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1 Comment [ View ]Wildcats ready for rematch with Grizzlies
By JASEN ASAYSAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Weber State football coach Ron McBride often puts his press conferences on hold when he sees someone in the crowd that he wants to greet. That was the case again on Saturday night following the No. 12-ranked Wildcats' win over No. 3 Cal Poly.
While answering questions from the media, McBride noticed WSU president Ann Millner mixed in among the reporters and broke off in mid-sentence to say hello.
"President it's good to have you here," McBride said.
Then when he noticed WSU vice president Norm Tarbox standing next to Millner, the coach smiled even bigger.
"We've got the two big honchos at the university here, and we're happy that they're here," McBride said. "It makes me very happy to see both of them here."
Millner and Tarbox were just as excited to witness the Wildcats' win in the first round of the FCS playoffs which set up a quarterfinal matchup with Montana in Missoula this Saturday.
The 49-35 victory over the Mustangs extended an already-historic season and, according to Millner, was almost too exciting.
"Weber State is very proud of what the football team has accomplished during this historic season," Millner said. "(Saturday night's) win is really a signal win for our program."
Tarbox was especially excited about how well the Wildcats played after their six-game winning streak came to an end last week in a loss against Eastern Washington.
"I'm not sure they could have played any better, bouncing back from last week's loss," Tarbox said.
WSU athletic director Jerry Graybeal, who accompanies the team on every road trip, said that the 'Cats used last week as personal motivation and the result was something special.
"This is the biggest win in school history," Graybeal said. "The win is as big as it gets."
The only other win in WSU history that could compare with Saturday's victory came in 1987 when the Wildcats defeated Idaho in the first round of the FCS playoffs. That game, which was also on the road, set up a quarterfinal game at Marshall that WSU lost.
Big Sky Conference commissioner Doug Fullerton was also at the game and was proud that both No.5-ranked Montana, which beat No. 23 Texas State, and WSU were victorious that day.
However, even though he understands the NCAA policy that keeps teams playing those in the same region to cut down costs, Fullerton is kind of sad that the only two Big Sky teams to make the playoffs will face off in the quarterfinals.
"It's too bad because I think both teams are playing good enough to be in the semifinals," Fullerton said.
On the bright side, a Big Sky team will be in the semifinals, and the Wildcats are hoping it will be them after another historic win.
WSU beat Montana earlier in the season in Ogden, but ended up sharing the conference title with the Grizzlies as both teams finished 7-1 in the league. Both teams are eagerly anticipating the rematch with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
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