Weber State University Athletics
Wildcats open Big Sky play at UC Davis Saturday
9/20/2016 4:27:00 PM | Football
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THE GAME
• Weber State is back on the road to open Big Sky Conference play when the Wildcats travel to UC Davis to take on the Aggies Saturday night in the conference opener.
• Saturday's game will kickoff at 6 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. MT) from Aggie Stadium in Davis, California.
• There will be no TV but the game can be streamed online for free at WatchBigSky.com.
• It will also be broadcast on 1430 KLO radio and kloradio.com with Steve Klauke and former WSU All-American David Hale calling the action.
FIRST AND 10
• The Wildcats are 1-2 on the season and coming off a 14-7 win over Sacramento State last Saturday in the final non-conference game of the year.
• UC Davis is also 1-2 on the season heading into the conference opener. The Aggies have played two FBS teams this season.
• Head coach Jay Hill is in his third season as head coach at Weber State.
• UC Davis is coached by Ron Gould who is in his fourth season with the Aggies.
• Jadrian Clark totaled 451 yards of total offense in Saturday's win, the 10th highest yards in a game in Weber State history.
• Landon Stice leads the Big Sky and is eighth in the country in tackles.
• This will be the just the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools with the series tied 2-2.
• It will be WSU's second game ever at UC Davis. The Aggies won the only other game played in Davis in 2012.
WILDCATS BEAT SACRAMENTO STATE FOR FIRST WIN
Weber State picked up its first win of the season with a 14-7 win over Sacramento State Saturday night at Stewart Stadium. The Wildcats totaled 520 yards of total offense en route to the win and allowed just 270 yards.
JADRIAN CLARK POSTS TOP 10 TOTAL OFFENSE GAME
Weber State senior quarterback Jadrian Clark was the star of Saturday's win for the Wildcats. Clark threw for a career-high 380 yards and rushed for another 71 yards and accounted for WSU's two touchdowns in the win. His 451 yards of total offense was the most by a Wildcat since Cameron Higgins in 2007. It also ranks as the 10th highest total offense yards in a game in Weber State history. He threw a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7, then scored the winning TD on a 10-yard run late in the fourth to seal the win.
After three games this season Clark, a native of Lakeland, Fla., is fifth in the Big Sky in passing at 241.3 yards per game. He has thrown for 724 yards and three touchdowns. He also ranks fourth in total offense at 268.7 yards a game.
Clark also continues to move up in the WSU record books. He now has thrown for 3,506 yards, becoming the 12th player in Weber State history to reach 3,500 yards. He also passed 4,000 yards of total offense and needs just 75 more yards to move past Cole Cooper (1999-00) and move into 10th in WSU total offense history.
CAMERON LIVINGSTON PASSES 100 RECEIVING YARDS
WSU senior wide receiver Cameron Livingston had his best game of the season Saturday, recording six catches for 108 yards in the win. He had a long reception of 36 yards in the second quarter that set up the WSU touchdown. It was the fifth time in his career he has passed 100 receiving yards and the first since last September at North Dakota State.
On the year Livingston is 10th in the Big Sky in receptions per game at 5.0 and is averaging 54 receiving yards per game.
The Ocala, Fla., native has played in 38 games in his career at Weber State and currently ranks 12th in career receptions with 137 and is 16th in career receiving yards with 1,876.
LANDON STICE LEADS BIG SKY IN TACKLES
WSU sophomore linebacker Landon Stice posted a team-high 12 tackles in Saturday's win with five solo and seven assisted tackles, along with one tackle for loss. Stice, a native of Stansbury Park, Utah, has led the Wildcats in tackles in each of the last two games.
On the season, he has 37 tackle with 2.5 tackles for loss and one interception. He leads the Big Sky and ranks eighth in the nation in tackles at 12.3 per game.
TARON JOHNSON NOW WSU'S CAREER LEADER IN PASS BREAKUPS
Weber State junior cornerback Taron Johnson is now the school's career leader in pass breakups. Johnson had two pass breakups against Sacramento State and now has 27 for his career, making him the all-time leader. Johnson, a Big Sky preseason All-Conference selection, has played in 26 games in his career at Weber State. He has 27 pass breakups and three interceptions in his career. He currently leads the Big Sky in passes defended with six this season.
WILDCATS FIRST IN BIG SKY IN PASSING DEFENSE
Weber State leads the Big Sky in passing defense at 135.3 yards per game. WSU allowed Sacramento State to throw for 125 yards and the 'Cats have held all three opponents to under 200 yards passing.
WSU is last in the conference in rushing defense, allowing 294.3 yards per game, but held Sacramento State to a season-low 145 yards. The 'Cats are eighth in the conference in total defense.
TURNOVER MARGIN
WSU committed three turnovers in Saturday's game and now has six turnovers in three games this season. The 'Cats have four interceptions and two lost fumbles on the year.
Weber State has forced three turnovers with two fumble recoveries and one interception. WSU ranks 10th in the Big Sky in turnover margin at -3. This week's opponent, UC Davis, is second in the league in turnover margin at +5.
BIG SKY RANKINGS
The Wildcats are ninth in scoring offense and ninth in scoring defense. WSU leads the Big Sky in kickoff coverage and is fourth in the league in penalties at 40 yards per game. The Wildcats rank last in the conference in red zone offense, converting on 5-of-8 attempts in the red zone. They have allowed opponents to convert on 10-of-11 attempts with nine touchdowns.
WILDCATS IN BIG SKY OPENERS
The Wildcats will open Big Sky play Saturday at UC Davis. Weber State is 23-30 all-time in Big Sky Conference opening games. The Wildcats won last year's conference opener, also on the road, picking up a 38-17 win at Northern Colorado.
UC Davis is 0-4 in Big Sky openers, including 0-2 at home.
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 9-17 overall record and a 7-9 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 159 games in their careers at Weber State.
AROUND THE BIG SKY
The Big Sky has three teams ranked in this week's STATS Top 25 poll with Eastern Washington leading the way at No. 4. Montana comes in at No. 6 with Portland State ranked 25th. Northern Arizona and Cal Poly are just outside the top 25 poll.
Conference play opens this week with six conference games on the schedule. Montana at Cal Poly, North Dakota at Montana State and Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona, are among the games on the schedule.
INJURY REPORT
The Wildcats have played the first three games without All-Conference linebacker Emmett Tela with a knee injury. Junior running back Eric Wilkes has missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain. Junior defensive tackle Likio Pope and junior tight end Raphael Longangu have also missed the first three games with injuries.
Junior safety Mitch Tulane has retired from football after a concussion. The Wildcats will also be without junior linebacker Alema Key who will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury suffered at Utah State.
LOOKING AHEAD
After Saturday's game, Weber State will have a bye next week before returning home for back-to-back home games. WSU will host Portland State Oct. 8 as part of Homecoming and will host Montana State Oct. 15.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
UC Davis comes into Big Sky play this Saturday with a 1-2 record. The Aggies have played two FBS teams in three games, one of just three Big Sky teams to do so. They opened the season with a 53-28 loss at nationally ranked Oregon. They followed that up with a 52-35 home win over Southern Oregon and last week lost 45-22 at Wyoming.
After three games, the Aggies are fifth in the Big Sky in scoring at 34 points a game and fifth in total offense at 424 yards per game. However, the Aggies are last in the conference in scoring defense, giving up 44.3 points a game, and they rank last in the total defense at 549 yards per game. UC Davis ranks second in the conference in turnover margin at +5 through three games. The Aggies have gained eight turnovers (four fumbles and four interceptions), and have only turned the ball over three times. UC Davis is 10-for-11 in red zone scoring with nine touchdowns. UCD has allowed its opponents to convert on 55.8 percent of third down conversions, worst in the Big Sky.
Individually, senior quarterback Ben Scott ranks third in the conference in passing at 290 yards per game and is third in total offense. Senior running back Manusamoa Luuga is seventh in the conference in rushing at 89 yards per game. He has scored five touchdowns in three games, second most of any player in the Big Sky. Sophomore Keelan Doss is fifth in receiving yards at 85.7 per game.
The Aggies were picked to finish last in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll and 12th in the media poll. UC Davis finished 2-9 overall last season and was 2-6 in Big Sky play. The Aggies have 48 returning letterwinners and 18 starters back off last year's team. UC Davis finished 2-9 in each of the last two seasons.
HEAD COACH RON GOULD
The Aggies are coached by Ron Gould who is in his fourth season at UC Davis. He is 10-27 all-time with the Aggies and is 8-16 in Big Sky games.
Prior to becoming head coach at UC Davis in December 2012, Gould spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach at Cal. He also has spent time as an assistant coach at Oregon, Portland State and Boise State.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be just the fifth meeting all-time between the two schools with the all-time series tied 2-2. UC Davis is 1-0 against the Wildcats in Davis and this will be WSU's first game to Davis since 2012.
The teams first placed in 2004 with UC Davis winning in Ogden. The Wildcats beat the Aggies in Ogden in 2010. UC Davis joined the Big Sky in 2012 and the Aggies beat the Wildcats 37-13 that season in the only game of the series played in Davis. Last November, WSU picked up a 23-3 win over UC Davis, behind a career-high 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Treshawn Garrett.
