Mighty motivation

OGDEN -- Will Tim Toone officially go over the 3,000 career receiving yard mark?

Can Weber State stay motivated after a big road victory?

How will the Widlcats' pass rush fare against one of the best offensive lines in the conference?

The answers to these questions will come this afternoon as the No. 15 Wildcats (3-3, 3-1 Big Sky Conference) play host to Sacramento State in WSU's homecoming game. The Hornets (2-3, 2-1 Big Sky Conference) come into today's game on a two-game winning streak and are full of confidence.

The Wildcats have never lost to Sacramento State in Ogden, posting a 6-0 record against the Hornets since the teams began playing annually in 1996. WSU doesn't want to end that streak today, and is also using its goal to reach the playoffs as motivation.

"We know we've got our backs against the wall and that's what's keeping us motivated," said WSU defensive end Kevin Linehan. "If we lose another one we're done and everyone knows that, so we're working that much harder, because we can't let that happen."

Following their home loss two weeks ago to Montana State, the 'Cats used that setback as motivation heading into last week's game at then-ranked No. 14 Eastern Washington. WSU responded with a 31-13 win over the Eagles to once again get back on track to making the FCS playoffs for a second straight season.

But the 'Cats know that one more loss would likely mean no postseason spot this year.

"We don't want to be out of the race," said WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins. "We know we've got the talent to play with anyone, so we've got to come in each week driven to that one goal we want."

Higgins said the team just needs to worry about execution, which the Wildcats focused on all week in practice.

Today's game could feature a historic moment, since with just two yards Toone would be the first receiver in WSU history -- and just the seventh in Big Sky history -- to go over the 3,000-yard career mark. Many thought Toone passed that mark last week against EWU, but the next day it was discovered that he was still two yards short.

The senior isn't really focusing on what will likely happen with his first reception today.

"It's nice, but it's just another game for me," said Toone, who had four touchdown catches the last time WSU played the Hornets in Ogden. "It'll be the first time in school history, but like I keep saying, it's a team thing and it's because of them that anything can be accomplished."

The Hornets feature the league's fourth-best running back in Washington transfer Terrance Dailey, who rushed for a career-high 178 yards last week against Idaho State. He's produced back-to-back 100-yard games to spark Sacramento State's offense.

Hornet quarterback Jason Smith has averaged just less than 200 yards per game, giving the Hornets a balanced offensive attack.

"The most important thing is to play good, solid defense," said WSU head coach Ron McBride. "We'll do what we've got to do, either pressure or drop off, but it's important to play solid defense."

Pressuring Smith could be difficult today for WSU. While the 'Cats are tied with EWU for most sacks (2.33 per game), the Hornets are one of the league's best at not letting opponents get to their quarterback. Sacramento State is tied with Montana and Northern Arizona in fewest sacks allowed, giving up just 1.20 sacks per game.

Sacramento State head coach Marshall Sperbeck said not giving up many sacks has been a combination of things.

"Anytime you have good protection it's because of your line, obviously, and your quarterback getting the ball out and having things called properly that allow you to kind of anticipate pressure and get it out in certain situations in a hurry," Sperbeck said.

The Wildcats have to be ready for anything defensively. While the Hornets relied on the running game during the second half last week against the Bengals, when they threw just one pass in the second half, which happened to be a 54-yard touchdown, Sperbeck said that was just something that the game dictated.

"It's hard to say exactly what their game plan will be, but they've got good runners, a good solid offensive line, good receivers and a good experienced quarterback so their going to take a look and see where they can get an advantage," McBride said.