'Cats come up short in 14-13 loss at No. 5 EWU

CHENEY, Wash. -- Weber State dominated the game statistically but came up just short on the final scoreboard as the Wildcats fell 14-13 to No. 5 Eastern Washington on a cold, windy, rainy day at Roos Field.

Weber State totaled 412 yards of total offense and held the Eagles to just 189 yards. Eastern Washington came into the game averaging 547 yards per game.

The Wildcats got off to a great start, marching 87 yards down the field on their first possession that was capped off by a six-yard touchdown run by Chad Leckington on a fake field goal. Later in the first quarater, Josh Kealamakia added a 44-yard field goal that put Weber State up 10-0.

After a WSU turnover, the Eagles got on the board with a 40-yard pass from Jordan West to Copper Kupp but the Wildcats rallied back with a 6:52 minute drive that ended with a 24-yard field goal by Kealamakia that put WSU up 13-7 at the break.

Eastern Washington took the lead in the third quarter after West hit Kupp for a four-yard TD that put the Eagles up 14-13 after three quarters and neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

With winds up to 23 mph and the rain coming down throughout the second half, the Wildcats missed three opportunities that could have taken the lead.

"We did a lot of good things today and beat them up and down the field but they beat us on the scoreboard, which is what matters," said WSU head coach Jay Hill. "We had some opportunities to take the lead and came away with nothing. This one hurts and it's a game we very well could have won. For us to take the next step we have to find ways to pull games like this out."

For the game Weber State rushed for 172 yards and held the Eagles to 68 yards and threw for 240, compared to 121 for EWU. WSU ran 83 plays, 25 more than Eastern Washington and held the ball for 41:35, compared to 18:25 for the Eagles.

Individually, Jadrian Clark finished the day 19-of-33 passing for 240 yards with one interception, the only turnover of the game. Cameron Livingston had eight catches for 94 yards and Darryl Denby had four catches for 71 yards. Eric Wilkes led the rushing attack with 20 carries for 58 yards.

Defensively, Josh Burton led the way with seven tackles. The 'Cats had three tackles for loss and Jonathan Carlson had the only sack on the day.

With the win, Eastern Washington improves to 6-2 overall and remains perfect in the Big Sky at 5-0. The Wildcats fall to 4-5 on the season and 3-3 in league play.

Weber State returns home for its final two games of the season, beginning next Saturday when they host UC Davis at noon at Stewart Stadium.

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Players Mentioned

Josh Burton

Jonathan Carlson

Jadrian Clark

Darryl Denby

Josh Kealamakia

Chad Leckington

Cameron Livingston

Eric Wilkes

Weber State University Athletics