Weber State has scored 14 offensive touchdowns this season. But the Wildcats are halfway through a season that, if it ends in a third straight playoff push, will buck the notion that an explosive offense is a necessity to compete in the Big Sky Conference.
The Wildcats are second-to-last in the league in scoring offense at 24 points per game. Weber is throwing for only 45 yards per game more than Cal Poly, a triple option team that throws 10 passes a game on average. WSU is also second-to-last in the 13-team Big Sky in rushing offense.
Last weekend against Eastern Washington — one of the most explosive offenses in the country and the leading scoring team in the Big Sky — the Wildcats mustered just 16 first downs and 275 yards of total offense. Rashid Shaheed caught a 38-yard touchdown pass with six minutes, 24 seconds in the second quarter, WSU’s only offensive touchdown of the game. Weber did not score for the rest of the game.
And it didn’t matter. Weber State’s ridiculously athletic, hard-hitting and relentless defense held an EWU rushing attack averaging 312 yards per game against FCS competition to 62 yards on 36 carries and 247 total yards overall. EWU managed just a pair of second-half field goals in Weber’s 14-6 win over the No. 3 Eagles. The outcome marked the first time since 2008 Eastern was held without a touchdown.
“I think they have an elite defense right now,” Montana State head coach Jeff Choate said on Monday as he team prepares for a game against the No. 7 Wildcats on Saturday in Ogden. “They look more like a Mountain West defense, honestly. They are big. They have good team speed. They are extremely athletic. And they have a lot of experience.”
Despite an inconsistent quarterback situation that seems to finally be settled — Kaden Jenks and Jake Constantine rotated for the first month but Constantine took all the snaps against EWU — and injuries to veteran running backs Treshawn Garrett and Kevin Smith, WSU enters Saturday’s matchup against Choate’s Bobcats with a 4-1 record against FCS competition this season.
Weber held Cal Poly to 188 yards rushing in a 24-17 win. The Mustangs have rushed for 418 yards per outing in four games since, including 412 in a 48-28 loss against Montana and 462 in a 41-27 win over Sacramento State.
Austin Simmons threw for 462 yards and piled up 542 yards of total offense, throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another in South Dakota’s 43-28 win over Northern Colorado. A week later, Weber held South Dakota to 238 yards of offense, including 28 rushing, sacking Simmons eight times.
Weber had just 173 yards of total offense and turned the ball over five times yet was an inadvertent whistle on what looked like a go-ahead pick six away from still beating Northern Arizona. NAU turned the ball over six times but still emerged with a 28-24 win.
Weber leads the league in scoring defense (21.7 points per game, including 17.8 against FCS competition), total defense (352.8 yards per game, including 306 against FCS opponents), rush defense (125 yards per game, including 88.7 yards in BSC play), sacks (21), takeaways (20) and turnover margin (+10). Trey Tuttle’s 10 made field goals is tied for the league lead.
“They have been dominant, absolutely dominant on defense and in the kicking game and that’s the recipe for them being successful,” Choate said.
QUICK HITS
Location: Ogden, Utah
Nickname: Wildcats
Founded: 1889. The coeducational, public university began as the Weber Stake Academy, then changed its name to the Weber Academy, the Weber Normal College and Weber College, becoming a junior college in 1939 and Weber State College in 1962. The school earned University status in 1991.
Enrollment: The university has 26,681 students and an endowment of $101.6 million.
Stadium: Stewart Stadium. The picturesque stadium along the Wasatch Front was named Wildcat Stadium from its opening in the 1950s until its renaming for Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart in 1998. The multi-purpose stadium holds 17,312 and is sits 4,760 feet above sea level. The Wildcats averaged 8,799 fans per their six home games last season. This season, WSU has drawn an average of 8,445 in its three home games.
THE TEAM (2-1 in Big Sky play, 4-2 overall)
The Coach: Jay Hill, fifth season at Weber State. As has been well chronicled, since Hill turn over at Weber, the Wildcats have incrementally better each season. If Weber State takes the next step this season, it will mean a Final Four berth in the FCS Playoffs.
Hill, who played for Ron McBride at Utah before beginning his coaching career on McBride’s staff in 2002, took over a Weber program McBride led from 2005 until 2011 that was in shambles. John L. Smith’s quick stop that led to Jody Sears’ brief two-year tenure gave Hill a team with two wins in each of the previous two seasons.Hill’s first team won two games in 2014. The Wildcats had a winning record, including a 5-3 mark in Big Sky Conference play, in 2015. Weber made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 in Hill’s first season and ripped off 11 wins en rout to a share of the Big Sky title and a berth in quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
“It should be a huge builder of confidence that if we continue to do things the way we have, that we will keep getting better and better,” Hill said at the Big Sky Kickoff in July. “Last year, finishing fifth in the country was a huge step forward for us to affirm we do belong with those guys.”
Entering Saturday’s game against Montana State, Weber State has won 17 of its last 21 Big Sky games. Hill is 30-25 in his head coaching career, including 22-13 in Big Sky play.
THE OFFENSE – Players to watch
Josh Davis, running back, 5-9, 185, redshirt freshman —The prized recruit likely would’ve played as a true freshman in 2017 but suffered a season-ending injury in Weber State’s season opener against Montana Western. The former Utah Gatorade Player of the Year showed his potential with a 46-yard kickoff return in that game.
Instead, he redshirted and entered this season behind Garrett and Smith on the depth chart. Both Weber senior running backs suffered injuries in WSU’s 41-10 loss to Utah in its 2018 opener. Davis rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start against Cal Poly. He had 104 yards against South Dakota and 218 yards and two touchdowns against Northern Colorado. His 75-yard punt return for a touchdown against Eastern Washington two minutes into the game gave WSU an early lead it would not give up.
“He’s the guy who stands out ot me on the offense,” Choate said. “He’s very, very productive. He’s very similar in style to (MSU true freshman running back) Isaiah (Ifanse). He’s a physical runner. He’s not an overly big guy, about 195 points, but he breaks a lot of tackles. They are committed to running the football, have an excellent offensive line and he’s a guy.”
Davis’ 603 yards rushing rank sixth in the Big Sky and his 120.6 yards per game ranks third.
As a seniro at Alta High, Davis earned Utah 4A MVP honors and Gatorade Player the Year by setting the state’s single-season record with 3,836 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 2,645 yards and 28 touchdowns, the second-most yards in a single season in Utah history. He finished his career with 5,289 yards and 56 touchdowns, the yardage total the third-most in Utah state history.
Rashid Shaheed, wide receiver/kick returner, 6-0, 175, sophomore — Hill has argued Shaheed is one of the fastest players in the conference since he stepped foot on campus last season. He’s shown just that during his brief yet memorable career.
Shaheed scored a 67-yard touchdown on the first rush of his career against Montana Western. He caught a 55-yard touchdown during a 149-yard receiving day in Weber’s narrow loss to Pac 12 Cal. He caught 25 passes for 545 yards and three touchdowns, including a 67-yard score against UC Davis. This season, Shaheed has caught three of Weber’s seven passing touchdowns, including scores of 46 and 38 yards, the latter coming last week and serving as WSU’s lone offensive touchdown against Eastern Washington.
But it’s on kick returns where Shaheed really shines. He earned first-team All-American honors as a true freshman. He had a 100-yard return for a touchdown against Southern Utah and a 90-yard return for a touchdown against Portland State, making him one of five players in the country last season with two kick returns for scores. His 29.7 yards per return ranked fourth nationally and the best in school history.
This season, he is averaging 34.3 yards per return. His 100-yard return touchdown to open the second half broke a 21-21 halftime time and sparked the Wildcats to a 45-28 win over Northern Colorado.
“The freshman, Devon Cooley, is their leading receiver right now but the guy you have to worry about is No. 22,” Choate said. “He’s a home run threat not just on offense but in the kicking game as well as both a kick returner and a punt returner.
Trey Tuttle, kicker, sophomore — Because of the lack of productivity at quarterback, the ball-hawking ability of the Weber State defense and the methodical style Hill favors, Tuttle has become one of the most potent and important players on Weber State’s roster.
Tuttle earned first-team All-Big Sky and first-team All-American honors as a true freshman. He pounded 86 percent of his field goal attempts (4th in the FCS), hitting his first 14 attempts and 19 of 22 overall to spur on Weber’s first league championship run since 2008. Tuttle kicked four field goals in WSU’s 25-17 win over Montana State in Bozeman last year. He kicked thee field goals against Southern Utah and hit a 48-yarder against Montana.
This season, Tuttle is just 3-of-8 from beyond 40 yards but he is a perfect 7-of-7 from inside 40. His 10 made field goals are tied with Montana’s Tim Semenza for the most in the league, one ahead of Montana State kicker Tristan Bailey’s nine makes.
THE DEFENSE – Players to watch
LeGrand Toia, linebacker, 6-2, 225, senior — Choate is a defensive coach at heart and his passion for that side of the ball often shows through when he is giving scouting reports of opposing defenses. When Choate watches Weber State, he can’t help but recognize Weber State’s All-American middle linebacker right away.
“No. 58 might be one of the more physical football players in the country,” Choate said. “He’s an All-American candidate that can take over a game from the inside linebacker position. I don’t think there’s many guys who can do that. I just don’t. He’s one of them. That’s how physical and how active he is.”
Last season, the Riverton, Utah native earned first-team All-Big Sky and third-team All-American honors by leading WSU with 79 tackles, 39 solo tackles and five sacks. He’s as good in the box against the run as he is blitzing on passing downs. He leads WSU with 41 total tackles and his 4.5 sacks ranks among the top five marks in the Big Sky.
In his career, he has 220 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.
Landon Stice, linebacker, 6-3, 225, senior — Stice almost walked away from the game after a string of injuries. At the last minute this summer, he decided to play his final season. The Wildcats are certainly glad he did.
The preseason All-American is in his third year starting and is chasing his third All-Big Sky nod. He entered the year with 156 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and an interception. He was an honorable mention All-Big Sky nod as a sophomore after leading the Wildcats with 103 tackles. He earned second-team All-Big Sky honors last season.
This season, he has 45 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, but it’s been his ability to take the football away that has made him an elite complimentary player to Toia. Stice had an interception he returned for a touchdown that staked WSU to a 10-0 lead agains Utah in the eventual lopsided loss. He has three picks this season, tied for the most in the Big Sky Conference. He’s second on the team with 40 tackles.
“No. 45 is probably a little overshadowed by No. 58 but 45 is a very, very good player,” Choate said. “He’s an all-conference, All-American type candidate.”
Jonah Williams, defensive end, 6-5, 275, junior — If there’s a player who looks the part of intimidator on the Wildcats and in the Big Sky for that matter, it’s the hulking, long, lean Williams.
Williams earned second-team All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore last season by finishing second on the Wildcats and 10th in the league with 5.5 sacks. He had 37 total tackles and six tackles for loss. He also blocked two kicks and blocked a punt that he returned 31 yards for a touchdown
This season, he does not have any of Weber’s league-best 21 sacks but he does have 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
“No. 94, All-American d-lineman, but they rotate a lot of guys up there,” Choate said. “It’s not just him. They are active, they are physical, they are long.”
Adam Rodriguez leads the Wildcats with eight tackles for loss, among them 3.5 sacks.
Jawain Harrison, defensive back, 5-10, 180, senior — The smooth, cerebral safety is finally healthy after suffering a season-ending injury four games into 2015 that cost him the entire 2016 season and limiting him to eight games last season.
Lsat week, Harrison earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors by notching nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and snaring his first interception since 2015, the fourth of his career, in the win over Eastern Washington.
“And probably their best guy on the back end is No. 2, a very, very physical post safety, breaks well on the ball, active in everything he does,” Choate said.
Photos by Weber State Athletics or Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
