Weber State vs UC-Davis, Sat

[weberwildcat]

G A M E # 4 VS. U C DAVIS

Saturday, September 25, 2010 * 6:05 p.m. (MDT)
Stewart Stadium * Ogden, Utah







U C DAVIS “Aggies”

HEAD COACH
BOB BIGGS is in his 18th season as the head coach at UC Davis. He comes in with a record of 131-68-1 (.655). Last week’s game at the University of San Diego was his 200th at UC Davis. ... Biggs is 1-0 vs. Weber State and 1-0 vs. the Wildcats in Ogden.

SERIES HISTORY (1-0 UC Davis)
UC Davis holds a 1-0 lead in the series. In 2004, the Aggies came to Ogden and defeated the Wildcats 31-29.

LAST MEETING: Sept. 18, 2004 - Ogden, Utah
Leading 29-28 with 6:26 left, a bad snap on a punt attempt by the Wildcats at their own 17 forced punter Wyatt Kennah to pick up the ball and run, but he was tackles at the 14. Four plays later, Emmanuel Benjamin kicked a 22-yd field goal - the only second half points by the Aggies - for a 31-29 win. ... The game began well for the Wildcats. UC Davis got the ball first and drove to their own 36. UCD’s Jon Grant completed a swing pass to O.J. Swanigan but he was met by cornerback John McBride who forced a fumble which was picked up by Brady Fosmark and returned 30-yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game. UC Davis then put the hammer down, scoring 21 straight points. Grant and Swanigan made up for the fumble. On the next possession, Grant threw the same swing pass which Swanigan took 84-yards for a touchdown. ... Later in the 1st quarter, Jesse Olivia had an 85-yd punt return for a touchdown, then early in the 2nd quarter caught an 11-yd touchdown pass from Jon Grant for a 21-7 lead. ... WSU then went 55-yds in eight plays and scored on a 37-yd field goal by Joe Johnson to make it 21-10. ... The Aggies then scored their fourth touchdown in the first half on a 65-yd pass from Grant to Kevin Freeman to take a 28-10 halftime lead. ... The Wildcats then scored 19 unanswered points on a 20-yd touchdown pass from Jeff Fowler to Drew Dukeshire for the only 3rd quarter points. The Wildcats went for two and failed. Joe Johnson then kicked field goals of 25 and 40 yards to make it 28-22, UCD. The Wildcats then took the lead with 10:17 left in the game on a 69-yd pass from Fowler to Mike Mathis. ... Both quarterbacks had outstanding games. Jon Grant was 12-22-2 for 311 yards and three touchdowns while WSU’s Jeff Fowler was 19-46-3 for 300 yards and two touchdowns. ... It was a penalty-filled game. UCD had 13 flags for 101 yards and the Wildcats had nine for 75.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
UC Davis is a member of the Great West Conference, but the Aggies, along with Cal Poly, were invited and accepted membership into the Big Sky Conference in football only in 2012. ... Weber State is a combined 19-7-1 against teams in the current Great West Conference (Cal Poly: 5-3 Southern Utah: 14-3 South Dakota: 0-0-1 UC Davis: 0-1). Weber State has never played North Dakota. ... The Aggies roll into Ogden with a 1-2 record. They began the season losing at California (52-3), then dropped a 41-33 game at home to Portland State. Last Saturday, they went on the road and defeated the University of San Diego, 38-24. ... UCD running back JOSH REESE (6-0, 196 Jr.) was named the Great West Offensive Player of the Week. He rushed 13 times for 104 yards scoring twice.


WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY “Wildcats”

COACH RON McBRIDE
Weber State head coach RON McBRIDE begins his 6th season as head coach of the Wildcats and his 19th overall as a head coach on the NCAA Division I level. ... McBride is now 33-29 (.532) at WSU and 121-92 (.568) overall. ... Mac is 25-16 (.610) in Big Sky Conference regular season games. Mac is 0-0 vs. UC Davis. In 2008 McBride was named the Big Sky Conference Coach-of-the-Year after leading the Wildcats to a 10-4 record overall and a 7-1 mark and the conference co-championship in Big Sky Conference play. It marked the first time since 1968 that the Wildcats had captured the Big Sky Conference championship. ... McBride guided his Wildcats to a 45-28 win over #2 ranked Montana during the regular season and a stunning 49-35 road win over #3 ranked Cal Poly in the first round of the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs. Twelve of McBride’s athletes earned First Team All-Big Sky Conference, the most by any team in a single season in the 47-year history of the league. Twenty Wildcats earned some type of all-conference honor in 2008. ... Ten Wildcats earned Second or Third Team All-America honors either by The Associated Press or The Sports Network. ... In 2009, he became the first coach in Weber State football history to guide the Wildcats to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs. WSU had made the playoff just four times since 1978, two of them have now come in the Ron McBride era. ... McBride, who will turn 71 on October 14, is one only SIX coaches in NCAA Division I (FBS / FCS) who are currently coaching. The other five are: Joe Paterno (Penn State), Howard Schnellenberger (Florida Atlantic), Bill Snyder (Kansas State), Bob Ford (University of Albany) and Jerry Moore (Appalachian State.

RADIO / TV
Back for his 12th season as the football radio voice of Weber State football is Wildcat CARL ARKY. He will be joined in the broadcast booth by former WSU standout defensive back TY SPARROW. ...

HIGGINS MOVE UP THE BIG SKY CHAIN
CAMERON HIGGINS (6-2, 215 Sr. QB) continues to move up the chain in Big Sky Conference statistical categories. ... His two touchdown passes vs. Sacramento State last Saturday, pushed his career total to 90. That is 4th most by an individual in Big Sky history.
1. Matt Nichols Eastern Washington 2006-09 96
Dave Dickenson Montana 1992-95 96
3. Jason Murrietta Northern Arizona 2003-06 94
4. Doug Nussmeier Idaho 1990-93 91
5. CAMERON HIGGINS WEBER STATE 2007- 90
6. Brian Ah Yat Montana 1995-98 89
7. Jamie Martin Weber State 1989-92 87
8. Travis Brown Northern Arizona 1996-99 86
9. Erik Meyer Eastern Washington 2002-05 84
10. John Friesz Idaho 1986-89 77

In career passing yards. HIGGINS now has 10,589. Here is the top 10 in the Big Sky Conference.

1. Matt Nichols Eastern Washington 12,616
2. Jamie Martin Weber State 12,207
3. Travis Brown Northern Arizona 11,400
4. Dave Dickenson Montana 11,080
5. Doug Nussmeier Idaho 10,824
6. John Friesz Idaho 10,697
Greg Wyatt Northern Arizona 10,697
7. CAMERON HIGGINS WEBER STATE 10,589
8. Erik Meyer Eastern Washington 10,261
9. Jeff Lewis Northern Arizona 9.639
10. Brian Ah Yat Montana 9,315

PHILLIPS 66
MIKE PHILLIPS (6-1, 195 Sr. WR) from Seaside, California, is the current Big Sky leader in Receptions Per Game (8.00) and Receiving Yards Per Game (100.70). Last year in 11 games, he had 39 catches for 704 yards. ... In his 39-game career, Phillips had 120 receptions for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns. ... HIS 120 catches is the 12th most in WSU football history. His 2,027 yards is the 10th most in WSU history, and his 17 career TD receptions are the third most in school history, tied with Trevor Shaw and Craig Slama.

DON’T GET TANGLED IN THIS WEBB
Weber State roverback NICK WEBB (6-4, 225 Jr. / Salt Lake City, Utah) had a career game last Saturday night vs. Sacramento State. He registered 10 UNASSISTED TACKLES and had 11 total tackles for the game. He was credited with a forced fumble, but upon review of the game film it was determined that safety Blake Keller actually caused the fumble. ... Still, Webb is now the team leader in Total Tackles this season with 24 with 20 of them UNASSISTED. That is an average of 6.67 Unassisted stops per game.

FIRST QUARTER BLUES
The Wildcats have been a bit slow at getting out of the gate this season on the offensive side. The ‘Cat have scored just SIX first quarter points (3 vs. Boston College, 3 vs. Northern Colorado. They offense has only had the ball for an average of 5:30 of possession time in the first quarter this season and are just 4-10 in first quarter third down conversions. ... Three of WSU’s 10 Turnovers have occurred in the first quarter.

PROTECTION PLUS
The WSU OFFENSIVE LINE has gone about its business without much fanfare. In three games they allowed just three quarterback sacks for a minus 11 yards and haven’t allowed a multiple sack game.

OVERTIMES
The game on Sept. 11 at home vs. Northern Colorado, was the second FOUR OVERTIME game in Weber State history. The 97 points is the most combined points in an overtime game for the Wildcats, and the 50 is the most points scored in an overtime game by WSU as well. ... In 2001 in the Wildcat beat Cal Poly, 43-40, in four overtimes after the Mustangs completed an improbable 84-yard touchdown pass on the last play of regulation to tie the game. Below is a list of all the OVERTIME games played by the Wildcats
(5-2 overall / 4-2 in Big Sky Conference)
Oct 31 1981 vs. Northern Arizona 24-23 W
Nov 21 1981 vs @Idaho State 30-33 L (3 OTs)
Nov 5 1982 vs. Nevada 46-43 W (3 OTs)
Sept 15 1990 vs. Idaho State 45-38 W (2 OTs)
Sept 23 2000 vs. Eastern Washington 24-27 L (2 OTs)
Nov 3 2001 vs. Cal Poly 43-40 W (4 OTs)
SEPT 11 2010 vs. Northern Colorado 50-47 W (4 OTs)
... One side note, Weber and Northern Arizona played in the first-ever REGULAR SEASON OVERTIME GAME back in 1981. WSU won the game 24-23 at home, and three weeks later lost a triple overtime game at Idaho State.

HOMECOMING GAME
Saturday’s game vs. UC Davis is WSU’s HOMECOMING GAME for the 2010 season. ... The Wildcats are 21-27-0 in Homecoming Games and have won their last two. Last year it was a 49-10 win vs. Sacramento State and in 2008 it was a 44-7 win over Dixie State.

IRISH FEET ARE KICKING
Weber State’s SHAUN McCLAIN (6-3, 210 Fr. / Redlands, California) has quietly come in and established himself as a solid placekicker. In three games he is 6-7 (.857) in field goals and 7-8 in PATs. He has made five straight since missing a 52-yarder at Boston College in the season opener. ... McClain leads the team in SCORING this season with 25 points.

..HEY, WHAT ABOUT THE PUNTER?
...well, glad you asked. TONY EPPERSON (6-4, 215 RsFr. / Park City, Utah) and JOSH KEALAMAKIA (6-1, 195 Fr. / Syracuse, Utah) have shared the duties. Epperson has kicked six times for an average of 33.60. Kealamakia has punted six times for an average of 40.8. Kealamakia is now handling the kickoff duties as well.

PUNT RETURNS ARE BACK
Last year, WSU’s Tim Toone led NCAA Division I FCS in Punt Returns with an average of 19.9 yards per return. ... In the first two games of the 2010 season, the Wildcats did not have a single punt return. ... That all changed last Saturday. JORDAN BROWN (6-2, 195 Sr. / Brigham City, Utah) had five returns for 53 yards with 49 of those yards coming on his fourth return of the evening.

FLAG FOOTBALL
Penalties have been a sore spot for the ‘Cats. They have 30 in three games for an average of 75.7 yards per game.

GOOD NIGHT...
Saturday’s game vs. UC Davis is the last NIGHT GAME of the year for the Wildcats. ... Next week, the Wildcats host EASTERN WASHINGTON (Sat. Oct 2) at 1:35 p.m. (MDT). That game is being televised on ALTITUDE TV.

WEEKLY POLLS
There will be TWO major weekly top 25 polls for NCAA Division I FCS this season. ... THE SPORTS NETWORK / FATHEAD.com poll is voted upon by sports information directors from all 125 FCS schools plus members of the media who cover those schools. ... THE FCS COACHES poll is just that. Coaches from various FCS schools representing each conference and independents vote each week. Both polls are released each Monday afternoon.
The Wildcats fell out of the TOP 25 for the first time this season. The ‘Cats were in the “Others Receiving Votes”. ... Eastern Washington, with its 36-27 win over Montana, moved up to 9th in The Sports Network and 10th in the FCS Coaches poll this week

49th SEASON OF WILDCAT FOOTBALL
This year marks the 49th season of Weber State University football on the four-year level, and the 48th year as a member of the Big Sky Conference. ... Weber State attained four-year status in 1962-63 and played as an NCAA Division II member until 1978 when, along with the rest of the Big Sky, became members of NCAA Division I-AA. ... Weber State’s all-time football record is 252-266-3 (.484).

TEAM CAPTAINS
Serving as CAPTAINS for the 2010 season will be, on OFFENSE: Joe Collins (6-3, 195 Sr. WR), Cameron Higgins (6-2, 215 Sr. QB) and J.C. Oram (6-4, 310 Jr. OG) and on DEFENSE: Jordan Brown (6-2, 195 Sr. Safety), Taylor Sedillo (5-11, 235 Sr. MLB) and Nick Webb (6-4, 230 Jr. Roverback).

PRE - SEASON HYPE
Weber State was picked to finish 4th in the 2010 Big Sky Coaches and Media pre-season polls. ... Nationally, the Wildcats are 19th in The Sports Network/Fathead.com media pre-season poll and 18th in the FCS Coaches pre-season poll. ... WSU quarterback CAMERON HIGGINS (6-2, 215 Sr.) is once again on the Walter Payton Trophy watch list. Higgins finished fourth in the 2008 Payton Award balloting and was ninth in 2009. ... Offensive guard J.C. ORAM (6-4, 310 Jr.) was named Second Team pre-season All-America by The Sports Network and by Phil Steele’s Football Preview.

COACH RON McBRIDE QUOTES

ON UC DAVIS: “They have a great tradition. Having played at San Jose State, then coached high school in the Bay area, I respected UC Davis. Jim Sochor was one of the most respected coaches of his time. They always seem to have solid quarterbacks and a really stout defense. They are going to be a great addition to our Conference.”

ON THE WILDCATS: “On Monday we went back to a lot of basics. We didn’t do any of the little things last Saturday which you need to do to win. In this league, this season, you had better not overlook anybody. This will be a good game to challenge us to see where we are physically and mentally.”

[SDHornet]

Just smash cal-davis...that is all I ask...just smash them...

[CPAlum]

Just smash cal-davis...that is all I ask...just smash them...

+1

[Herky]

Just smash cal-davis...that is all I ask...just smash them...

Go Wildcats

[Green Cookie Monster]

I hope Higgins is reallly pissed off about losing to Sac State last weekend and takes out his anger at home on the laggies.

Go Cats!