Weber State University Athletics
Senior Day for Weber State as 'Cats host Cal Poly
11/8/2016 11:45:00 PM | Football
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THE GAME
• The Weber State football team plays its final home game of the regular season Saturday as the Wildcats host nationally-ranked Cal Poly Saturday.
• Saturday's game will kickoff at noon from Stewart Stadium. The game will be televised live throughout Utah on KJZZ TV with Dave Fox, Alema Harrington and Tony Parks calling the action. It will also be streamed online for free at WatchBigSky.com and the Big Sky app.
• The game will also be broadcast on 1430 KLO radio and kloradio.com with Steve Klauke and former WSU All-American David Hale calling the action.
• Live stats will be at WeberStateStats.com.
FIRST AND 10
• The Wildcats are 5-4 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky play after dropping their second-straight game 33-20 to Northern Arizona last week.
• Cal Poly is 6-3 overall and tied with the Wildcats at 4-2 in Big Sky play. The Mustangs are ranked 16th in the nation in this week's STATS poll.
• Both teams are in a fight for an at-large berth to the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
• Head coach Jay Hill is in his third season as head coach at Weber State.
• Cal Poly is coached by long-time Big Sky coach Tim Walsh who is in his eight season at Cal Poly and 26th season as head coach.
• Saturday's game will be Senior Day for 17 Wildcat seniors who will be playing their final game at Stewart Stadium. The 17 seniors have combined to play in 448 career games at Weber State.
• Cal Poly is second in the nation in rushing at 370 yards per game.
• This will be the 12th all-time meeting between the two teams with Cal Poly holding a 6-5 all-time lead and the Mustangs have won the last three games played.
WINNING STREAK SNAPPED IN LOSS AT NORTH DAKOTA
Weber State saw its six-game home winning streak snapped as the Wildcats fell 33-20 to Northern Arizona last Saturday at Stewart Stadium. The loss was the second-straight for Weber State to fell to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky play.
NAU jumped out to a 20-0 lead and never looked back as the Lumberjacks totaled 503 yards of offense, including 357 passing yards, the most the Wildcats have allowed this season. WSU had 373 yards of offense but had just 64 yards rushing and had two turnovers.
WILDCATS LOOK TO MAKE PLAYOFF PUSH
Weber State has two regular season games remaining as the 'Cats host Cal Poly this Saturday and play at Idaho State next Saturday. At 5-4 overall, the Wildcats need two wins to be in consideration for the FCS Playoffs. The 24-team FCS Playoff field includes 10 automatic bids to conference champions and 14 at-large berths. The top eight seeds will receive a bye with the other 16 teams playing in the first round on Nov. 26. The playoff committee will announced the field on Sunday, Nov. 20. Weber State has made the playoffs four times in its history with the last time in 2009.
North Dakota remains on top of the Big Sky standings at 7-0 and has won eight straight games. Eastern Washington sits at 6-0 with Weber State, Cal Poly and Northern Arizona tied for third at 4-2.
There are four Big Sky teams again ranked in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll. Eastern Washington is third in the nation with North Dakota ranked 12th, Cal Poly 16th and Montana 18th.
SENIOR DAY FOR 17 WILDCATS
Saturday's game against nationally-ranked Cal Poly will be the final home game for 17 Wildcat seniors. The 17 seniors have combined to play in 448 career games at Weber State.
The 17 seniors who will be honored prior to Saturday's game are: Tyrone Brown (OL - Orlando, FL), Josh Burton (safety - Roseland, LA), Jadrian Clark (QB - Lakeland, FL), Jalen Fields (safety - San Diego, CA), Helam Heimuli (TE - Woods Cross, UT), Tre'von Johnson (LB - Salt Lake City, UT), Chase Larson (center - Springville, UT), Cameron Livingston (WR - Ocala, FL), Haini Moimoi (RB - Maplewood, MN), Emmanuel Pooler (RB - Fontana, CA), Connor Shannon (OL - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), Ross Stribling (WR - Los Angeles, CA), Cory Thomson (RB - Mission Viejo, CA), Chandler Tunney (WR - Encinitas, CA), and Cameron Young (OL - Cove, TX)
FAN PROMOTIONS FOR SATURDAY'S GAME
As the Wildcats host Cal Poly Saturday, fans can get five tickets for just $25 or can get five tickets, five hot dogs and five soft drinks for just $50.
OFFENSE
The Wildcat offense totaled 373 yards with 309 yards passing but had just 64 yards rushing. It was the second-straight week the 'Cats had less than 100 yards rushing. WSU has rushed for 76 yards in the last two games combined.
Senior Jadrian Clark threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns and was 28-of-48 passing. Andrew Vollert let the receivers with eight catches for 112 yards. Senior Cameron Livingston had eight catches for 66 yards and a touchdown before suffering a leg injury late in the game. Darryl Denby had six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Junior Zach Smith had a season-high 38 yards rushing on eight attempts, while Haini Moimoi had seven carries for 31 yards.
RECORDS WATCH
Clark moved into fourth in WSU history in career total offense, now with 5,818 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also became the sixth player in WSU history to pass for 5,000 career yards and now sits at 5,101 passing yards.
Livingston moved into fourth in career receptions with 171 and sixth in career receiving yards with 2,199 yards.
DEFENSE
Weber State allowed NAU to pass for 357 yards, the most allowed in a game this season. It was the first time this season an opponent has passed for more than 300 yards. However, WSU continues to lead the Big Sky in passing defense, allowing 189.4 yards passing per game.
The Wildcats rank fourth in the conference in total defense, allowing 394 yards a game and are eighth in rushing defense.
TURNOVER MARGIN
Weber State had two turnovers with one interception and one fumble in Saturday's game and did not force an NAU turnover. It was the second straight game without forcing a turnover and the fifth time in nine games the 'Cats have not forced a turnover. On the season the Wildcats are -8 in turnover margin, which ranks in a tie for 10th in the Big Sky. WSU has lost 17 turnovers with five fumbles and 12 interceptions and has gained nine turnovers.
WILDCATS SECOND IN NATION IN KICKOFF RETURNS
Weber State's Cory Thomson had four kickoff returns for 136 yards for an average of 34 yards per return in Saturday's game. Weber State now ranks second in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 26.3 yards per return. Thomson leads the conference and is sixth in the nation in kickoff returns at 29.5.
BIG SKY RANKINGS
Weber State ranks 11th in the conference in rushing offense at 130.3 yards per game but is fourth in passing offense. The 'Cats lead the conference in fourth down conversions at 73 percent. The Wildcats are last in the conference in red zone defense, allowing their opponents to score on 29 of 31 attempts in the red zone with 20 touchdowns.
PRESEASON SELECTIONS
Four Wildcats were named to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference team. Taron Johnson, Calvin Steyn, Emmett Tela and Cameron Young were all named to the preseason team selected by the league's coaches.
Weber State was picked sixth in the Big Sky preseason coaches and media polls.
COACHING STAFF
Jay Hill returns for his third season at the helm of the Wildcats. He has led WSU to an 13-19 overall record and an 11-11 record in Big Sky play. This year two new coordinators will take over on offense and defense for the Wildcats. Jason Kaufusi is the new defensive coordinator and Fesi Sitake is the new offensive coordinator.
Associate head coach Brent Myers returns for his third season at Weber State. Also returning are assistant coaches Kite Afeaki (defensive ends), Terrell Cloud (cornerbacks), Quinton Ganther (running backs), Lance Hunsaker (linebackers) and Colton Swan (special teams, tight ends). New assistant coaches this year are Kelly Bills (wide receivers) and Preston Hadley (secondary).
TEAM CAPTAINS
Coach Hill has named six captains for the Wildcats for this season, three on offense and three on defense. The three offensive captains are senior quarterback Jadrian Clark, senior wide receiver Cameron Livingston and senior offensive lineman Calvin Steyn. The defensive captains are senior safety Josh Burton, senior linebacker Tre'von Johnson and junior linebacker Emmett Tela. The six players have combined to play in 190 games in their careers at Weber State.
LOOKING AHEAD
After Saturday's game, the Wildcats will conclude the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 19, when they take on Big Sky rival Idaho State in Pocatello. Kickoff with the Bengals will be at 2:30 p.m.
ABOUT #16 CAL POLY
Cal Poly enters Saturday's game at 6-3 overall and is 4-2 in Big Sky play. The Mustangs are ranked 16th in the nation in this week's STATS FCS poll. Cal Poly saw its three-game winning streak snapped with a 42-21 loss to No. 3 Eastern Washington Saturday. Prior to that, the Mustangs had won six of their last seven games.
Cal Poly started the season with a three-point overtime loss at Nevada then beat San Diego before back-to-back wins over top 10-ranked teams. They won 38-31 at No. 9 South Dakota State and then beat No. 6 Montana 42-41 at home.
The Mustangs are second in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 370.4 rushing yards per game. Cal Poly is 115th in the nation in passing offense, allowing 133 passing yards per game. The Mustangs are fourth in the country in passing yards per completion at 133.6. They lead the nation in pass efficiency and are fifth in time of possession and sixth in total offense. They are also second in the conference in sacks allowed with six and rank third in rushing defense.
Individually, junior Joe Protheroe leads the conference in rushing at 129.6 yards per game, which is fourth in the nation. Senior Kori Garcia is seventh at 76.6 yards per game, and ranks sixth in the nation in yards per carry at 7.0. Senior quarterback Dano Graves is second in the conference in pass efficiency.
Cal Poly finished 4-7 overall and was 3-5 in Big Sky play last season, tied for eighth in the league standings. The Mustangs were picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky preseason polls.
HEAD COACH TIM WALSH
The Mustangs are coached by Tim Walsh who is in his eighth season as head coach at Cal Poly. Walsh is a longtime Big Sky coach and is in his 26th season as a head coach in the conference. He enters Saturday's game with a career record of 49-40 at Cal Poly and is 24-14 in Big Sky games. Walsh spent 11 seasons as head coach at Portland State from 1996-2006. He has a career overall record of 166-122. He has 91 Big Sky victories, fourth most all-time.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 12th all-time meeting between the two teams with Cal Poly holding a 6-5 all-time series edge. The Mustangs have won the last three games, with Weber State's last win coming in 2009. In games in Ogden, the series is tied 3-3 but Cal Poly has won the last two since joining the Big Sky in 2012.
The two teams did not play last year but Cal Poly beat the Wildcats in 2012 and 2014 in Ogden and in 2013 in San Luis Obispo.
