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OGDEN — Weber State football knows the challenge awaiting the team in Cal Poly.
The Mustangs rushed for over 400 yards in a win over Southern Utah last week, and feature a triple-option attack rivaling Air Force in its execution. The job for the Wildcats this week is tough, and Weber coach Jay Hill said the team enjoyed having a bye week to prepare for the test.
The Wildcats have their own questions to answer in their homecoming game Saturday, and those questions will undoubtedly begin with how they can improve their offense.
The game is filled with opportunities, as Weber can pick up its first overall win, first conference win and first home win all in one game.
The keys to the game reflect the importance for all three units to perform as a coordinated team attack.
Triple-option offenses confuse fundamentally unsound teams through misdirection and confusion. The offense causes undisciplined players to leave their responsibilities behind, and has them follow ball carriers that simply don’t have the ball. If the Wildcats get into a wild-goose chase with the Mustangs early, it will be a long day for Weber.
The best way to understand a triple-option attack is to know the keys for the options and to announce those keys pre-snap. When the play happens, players have to focus on defending against their man, in a man-to-man scheme. Pregame planning is as important for defending the triple-option as making assignments. Without those assignments, there will be utter chaos on the field.
Weber State continues to struggle with turnovers. In the loss to Southern Utah, the Wildcats turned the ball over four times to the Thunderbirds, including a turnover on the go-ahead drive. Weber narrowly lost the game, and it’s hard not to think about what might have been had the Wildcats not turned the ball over so many times.
Possessions are at a premium, and starting with the second week of the season, the Wildcats have had at least one turnover a week that has completely shifted the momentum of the game.
Against a triple-option team, getting an early lead is crucial. Rushing attacks, like the triple-option, are going to eat up time and won’t be able to lead a team back into a game as quickly as a wide-open passing attack will. If Weber State can start fast, it will force Mustangs quarterback Chris Brown to lead them back into the game with his arm. Against Southern Utah, Brown passed for only 141 yards.
The Mustangs love points; they love scoring them, but they also love giving them up. In five games this season, Cal Poly has given up 35 points or more three different times, and gave up 39 points at home to a struggling Southern Utah offense last week.
Weber quarterback Billy Green is eighth in the country in passing yards, and has led the Wildcats up and down every field they’ve played on. However, he hasn’t played a defense quite like Cal Poly’s, which is used to being in shootouts. Green should take every opportunity he has to score on a big play.
The Wildcats should have a big crowd on Saturday, with it being Weber’s homecoming game. Big plays will excite the crowd’s energy early on, and the Wildcats should attempt to do everything they can to get the crowd involved as early as possible.
Weber opened the game against North Dakota State with a flee-flicker pass, and a trick play of the same kind would provide a huge lift for the Wildcats’ fans at homecoming Saturday.
