Weber State University Athletics
Weber State football heads to Cal Poly Saturday
10/8/2013 4:56:00 PM | Football
Watch online | Listen live | Live stats
Game #6 -- Weber State (1-5, 0-2) at Cal Poly (2-3, 1-0)
Saturday, Oct. 12 • 6:05 p.m. (PDT)
San Luis Obispo, CA • Spanos Stad. (11,075)
Radio: KLO 1430 AM/103.1 FM
Online video: WatchBigSky.com
Live audio: WeberStateSports.com
Live stats: gopoly.com
Twitter: @weberstate, @weberstatefb
Series: Weber State leads 5-4
Streak: Cal Poly 1 win
In SLO: series tied 2-2
Last Meeting: 10/05/12 - Ogden - CP 45, WSU 23
QUICK HITS
• Weber State enters the second half of the 2013 season and heads back on the road for another Big Sky game as the Wildcats take on Cal Poly Saturday night in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Weber State is 1-5 on the season and 0-2 in Big Sky play. The 'Cats have lost five straight games following Saturday's 41-19 loss at No. 6 Eastern Washington.
• Cal Poly is 2-3 on the season and 1-0 in Big Sky play but enters Saturday's game after a non-conference home loss to Yale last week.
• WSU is halfway through the season and is playing its fifth road game in the first seven games of the season.
• The Wildcats hold a 5-4 all-time series lead over Cal Poly and the series is tied 2-2 in San Luis Obispo. This is WSU's first game at Cal Poly with the Mustangs as members of the Big Sky.
MEDIA FOR SATURDAY'S GAME
Saturday's game with the Mustangs will kickoff at 6:05 p.m. Pacific time (7:05 p.m. Mountain time) from Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on KLO 1430 AM and 103.1 FM with Carl Arky and former Wildcat Ty Sparrow calling all the action. It can also be heard online at kloradio.com and WeberStateSports.com.
The game can also be seen online for free at WatchBigSky.com. Live stats are available at gopoly.com and WeberStateSports.com.
WILDCATS DROP FIFTH STRAIGHT AT #6 EASTERN WASHINGTON
Weber State lost its fifth straight game as Vernon Adams threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another score to lead sixth-ranked Eastern Washington to a 41-19 win Saturday night at Roos Field.
The Eagles totaled 493 yards of total offense, compared to 249 for the Wildcats. WSU had 109 yards rushing on the night, but the Eagles rushed for 279 yards. WSU had just two penalties in the game for seven yards.
STATISTICAL IMPROVEMENTS
Despite the loss the Wildcats made some improvements in Saturday's game. WSU threw for 140 yards, their second most passing yards of the season and was plus one in the turnover battle. The 'Cats also had their fewest penalties of the season and their best third down conversion percentage. WSU also scored in the second quarter for the first time this season.
THIRD DOWN STRUGGLES
Despite a season-best 33.3 percent on third down conversions in Saturday's game at Eastern Washington, the Wildcats continue to rank last in the Big Sky and are 114th in the nation in third down conversion percentage at 25.5 percent. WSU is 27-106 on third down conversions this season. The 'Cats are also 12th in the conference in opponent third down conversions, allowing their opponents to convert 44.3 percent of the time.
RED ZONE TROUBLES
The Wildcats are last in the Big Sky and 117th in the nation in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score 92.6 percent of the time when in the red zone. WSU opponents have scored on 25 of 27 attempts this season, and have scored touchdowns 21 times. Opponents have scored 10 straight times when in the red zone against Weber State, and have scored touchdowns eight of those 10 times. On offense the Wildcats are 12th in the league in red zone offense at 62.5 percent. They are 5-8 on red zone attempts this season.
AUSTIN CHIPOLETTI WITH SEASON BEST PASSING NIGHT
WSU freshman Austin Chipoletti started for the fourth straight game Saturday and had a season best passing night. The Jacksonville, Fla., native finished the night 17-27 passing for 140 yards and one touchdown, along with one interception. It was the first time in his six game career he passed for more than 100 yards.
On the season Chipoletti is 53-102 passing for 413 yards and two touchdowns, along with four interceptions. He has also carried the ball 60 times for 110 yards.
CAMERON LIVINGSTON RECORDS SECOND TOUCHDOWN
Both of Chipoletti's touchdowns this season have come to freshman Cameron Livingston, including a 21-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter of Saturday's loss at Eastern Washington. Livingston, a true freshman from Ocala, Fla., finished Saturday's game with four catches for 36 yards.
On the year Livingston is second on the WSU team in receiving yards. He has 10 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
ERIK WALKER WITH BIG RECEIVING DAY
Another WSU receiver had a big day Saturday against the Eagles as senior Erik Walker led the team with five receptions for 77 yards. He had a season-long WSU reception of 40 yards in the second half of the game.
This year Walker, a native of Park City, Utah, is leading the Wildcats with 24 receptions for 288 yards and one touchdown. He is averaging 48 receiving yards per game. Walker has played in 36 games at Weber State and has 61 catches for 818 yards and seven career touchdowns.
JOSH BOOKER WITH 10TH CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWN
Weber State senior Josh Booker led the Wildcat rushing attack Saturday, finishing with 13 carries for 42 yards. He also had a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter, WSU's first points in the second quarter this season. It was Booker's second rushing touchdown of the season and the 10th of his career. This season he has 65 carries for 218 yards.
The Oklahoma City, Okla., native also passed former teammate C.J. Tuckett and moved into 13th place in WSU history in career rushing yards. Booker now has 1,634 career rushing yards in his 38 career games at Weber State. He is on pace to finish his career ninth in rushing in WSU history.
SPENCER UNGA LEADS WILDCATS IN TACKLES
With Anthony Morales and Luke King out of the game with injuries, freshman linebacker Spencer Unga came up big in Saturday's game. Unga, a graduate of Bonneville High School in Ogden, led the Wildcat defense with a career-high 13 tackles, including one half tackle for loss. Unga had four solo tackles and nine assisted tackles in the game. In six games this season Unga has 19 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
'CATS GETTING BIG CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FRESHMEN
Weber State continues to get valuable contributions for freshmen. In Saturday's game at No. 6 Eastern Washington, 20 freshmen or red shirt freshmen saw action in the game for the Wildcats, including four starters.
AROUND THE BIG SKY
The Big Sky opened up conference play with six games last week and the conference now has five teams ranked in the top 18 in the nation in this week's Sports Network poll. WSU's opponent this week, Eastern Washington, is ranked sixth in the nation, Montana State is eighth, Montana is 10th, Northern Arizona is 15th and next week's opponent, Cal Poly, is 18th.
ABOUT CAL POLY
Cal Poly enters Saturday's game with a 2-3 overall mark and a 1-0 record in Big Sky play. The Mustangs are coming off a 24-10 home loss to Yale Saturday, in the first ever matchup between a Big Sky school and a school from the Ivy League. The Mustangs had been ranked in the top 25 in the nation all season before falling out of the rankings after last week's loss.
The Mustangs opened the season with a 38-16 win over San Diego, then had two losses to FBS schools, falling at Fresno State and Colorado State. They opened Big Sky play two weeks ago with a 38-34 come from behind win at Portland State.
This year the Mustangs rank second in the Big Sky in rushing offense at 267.6 yards per game but rank 12th in the conference in passing offense at 165.0 per game. They are last in the conference in punting, averaging 33.7 net yards per punt, but rank second in kickoff coverage. They are 12th in the league in sacks with four on the season but are second in the league in sacks allowed, also with four. They also rank second in the conference in opponent third down conversions at 33.3 percent. CP is also a perfect 15-15 on extra point attempts this season.
The Mustangs have been led by junior Kristaan Ivory who leads the Big Sky and ranks 14th in the nation in rushing at 116.8 yards per game. He is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and has four rushing touchdowns and is third in the league in all purpose yards. Sophomore quarterback Chris Brown is sixth in the league in total offense at 202 per game, and is averaging 67.2 yards rushing per game, ninth best in the conference.
Cal Poly has the top two players in tackles in the Big Sky with junior Cameron Ontko first in the league and 15th in the nation at 10.5 tackles per game and junior Nick Dzubnar second at 10.4.\
Opponents have been outscoring the Mustangs 40-17 in the first quarter but Cal Poly has outscored its opponents 45-17 in the third quarter this season.
Last season Cal Poly finished 9-3 overall and captured a share of the Big Sky title at 7-1 in its first season in the conference. The Mustangs have finished with a winning record in 10 of the last 12 years.
HEAD COACH TIM WALSH
The Mustangs are coached by veteran Big Sky coach Tim Walsh who is in his fifth season at Cal Poly. He enters this week with a 92-79 career record and is 56-48 all-time in Big Sky games. In his five years at Cal Poly he has a 28-22 all-time record and was named the 2012 Big Sky Coach of the Year after leading the Mustangs to a 7-1 record and a share of the conference title last year.
Prior to coming to Cal Poly, Walsh spent 14 years as the head coach at Portland State in the Big Sky. He has led Portland State and Poly to the FCS playoffs. Walsh is 7-6 all-time in his career against Weber State at Portland State and Cal Poly.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 10th all-time meeting between the two teams with Weber State holding a 5-4 all-time series lead. This will be the second meeting between the two teams and conference opponents after the Mustangs won 45-23 in Ogden last year. Prior to that Weber State beat the Mustangs in 2008 and 2008.
In games played in San Luis Obispo the series is tied 2-2. The last meeting in SLO came in 2008 when the Wildcats beat the Mustangs 49-35 in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.
LAST MEETING - 10/05/12 - OGDEN - CP 45, WSU 23
Cal Poly beat Weber State 45-23 on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012 in Ogden, in the first meeting ever between the two teams as conference opponents. The Wildcats had season-highs in total offense, rushing yards, passing yards and first downs but still could not stop the 20th ranked Mustangs from making big plays. Weber State led 20-14 early in the third quarter but the Mustangs outscored the Wildcats 31-3 the rest of the way.
Weber State had 528 yards of total offense, compared to 345 for Cal Poly. The Mustangs threw for just 99 yards but rushed for 260 yards. Kristaan Ivory rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown and quarterback Andre Broadous threw for 99 yards and three touchdowns. C.J. Tuckett rushed for 98 yards for the Wildcats and Mike Hoke threw for 291 yards.
INJURY REPORT
Weber State played without senior linebacker and captain Anthony Morales in Saturday's game. Morales, who is 11th in the Big Sky in tackles at 8.4 per game, missed the game with a hamstring injury suffered against Sacramento State. Morales will be a game-time decision again for this week's game at Cal Poly.
WSU also lost another linebacker in the first quarter of the game at Eastern Washington as sophomore Luke King left the game with a knee sprain in his right knee. King is expected to miss two to three weeks of action.
WSU junior wide receiver Shaydon Kehano suffered a leg injury during fall camp and is still expected to miss another one to two weeks of action. Kehano suffered a similar injury to the same leg last season in the third game of the year and missed the rest of the season. He earned Big Sky All-Conference honors as a sophomore in 2011 and has appeared in 20 career games at WSU.
WSU senior wide receiver Kela Marciel (patella tendon) and freshman Ryan Tuiasoa (ankle) will both miss the rest of the season with injuries.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Coach Sears has selected four team captains for the season. Bo Bolen, Anthony Morales, Connor Myers and Shelton Robinson will serve as the Wildcat team captains for the year. Morales is serving as captain for the third straight season. Combined the four players have appeared in 119 games for Weber State.
WILDCATS COME FROM ALL OVER
Weber State's roster this season includes players from 13 states and Canada. A total of 25 of WSU's roster come from the state of Utah. The 'Cats have 14 players coming from the state of Florida and 12 from California. Eight players come from Idaho, six from Hawaii, five from Oklahoma and four from Texas. The 'Cats also have players from Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, and Washington, as well as one from Alberta, Canada.
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
The Wildcats made several key changes to the coaching staff in the offseason. Steve Morton returns for his second season with the Wildcats and was elevated to the position of Associate Head Coach. He also continues to coach the offensive line.
Robin Pflugrad, a former head coach at Montana, joined the program in February as the new offensive coordinator. Pflugrad brings nearly 30 years of coaching experience to Weber State, including several years coaching in the Big Sky. Pflugrad has brought a new up-tempo offense to the Wildcats this season.
Eric Lewis is the new defensive coordinator for the Wildcats. Lewis is in his second season as an assistant at Weber State and also coaches the secondary.
LOOKING AHEAD
After Saturday's game Weber State will be back home to host Montana State. The Bobcats are 2-0 in Big Sky play and are ranked seventh in the nation in this week's Sports Network poll. MSU has a bye this week before taking on the Wildcats next week in a game that will be televised on ROOT Sports.
Following next week's game the Wildcats will have a bye week on Oct. 26 before returning to action Nov. 2 at Portland State.
