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CEDAR CITY — Four turnovers are what cost Weber State a Big Sky victory over in-state rival Southern Utah.
Turnovers, personal fouls and a lack of attention to detail displeased Wildcats coach Jay Hill, and his postgame comments reflected as much. The Wildcats continue to find ways to fall short against opponents, and they let the Thunderbirds open the game with a fast start against them. Now, Weber has to find answers to the several questions facing the team as it enters a bye week.
The grades for this week reflect improved efforts, but they also reflect a loss.
Starting with the positives, Weber quarterback Billy Green threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Also, the Wildcats outgained Southern Utah by 132 yards, finishing the game with 492 yards of offense. However, the infamous four turnovers proved to be back-breakers.
One particular fumble saw running back Zach Smith fumble the ball on the 2-yard line, costing the Wildcats a potential go-ahead touchdown. When the Wildcats finally put together an entire game, they will be a dangerous team to face. However, until then, they will continue to be inconsistent.
The defense played well enough, and four turnovers certainly don’t help a defensive unit. However, the Wildcats’ defense allowed a fourth-down conversion, and also allowed seven third-down conversions. Again, the defense played well enough to help the Wildcats, but not forcing any turnovers is a mark against the unit.
Weber’s special teams unit had its best performance of the year, according to the numbers. Place-kicker Josh Kealamakia made two field goals; punter Blake O’Neill helped down the Thunderbirds’ offense deep in their territory; and kick returner Bo Bolen averaged 27.5 yards per return.
Weber certainly didn’t have its worst performance of the season, but the Wildcats continue to make critical mistakes at bad times. Also, the team had 86 yards of penalties. The team struggles with letting opponents start fast, and also struggles with turning over the football. Now, the Wildcats have to fix the problem during the bye week.
