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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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 — Different teams prepare for rivalry games differently.
Southern Utah and Weber State both find themselves in very different positions as they prepare for a Big Sky matchup that is filled with storylines. From SUU wanting revenge over the Wildcats to Weber needing a solid showing to keep boosters’ bulls-eyes off WSU coach Jody Sears, the different between the football programs of Utah’s two FCS schools is night and day, and so is their preparation.
SUU is coming off a bye week, and the Thunderbirds didn’t practice at all last week — something SUU coach Ed Lamb hopes will keep the team energized in preparation for Saturday’s game in Ogden.
“Practice was energetic (Tuesday),” said Lamb, who has guided SUU to a 6-3 record so far this season. “Some of our details of our positions we’ve got to get back quickly over the next few days because Weber State is a dangerous team. It’s a rivalry game.”
Last year in Cedar City, the Wildcats walked away with a 24-22 victory — one that more than likely guaranteed Sears a chance to coach the 2013 season.
With that in mind, Lamb is wary of the rivalry factor.
“In all rivalries, I believe that the records, and the expectations of who’s favored and who’s the underdog, can be thrown out the window,” he said. “We know that Weber State is going to give us their best effort, and quite frankly, they have a lot of players that have a lot of ability.”
Sears views the game as an enjoyable experience for fans, coaches and players.
“Obviously, an in-state rivalry is tons of fun,” he said. “It’s a special deal, especially now that this is going into year two of [Southern Utah] being in the conference. We know we’re going to have our hands full.”
Weber State lost its eighth consecutive game last week, 45-24, at Portland State, but Sears said he is encouraged by the offense’s improvement and freshman quarterback Austin Chipoletti’s growth.
“I’ve been very pleased with Austin’s progress, and it was great at getting Shaydon Kehano back [from a broken leg],” Sears said. “I was very pleased with the morale, with the effort, with the leadership and with the growth from the inside.”
The growing health of the Wildcats’ offense has worried Lamb, who said Weber State is a different team than the numbers suggest.
“The deceiving thing, for our guys, might be looking at their record,” Lamb said in referencing the Wildcats’ 0-5 record in the Big Sky Conference. “When you take a look at an overall record like that, I think there can be a tendency for young guys to overlook an opponent, or think that this game or that game is going to be easy.”
In preparation for the Wildcats, Lamb said SUU’s hopes are resting on its new quarterback, Mike Sharp. Sharp led the Thunderbirds to a victory in SUU's last game over Idaho State, 19-9, on Oct. 26.
“In the game against Idaho State, we thought he [Sharp] played really well,” Lamb said. “We thought he led the team really well, and was able to create some things that we had not created. We feel good about what Mike has brought.”
Besides the implications of winning or losing, the in-state rivalry game is interesting because Lamb perfected the rebuilding blueprint Weber’s Sears is trying to enact, and it’s all based on effort.
“I believe our guys just care,” said Lamb, who is 32-32 at SUU. “We work them incredibly hard, and we ask a lot out of them — we hold them accountable, and I think the byproduct of all of that effort is that guys care on game day and they play hard.”
