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OGDEN — Similar to the “four and a score” philosophy preached by his coaching mentor in Kyle Whittingham, Weber State head coach Jay Hill talked of his team needing some combination of six, with sacks and turnovers as relevant measures, heading into their final non-conference game of the regular season.
On Saturday, the Wildcats produced all of that — and more.
Playing in front of an announced 8,445 fans at Stewart Stadium, the Weber State defense produced three turnovers, eight sacks and a touchdown to smother South Dakota, ranked 22nd in the FCS, 27-10 in its home opener.
“That was a dang good win,” Hill said. “Really liked the way the defense played, they got after it. … That was a huge team win against a really great opponent.”
On Saturday, Hill’s defense was masterful from the opening possession, with the front-seven setting the tone for what became a dismantling of South Dakota’s up-tempo offense. In order to prepare for the fast-break, Hill drilled the defense, according to one player, by having them lay face down, and then sprint into formation upon the sound of his whistle.
“They want to get you to make mental mistakes,” linebacker Landon Stice explained. “It’s about to getting into the right spot, keeping it simple and doing your job.”
From the very beginning, the defense did its job. In the first half, they limited the Coyotes (1-2) to just 86 total yards, including six rushing, and pressured quarterback Austin Simmons (25-45, 210 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) to no end. They also forced drives of three plays or less on seven of USD’s first nine possessions.
Speaking on his defense’s performance, Hill specifically praised his linebackers — Stice and LeGrand Toia — following Saturday’s game, calling them “the best in the country” and adding that “no team in the country has two better”. On the night, Stice and LeToia combined for 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks, with the former snatching an interception and also forcing the fumble that led to McKade Mitton’s scoop-and-score in the first quarter.
“Those guys are playing great right now,” Hill said. “LeGrand Toia was all over the field … and then Landon Stice made some huge plays. That was a huge game he had.”
Offensively, the Wildcats (2-1) played like a work in progress. Led by quarterback Jake Constantine, WSU produced 252 total yards — with 120 coming via running back Josh Davis — but just one touchdown on six trips inside the redzone. Trey Tuttle, as a consequence, went on to boot in four of his five field-goal attempts, second-most in a game by a Wildcat kicker.
“Obviously we need to score in the redzone when we get in it,” Davis said of his team leaving points on the field. “I mean, we drive down on them, we get into the redzone and then we would end up not scoring. I think that’s the biggest thing that happened to us on offense.”
While Constantine, a Boise State transfer, completed 15-of-27 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, he also had his share of unflattering moments in just his second game since last November. On numerous occasions, the sophomore missed key throws to open receivers, and often looked indecisive after extending plays with his feet.
Despite this, Hill spoke highly of how his starting quarterback acquitted himself.
“He’s only going to get better,” he said. “There’s times he looked really good. … Had another couple opportunities where I think the wideouts need to come down with those key catches. Like I say, that’s things that we can improve on and we’ll get better at.” Dillon Anderson is studying literary journalism as a student at the University of Utah. You can follow him on Twitter @DillonDanderson.
