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OGDEN — The Weber State Wildcats are on a two-game winning streak.
Those words haven’t been spoken in a few seasons, and the Wildcats are hopeful the trend continues forward in their final game of the season at rival Idaho State Saturday.
The Bengals are not your older brother’s Bengals, as they are 5-0 inside Holt Arena and are in a position to earn a berth in the FCS playoffs. Weber State has won 11 straight against Idaho State, stretching back to 2002, but the Bengals have a serious chance of breaking that streak this season.
Idaho State coach Mike Kramer said his team has focused on preparing for each game on its own.
“You’ve got to hold the fort at home,” he said. “The top teams in the conference have been unable to have that complete untarnished record on the road, and I think that’s pretty cool. I think it’s awesome that the conference has such good balance.
“We’re pretty proud two of our losses are to two FBS teams that are bowl-bound, and to the two top teams in our conference by a total of eight points. So, a lot at stake for us this Saturday, but it’s been an awesome season for us.”
"When you get to this game, you find a complete disregard of Idaho State by Weber State," said ISU coach Mike Kramer.
Quarterback Justin Arias is the Bengals’ star. He leads the nation in four passing categories: yards per game, most passing touchdowns, most total passing yards and pass completions. Arias has thrown 35 touchdowns and is first in the country with 341.3 passing yards per game.
Defensively, the Bengals also are first in the conference in interceptions with 17. They are plus-10 in the turnover margin, and that is good enough for seventh in the country.
With all that in mind, Kramer said his team is very concerned about Weber State’s recent success.
“They’re on the cusp of almost every single game they’ve played,” he said. “Weber’s had just a tremendous course in staying the course, by their players, with a brand-new coaching staff. It shows good mental toughness.
“When you get to this game, you find a complete disregard of Idaho State by Weber State. It’s like they play us with their backhand. We’ve got to overcome that because if you look back on our history with Weber State, we don’t have very many competitive games.”
An FCS playoff bid would be big for Idaho State, but momentum going into the offseason is important for Weber State. A three-game winning streak will tell players the program is headed in the right direction.
Weber State head football coach Jay Hill said the game will be valued by both sides, and not just because of the rivalry.
“It’s a huge game for both programs,” he said. “It’s big for them, and it’s big for us. We need an extreme positive going into this offseason and going into recruiting. Ending this season on a three-game win streak, and being able to dig out of this hole we’ve dug out of, would be huge for this program."
