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PDF versionOGDEN -- When the brackets were first announced for the Division I FCS playoffs, the initial reaction from the Weber State players was excitement at seeing their name on the screen. The next emotion, however, was confusion when they noticed their opponent.William & Mary?
"I had no clue who they were," said WSU offensive lineman J.C. Oram. "I started looking them up on the internet and saw how good they were and started getting excited."
But the Wildcats weren't alone.
During his Monday teleconference with members of the media, William & Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock was asked what he knew about Weber State. Not only did he admit to not knowing much about the Wildcats, but he wasn't familiar with any team from the West.
"I haven't seen that much of the teams from that part of the country," Laycock said. "We've just begun breaking down the tapes we got on them and they look to be a very good and very physical team. But it's hard at this stage in preparation to make too many observations about them."
No doubt the No. 6-ranked Tribe (9-2) and No. 15-ranked Wildcats (7-4) spent the first part of this week breaking down as much game film as they could, trying to learn everything they could about their opponents.
Being unfamiliar with their opponent is just one of the similarities between the two schools.
Just like Weber State, which was named after John Henry Weber, who was an early local fur trader, William & Mary bares the names of influential people. The second-oldest college in the nation, located in Williamsburg, Va., was chartered in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, and severed formal ties with Britain in 1776.
Other interesting facts about the school are that it had the first academic Greek society, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1776, and the school was also the first in the nation to implement an honor code.
Another thing the schools obviously have in common is their playoff football teams. The Wildcats and Tribe will meet on Sunday at 11 a.m. (MST), with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals to meet the winner of the game between Southern Illinois and Eastern Illinois.
