Wildcats at James Madison in FCS Quarterfinals Friday

2017 FCS PLAYOFFS

QUARTERFINALS

Fri., Dec. 8, 2017 • 7 ET (5 MT)

Harrisonburg, VA

Bridgeforth Stadium (24,877)

TV: ESPN2

Online: WatchESPN

Radio: KLO 1430 AM / kloradio.com

Live stats: NCAA.com

Series: first meeting

THE GAME

• Weber State heads east to take on the number one team in the country and the defending national champions as the Wildcats take on James Madison in the quarterfainls of the FCS Playoffs.

• This week's game will be Friday, Dec. 8, and will kickoff at 7 p.m. Eastern time (5 p.m. MT) from Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott and Tom Ramsey on the call. It can also be seen online on Watch ESPN and on the ESPN app.

• Radio broadcast will be on 1430 KLO and kloradio.com with Steve Klauke, the 2016 Utah Sportscaster of the Year, and former Wildcat All-American Bo Bolen on the call.

FIRST AND 10

• Weber State is 11-2 on the season after Saturday's 30-13 win at Southern Utah in the second round of the playoffs.

• The 11 wins is the most wins in a season in school history.

• The Wildcats have also won seven-straight games, the longest in-season winning streak in school history.

• The Wildcats are ranked 8th and 11th in the national polls.

• Head coach Jay Hill is in his fourth season as head coach at Weber State. He enters this week's game with a 26-22 career record.

• James Madison is the defending national champion and the Dukes have won 24-straight games, tied for the second-longest winning streak in FCS history.

• The Dukes are coached by Mike Houston who is in his second season as head coach. Houston is 26-1 in his two seasons at JMU.

• This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

WILDCATS BEAT SOUTHERN UTAH IN PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND

In a rematch of the two teams that shared the Big Sky Conference title, Weber State beat eighth-seeded Southern Utah 30-13 in the second round of the FCS Playoffs Saturday night in Cedar City. After trailing 10-0 early in the game, the Wildcats outscored the Thunderbirds 30-3 the rest of the way, including 17-0 in the second half.

WEBER STATE CLAIMS BIG SKY CONFERENCE TITLE

With a 7-1 conference record, Weber State finished in a tie with Southern Utah for the Big Sky Conference title for the fifth time in its history and the first since 2008.

WILDCATS RANKED IN TOP 10

The Wildcats are ranked eighth in the nation in the FCS Coaches poll and 11th in the STATS FCS poll. WSU is the highest ranked team in the Big Sky in the polls. The eighth place ranking is WSU's highest national ranking since 2008. The Wildcats have been nationally ranked in at least one poll every week this season.

HISTORY BEING MADE BY THE WILDCATS

This Weber State team is experiencing history in the making this season. The Wildcats have won 11 games, the most in a season in Weber State history. Weber State has also won two games in the FCS Playoffs in the same season for the first time ever. The Wildcats had won just two games in the playoffs ever before this season. Weber State has also won seven-straight games, the third longest winning streak ever and the longest streak in the same season in WSU history.

WILDCAT DEFENSE DOMINATES SOUTHERN UTAH IN SECOND HALF

Throughout the season Weber State has had one of the top defenses in the Big Sky and the country and Saturday was no exception. The Wildcats held Southern Utah to just 38 yards of total offense in the second half and didn't allow any points in the half to seal the win. WSU held SUU to just 219 total yards in the win, the second fewest yards allowed against a Division I team this season.

Weber State had a season-high six sacks in the win with three coming from Wildcat senior Cardon Malan, tied for the seventh most sacks in a game in WSU history. Weber State had 11 tackles for loss.

DEFENSIVE RANKINGS

This season Weber State leads the Big Sky in total defense (327.5), scoring defense (16.5), rushing defense (115.1), pass efficiency defense and red zone defense, while ranking second in passing defense.

On a national level, the Wildcats are 10th in the nation in scoring defense and have not given up more than 33 points in any game this season. In the 11 wins, the Wildcats are holding opponents to an average of 13.6 points per game and have not given up more than 27 in any game.

WSU is currently ninth in the country in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 66.7 percent of its chances in the red zone. The 'Cats are also seventh in the country in interceptions with 17 and rank 21st nationally in sacks.

CANTWELL LEADS WILDCAT OFFENSE TO ANOTHER POSTSEASON WIN

Weber State senior quarterback Stefan Cantwell had 404 yards of total offense an accounted for three touchdowns in leading the Wildcats to the win over Southern Utah. He threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 105 yards and one more touchdown. He threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Drew Batchelor in the second quarter, then had a five-yard touchdown run and a 10-yard TD pass to Andrew Vollert in the third quarter to seal the win.

Cantwell leads the Big Sky Conference and is 10th in the nation in pass efficiency. He is also seventh in the league in total offense and passing yards per game. This season he has thrown for 2,740 yards with 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He has also rushed for 550 yards and seven more touchdowns, giving him 3,290 yards of total offense this season, the seventh most yards in a season in WSU history.

TIME OF POSSESSION

Weber State ranks fourth in the nation in time of possession, averaging 33:50 per game. The Wildcats have led their opponent in time of possession in 12 of the 13 games this season.

TURNOVER MARGIN

The Wildcats are third in the Big Sky and 19th in the nation in turnover margin at +9. Last week was just the third game this season the Wildcats did not force a turnover. Weber State has forced nine fumbles and has 17 interceptions this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Weber State is seventh in the country in kickoff returns this season with an average of 25 yards per return. WSU freshman Rashid Shaheed is third in the nation in kickoff returns at 30.5 per return and is one of four players in the nation with at least two kickoff returns. He had a 100-yard return against Southern Utah and a 90-yard return against Portland State for touchdowns.

The Wildcats are also fourth in the country in net punting, and rank 15th in punt returns. Senior Xequille Harry leads the nation in punt returns average at 18.8 per return but has not returned punts in the last six games due to a hand injury.

TARON JOHNSON INVITED TO SENIOR BOWL

Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson, the Big Sky Defensive MVP, has accepted an invite to the 2018 Senior Bowl in January. He becomes just the fourth player in Weber State history to be invited to game.

In addition to being named Big Sky MVP, Johnson was also a unanimous selection to the Big Sky All-Conference first team. He has played in 11 games and is sixth in the Big Sky in passes defended and interceptions. He has eight pass breakups and four interceptions on the year. He is also fifth on the Wildcat team in tackles with 43 and has two sacks and one forced fumble.

Johnson is Weber State's career leader in pass breakups with 41.

17 WILDCATS EARN ALL-BIG SKY HONORS

After claiming a share of the conference title and earning a spot in the FCS Playoffs, Weber State football had 17 players earn Big Sky All-Conference honors.

WSU senior cornerback Taron Johnson was named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous first team all-conference selection. Wildcat senior tight end Andrew Vollert was also a unanimous first team selection, earning first team honors for the second-straight season.

Weber State had eight players named to the first team, the most of any team in the conference. Junior tackle Iousa Opeta, freshman kicker Trey Tuttle, freshman returner Rashid Shaheed, senior tackle McKay Murphy, junior linebacker LeGrand Toia and junior special teams player Brady May all earned first team honors, along with Johnson and Vollert.

May was also named to the second team as a fullback, joining sophomore defensive end Jonah Williams, junior linebacker Landon Stice, senior cornerback Xequille Harry and junior safety Jordan Preator on the All-Big Sky second team.

Harry also earned third team honors as a punt returner. He was joined on the third team by junior offensive guard Baron Bruce, junior running back Treshawn Garrett and senior punter Jacob DeMaio.

Senior wide receiver Drew Batchelor and freshman offensive tackle Tyler Downs both earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors.

ABOUT #1 JAMES MADISON

James Madison is the top ranked team in the country, the defending national champions and has won 24 straight games. They defeated Stony Brook 26-7 last Saturday in the second round of the playoffs.

The Dukes last lost at North Carolina on Sept. 17, 2016. JMU has won 25 straight games against FCS teams, with the last FCS loss on Dec. 5, 2015 against Colgate in the second round of the playoffs.

This season James Madison is one of the top defenses in the country. The Dukes are first in the nation in scoring defense, giving up an average of 8.8 points per game this season. JMU has not given up more than 14 points in any game this season. The Dukes are also first in the nation in pass efficiency defense and first in the country in interceptions with 24. They rank second in the country in total defense at 2356.1 yards per game, third in red zone defense, fourth in sacks, sixth in rushing defense and seventh in passing yards allowed. Individually, senior Andrew Ankrah has led the defense. He was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and is one of three finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award for the nation's top defensive player.

On offense, James Madison is 11th in the country in scoring offense, averaging 35.1 points per game. They are also 10th in the country in first downs and 13th in pass efficiency. JMU is outscoring its opponents 63-3 in the first quarter this season.

Senior quarterback Bryan Schor is second in the country in pass completion percentage and is now JMU's career leader in completions and touchdowns. Schor has thrown for 2,512 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. In Saturday's win, he became the school's career leader in completions, moving past Justin Rascati, a former Weber State assistant coach. Rascati was the quarterback for JMU's national championship team in 2004. He coached the Wildcat quarterbacks at Weber State in 2012 and 2013.

JMU is making its 14th FCS playoff appearance, including its fourth-straight.

HEAD COACH MIKE HOUSTON

The Dukes are coached by Mike Houston who is in his second season at James Madison. He took over the helm last season and guided the Dukes to a national championship and was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year. In his two seasons at James Madison, Houston has a career record of 26-1 and is a perfect 16-0 in Colonial Athletic Association games.

Prior to becoming head coach at James Madison, Houston was head coach at The Citadel (2014-15) and at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne for three seasons. He has a Division I head coaching record of 40-12 in four seasons.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the first ever meeting between Weber State and James Madison. It will also be just the second ever game for Weber State against a team from the Colonial Athletic Association. The Wildcats played at William & Mary in 2009 in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.

This will also be just the ninth game ever for Weber State played in the Eastern Time Zone.

INJURY REPORT

Weber State has played both playoff games without two starting all-conference offensive linemen. Baron Bruce and Tyler Downs both missed the games with injuries.

WEBER STATE FCS PLAYOFF HISTORY

The Wildcats are making their sixth appearance in the FCS Playoffs, including an appearance last year.

The Wildcats were first selected to the Playoffs in 1987 under head coach Mike Price and defeated conference-foe Idaho in the first round before falling to Marshall in the second round. In 1991, head coach Dave Arslanian and Walter Payton Trophy Award winner Jamie Martin, led the Wildcats to the Playoffs where they lost at Northern Iowa in the first round.

Ron McBride led Weber State to the playoffs in back-to-back years in 2008 and 2009. WSU won the Big Sky regular season title in 2009 and beat Cal Poly 49-35 in the first round before losing at Montana. In 2009, the 'Cats lost at William & Mary in the first round. Weber State lost 45-14 at No. 9 Chattanooga last season in the first round of the playoffs.

EXTRA POINTS

WSU head coach Jay Hill has a career record of 26-22. Since starting his WSU career 2-12, he is 24-10 in his last 34 games...Saturday's game will be the latest date of the year WSU has ever played and just the fourth game ever in the month of December...Senior wide receiver Drew Batchelor became the 18th player in WSU history to reach 1,500 career receiving yards...WSU has led at halftime in nine of the 13 games and is outscoring opponents by an average of 22.9 to 8.9 in the first half.

LOOKING AHEAD

The winner of Friday's game will advance to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs to take on either South Dakota State or New Hampshire next Friday or Saturday.

Wildcats at James Madison in FCS Quarterfinals Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Drew Batchelor

Baron Bruce

Stefan Cantwell

Jacob DeMaio

Tyler Downs

Treshawn Garrett

Xequille Harry

Taron Johnson

Cardon Malan

Brady May

McKay Murphy

Jordan Preator

Rashid Shaheed

Landon Stice

Trey Tuttle

Andrew Vollert

Jonah Williams

Weber State University Athletics

Wildcats at James Madison in FCS Quarterfinals Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Drew Batchelor

Baron Bruce

Stefan Cantwell

Jacob DeMaio

Tyler Downs

Treshawn Garrett

Xequille Harry

Taron Johnson

Cardon Malan

Brady May

McKay Murphy

Jordan Preator

Rashid Shaheed

Landon Stice

Trey Tuttle

Andrew Vollert

Jonah Williams

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