It was a great weekend for sports in the Top of Utah. How about Real Salt Lake winning major league soccer's MLS Cup 2009! It's the first time since 1984 that Utah has had a major sports championship! And it's the first major professional championship for Salt Lake City since the ABA's Utah Stars in 1971!
And closer to home, in Junction City the Weber State Wildcats thrashed Cal Poly 47-14. On Sunday, the 7-4 Wildcats learned they had earned a second straight trip to the Football Championship Subdivision national championship playoffs. This Saturday, the Wildcats head to Williamsburg, Va., to face 9-2 William & Mary University. The game starts at 11 a.m. TV coverage is still iffy, but radio station KLO 1430 AM will have a live broadcast and the Standard-Examiner will be covering the game.
The Wildcats' tenacity is what helped them get into the playoffs. The team rebounded from disappointing conference losses to Montana and Montana State to earn second place in the Big Sky Conference. An Oct. 10 31-13 win over 8-3 conference foe Eastern Washington was huge for the Wildcats.
We applaud the FCS selection committee for taking the Wildcats' strength of schedule seriously. Ron McBride's team didn't pad its schedule with early pushover games against Division II foes. Instead, the Wildcats lost very close games on the road against upper-division teams the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University. Many expert thought last weekend that the Wildcats, despite a win, were a longshot for the playoffs. It's clear though, that Weber State's strength of schedule was considered favorably by the FCS selection committee.
As it turned out, the FCS selection committee chose three Big Sky teams for the playoffs. League champ University of Montana is the top seed and will host South Dakota State University. And Eastern Washington University will play at Stephen F. Austin University. Having three teams in the playoffs speaks well for the Big Sky Conference. We're pleased the FCS selection committee acknowledged as much with its playoff picks.
The William & Mary Tribe will be a tough game for the Wildcats. The team has a great defense, particularly against the run. The Tribe's quarterback, R.J. Archer, has 15 touchdown passes and a 61 percent completion ratio. Running back Jonathan Grimes has 963 yards for the season.
But we think a strong Wildcat defense, along with offensive stars that include quarterback Cameron Higgins, wide receiver/punt returner Tim Toone, and running back Trevyn Smith make for a strong game this Saturday.
Think Wildcat purple this week, and join us in cheering for McBride and the Wildcats over William & Mary. Enjoy the game -- it's rare that a Big Sky sports team travels this far across the country for a game.
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