Estimated read time: 6-7 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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 — For the first time since 1998, the Weber State Wildcats have started their season 3-0 after dominating nonconference play.
With wins over a Division II team in Western Oregon, geographical rival Utah State and another in-state opponent in Utah Tech, the Wildcats head into the start of conference play with all the confidence in the world. Head coach Jay Hill has learned much about his team through the first three games and said he's looking forward to tackling a tough conference schedule with them.
"(This team) is resilient," Hill said. "Things aren't always gonna go your way, which they didn't always go our way in the first game. Utah State, I mean, we had to fight through some stuff in that game we all know. And then last week we got off to a really good start offensively, but then (Utah Tech) hung with us there for about 20 minutes of the game.
"It's good to see your team battle through those things. I've learned that about them, that we'll fight and claw and not get frazzled when things aren't going necessarily exactly right."
It's hard to imagine a team not having something going right when the smallest margin of victory in the first three games was 28 points over the reigning Mountain West champions in Utah State. But always looking to improve is what makes good teams great; and so far, this Wildcats team is exceeding expectations.
While a 3-0 start is impressive and the team deserves any and all recognition it's getting, things do not get much easier for Weber State in conference play. Of the eight teams the Wildcats are scheduled to play, four of them are currently ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll, three of which are ranked higher than the Wildcats.
Weber State visits UC Davis (2-1) in a clash with the Aggies to open conference play. But before that, let's take a look at what the Wildcats have done right up to this point in the season and what needs some work if they're bent on challenging the three conference foes ranked above them.
What's working for the Wildcats?
When a team averages 40.0 points per game, it's hard not to say the offense is the star of the show. But in the three contests the Wildcats have played so far, the defense has been one of the biggest aspects of the game. The defense has only allowed an average of 8.7 points per game, which is a recipe for success to win most games.
It starts with a strong defensive front for the Wildcats, where the first three opponents have had a nightmare of a time trying to run the ball. Opponents have averaged only 59.3 yards per game in the run game, with an average of 2.0 yards per carry. The defense has also not given up a single rushing touchdown so far this year.
Due to their inability to get anything going on the ground, opponents have had to throw a lot more. While perhaps a little more success has come through the air, the Wildcats' secondary has wreaked plenty of havoc, as well.
Opposing quarterbacks have completed just about 42% of their passes, and Weber State has come away with 10 interceptions through the first three games. Cornerback Maxwell Anderson, co-Big Sky defensive player of the week for Week 2, leads with four picks of his own.
With a defense as disruptive and powerful as Weber State's, the offense has had numerous opportunities to figure things out, and it has delivered. The Wildcats' offense has been about as balanced as a coach could ask for, averaging 245.0 yards per game passing and 210.7 yards rushing. The team has also scored seven rushing touchdowns to six passing.
Following its Week 3 matchup against Utah Tech, quarterback Bronson Barron was named Big Sky offensive player of the week after he put up 368 yards and four touchdowns on 25-of-33 passing. He leads the offense, along with the star running back tandem of Damon Bankston and Josh Davis.
"I've learned we've got playmakers on both sides of the ball," Hill said. "Like I say, last two games (wide receiver) Ty MacPherson's got five touchdowns in the last two games. Bronson's looked very good at times. We got a couple running backs that we know we can win with. The tight end group shows that they can play.
"And then on the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line can get after you. We've got good linebackers and the secondary right now, they lead the nation right now in pass efficiency defense."
What needs improvement? What to watch out for ...
As of now, not a lot. Again, it's hard to complain about three very dominant victories to start the season. But just because the team has won three games in a row doesn't mean the next one is guaranteed.
All three facets of the game — offense, defense and special teams — have mainly smaller, finer details to work on. As an overall unit, however, the biggest thing to clean up would be the penalties.
Through the first three games, the Wildcats have averaged nine penalties per game for 83.7 yards per contest. The penalties haven't doomed the team, as opponents are averaging nearly the same amount of penalty yardage per game with 82.3, but that's something that needs work.
On offense, the Wildcats want to maintain the balance in their attack. It won't be easy to average the amount of yards they've achieved both running and passing throughout the whole season; but as confidence builds and the chemistry between Barron, his offensive line and his playmakers builds, the offense should be able to compete in any game.
Will the defense be able to maintain its intensity and dominance the rest of the way? Time will tell, but the opponents will be bringing everything they've got against the Wildcats. Allowing less than 10 points per game and creating a bunch of turnovers is nice, but the defense will have its work cut out for it as the opponents get tougher and more prepared.
Achieving something that hasn't been done in over 20 years is always impressive — not many people expected Weber State to enter conference play undefeated; however, a 3-0 start doesn't automatically guarantee a magical season. The 1998 team that won its first three games ended up at 6-5.
But the way Hill has built his team and how well they've played so far gives a lot of optimism for the remainder of the season.
"There's so many positives that we have going on," Hill said. "But man, it's just the start and we still got a long ways to go."
