention Special Teams
- Beau Hadley Jr. Cover Teams
CAMERON HIGGINS - Quarterback
With his 399 passing yards last week @Cal Poly, Weber State quarterback CAMERON HIGGINS (6-2, 195 Sophomore) set a Weber State and Big Sky Conference single season record with 4,207 yards in 13 games. The old mark by Montana's Dave Dickenson (4,176: 1995) was done in an 11-game season. Dickenson's playoff yards were not counted. ... The Weber State single season mark was 4,125 yards in 1991 by current NFL quarterback (49ers) Jamie Martin. He would have had 4, 437 yards if playoff game stats would have counted. He threw for 312 yards in WSU's 38-21 loss @Northern Iowa. . . . Higgins set a WSU single game playoff passing record with his 399 yards @Cal Poly last week. The previous best was 364 yards by Jeff Carlson vs. @Marshall in 1987. Carlson was 26-62 but suffered six interceptions in the game. . . . In 24-career games, Higgins has now become WSU's SECOND ALL-TIME PASSING LEADER with 6,166 yards moving past Jeff Carlson. Martin is the school leader with 12,207 yards. Higgins has 53 career touchdown passes, second behind Martin's 87. ... Higgins's Pass Efficiency rating of 172.8 is 25.2 points higher than the school mark of 147.6 set in 1991 by Jamie Martin. . . . ... Last week, Higgins finished SIXTH in the 2008 Walter Payton Award balloting for the NCAA Division I FCS Offensive Player of the Year.
TREVYN SMITH - Running Back
Smith (5-9, 210 Jr.) has now has six straight 100 + yards rushing games and 19 in his 35-game career ... He became Weber State's career RUSHING leader as a junior. He now has 3,924 yards on 744 carries (5.3 per carry, 112.1 per game) and has scored 35 rushing touchdowns. ... He is just the SECOND player in Big Sky Conference history to lead the league in RUSHING for three straight seasons. Idaho's Sherriden May did it in 1992, 1993, and 1994. ... Smith needs just 76 more yards to become just the SEVENTH player in Big Sky Conference history - and the first in Weber State history - to have 4,000 career rushing yards. . . . He needs just 72 more RECEIVING yards to become only the second player in Weber State history to have 1,000 career rushing and 1,000 career receiving yards, and needs 26 more catches to become the second running back in WSU history with 100 career receptions. ... Smith's 137 RUSHING yards last week @Cal Poly is the second best playoff rushing game for the Wildcats. The record is 143 yards by Fine Unga @Idaho in 1987. . . . In SCORING, he now has 162 points this season (20 rushing / 7 receiving). The WSU single season record is 170 points by Geoff Mitchell in 1992. ... In his career, he has 35 rushing touchdowns, nine receiving touchdowns and a two-point conversion for 266 points. He is now WSU's second all-time leading scorer behind Scott Shields (325). ... He now SECOND to teammate Bryant Eteuati in career All-Purpose Yards at Weber State with 4,894.
TIM TOONE - Wide Receiver
Tim Toone (5-10, 165 Jr.) had a huge night last Saturday with 10 receptions for a personal single game high 199 yards. Those number broke the WSU playoff game record of eight catches by Fine Unga (vs. @Idaho) and Rick Justice (@Marshall) and receiving yards of 143 by Justice vs. @Marshall. ... His 2,402 career receiving yards in 33-career games vaults him into SECOND on the WSU career charts behind Wade Orton's 2,922 yards set from 1984-88. ... With his 15-yard TD catch last Saturday, Toone broke Orton's WSU career mark for Touchdown Catches. Toone now has 19 in his career. ... Toone also set a WSU single season record for Receiving Yards with 1,429. The old mark was 1,290 (11 games) by Craig Slama in 1985. ... With three more catches, Toone would become just the third player in Weber State history with 80 or more receptions in a season.
BRYANT ETEUATI - Receiver / Returns
Eteuati (5-7, 160 Sr.) has played the last two game after serving a three-game suspension (Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8) for violation of team rules. ... Eteuati is the BIG SKY CONFERENCE and WEBER STATE CAREER LEADER in Punt Returns (117) and Punt Return Yards (1,206). He has averaged 10.3 yards per return for his career. He returned two for touchdowns in 2007. . . . He is the BIG SKY CONFERENCE and WEBER STATE leader in career KICKOFF RETURN YARDS with 2,587 and needs just TWO more Kickoff Returns to become the league and school leader in that category as well, and three more to become the first player in Big Sky or Weber State history with 100 career kickoff returns. ... He has averaged 26.7 yards per return in his career and has two career kickoff returns for touchdowns, one of them a 100-yard return vs. MONTANA at home in 2006. . . . Eteuati now has 110 career receptions for 1,404 yards and 10 touchdowns. . . . He is Weber State's career All-Purpose Yards leader with 5,243.
BEAU HADLEY - Safety
The Wildcat defense has been paced by junior safety BEAU HADLEY (6-0, 185 Jr.). ... Hadley missed most of the 2007 season after suffering a broken leg in the season opener at Boise State, but came back and played in a reserve role behind Ty Sparrow (who earned 1st Team All-Big Sky honors). . . . He followed well in the footsteps of Sparrow as he was named FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SKY in 2008. . . . Hadley is the team leader, and third in the Big Sky, in Total Tackles with 115 (57 unassisted). He and teammate KEVIN LINEHAN (6-3, 255 Jr. DE) share the team lead in Forced Fumbles this season with five. He is second on the team in INTERCEPTIONS with four. . . . Hadley, who has a PERFECT 4.00 gpa in Technical Sales, was recently named FIRST TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA on the CoSIDA / ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team.
KEVIN LINEHAN - Defensive End
KEVIN LINEHAN (6-3, 255 Jr. DE) was named FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE in 2008. ... Linehan is third on the team in total tackles with 72 (34 unassisted) and is the team leader in Tackles for Loss (14.5 - 88 yards) and Quarterback Sacks (10.5 for - 70 yards). . . . He is ranked 2nd in the Big Sky in QB Sacks behind Eastern Washington's Greg Peach. ... He set a Weber State SINGLE SEASON mark for QB Sacks with his current 14.5. . . . He now has 16 career sacks which ties him for 6th at Weber State. ... He was the Big Sky Conference DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK for his October 4 performance AT HOME VS. MONTANA. He had SIX UNASSISTED tackles (seven total), three tackles for loss (-14) which included two quarterback sacks for minus 13 yards and added a pass break up as well.
R O N M c B R I D E Q U O T E S
ON MONTANA: "They are the premiere football program in the Big Sky and one of the best in NCAA Division I FCS. They have virtually eliminated their turnovers on offense and defensively, they are creating a lot of turnovers. They play hard, physical football on both sides which is all a coach can ask for, and they are playing at a high level right now."
ON THE WILDCATS "This is a big game, and the kind of game you want as a coach or player. Montana has a great football atmosphere and I know our coaches and player love playing there. Last week was our best effort in my four years here at Weber State against one of the most difficult teams you can prepare for. But that's over and done and our next task is Montana."
