Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OGDEN — Weber State had its game running on all cylinders against 1-7 UC Davis Saturday afternoon. Behind a stifling defense and another dominating running performance, the Wildcats coasted to a 23-3 victory.
True freshman running back Treshawn Garrett had a massive game, running for 155 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns, picking up 101 of those yards in the first half.
Garrett's performance was big for the Wildcats who were without starting running back Eric Wilkes, who was held out of the game due to injury. Head coach Jay Hill was very impressed by Garrett's performance.
"His vision is his strength, and he showed it today," Hill said. "He's got the ability to see things that I can't see. He is one of those backs that has the 'it' factor."
Hill spoke about the depth of the running back core that has the ability to have a different player step up in each game.
"Eric Wilkes has been out for basically two weeks with injuries," he said. "We knew Treshawn was going to be our guy. He ran for 100 yards in a game earlier this year and we think he is going to be an outstanding back."
"That's a luxury for us," Hill continued. "We actually have three or four backs that are productive guys and can be good backs in the Big Sky."
This depth was evident as the Wildcats racked up 321 rushing yards in this game. The offensive line was opening up huge holes in the defense and the backs took full advantage.
Both teams struggled to get anything going offensively in the first quarter, only trading field goals. The Weber State defense continued the dominance that they showed last Saturday, giving up only five yards of total offense in the first quarter and putting pressure on the opposing quarterback every play.
The second quarter was all Wildcats. The offense started rolling and the defense continued to give up nothing on the other side of the ball.
Weber State had 314 yards of offense and two touchdowns while UC Davis was held to 16 yards of total offense in the first half. Weber took a 20-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
In the second half, the offense of Weber State continued to pick up yards on the ground but could not score a touchdown in its two red-zone attempts. Weber State was able to hold on and the defense held UC Davis scoreless in the second half.
Quarterback Jadrian Clark struggled to complete passes in this game, only completing 13 of 30 attempts for 158 yards. Clark was effective running the ball, collecting 62 yards in the game.
Receiver Cam Livingston had a good day receiving, picking up 96 yards on five catches.
The win lifts the Wildcats to 5-5 overall with their final game in two weeks against Idaho State. The Wildcats have the opportunity to finish the season with a winning record, which Hill said was their goal at the first of the season.
"That was our No. 1 goal," he said. "That would show great improvement within the program after having only won two games in the previous three years. That is a big deal for this team and this program."
Weber State will be off this week with a bye. The Wildcats will play their last game of the season on Nov. 21 at Stewart Stadium in Ogden. Mark Douglas is a graduate of Weber State University and lives in Ogden, Utah. Contact him at markdouglasmail@gmail.com or on Twitter @ThePistolColumn.
