WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- As they studied a season's worth of game film to better understand today's opponent, the Weber State Wildcats learned a few things about the team standing in their way of a second consecutive trip to the Division I FCS quarterfinals.
They discovered that William & Mary, a team most of the players hadn't heard of until Sunday, is one of the best teams in the country.
"We've got to prove ourselves," said WSU offensive lineman J.C. Oram. "It's very exciting to prove that we can hang with the best. They've got the best rushing defense and we've got Trevyn Smith and the best offensive line in the Big Sky and we're going to prove it to them."
After reaching the Division I FCS playoffs for the second straight season, and just the fourth time in the program's history, No. 15-ranked Weber State takes on No. 6-ranked William & Mary with the winner advancing to next week's quarterfinals. If the previous 11 games that William & Mary have played this year are any indication, then the Wildcats (7-4) are in for a very difficult game.
"The games they've lost have been a defensive struggle and then someone made a play," said WSU coach Ron McBride. "Usually their defense has kept them in the game and then they made a play offensively."
The Tribe (9-2) lead the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 55.45 yards per game and 1.8 yards per carry. They are also second in sacks with 3.55 per game and rank third in total defense, allowing just 236.55 yards per game. The team hasn't allowed more than 17 points in a game since early in October when it lost 28-17 at No. 2 Villanova and has given up an average of just 13.82 points per game.
As usual, the Wildcats will attempt to establish a running game. But if that doesn't provide the desired results, WSU could be forced to pass more. That could be difficult with the loss of center Kyle Mutcher, who injured his ankle during last week's win over Cal Poly and will not be available today.
"We're going to have to come to play and I think we have the offensive linemen who can step up," said WSU running back Trevyn Smith, who is 21 yards away from his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season. "I'm definitely going to have to do a lot of pass blocking and step up and do my job so we can throw the ball. I don't think they've seen a quarterback or receivers like we have."
Cameron Higgins leads the Wildcats and the nation's sixth-ranked passing offense. Higgins has thrown for 3,154 yards and 30 touchdowns this season, and ranks 13th nationally in total offense. He's coming off one of his best performances of the season when he threw four touchdowns, three of which went to Tim Toone, during last week's 47-14 win over Cal Poly.
While studying the Tribe's games against Villanova and No. 4 Richmond, the only blemishes to WM's record, WSU's defensive players also noticed at least one trend that the Wildcats want to repeat today.
"The two games they lost this year were because they had to pass because teams took away the run," said WSU linebacker Nick Webb. "They had a lot of passes in those games."
Senior quarterback R.J. Archer is a first-year starter for the Tribe and threw for 2,369 yards and 18 TDs while sophomore running back Jonathan Grimes has tallied 963 yards and six TDs on the ground.
Along with making the Tribe's offense one-dimensional, WSU hopes to limit what WM accomplishes.
"We're going to have to not let them have any big plays," said WSU safety Beau Hadley. "They're good at controlling the game, they don't mess up much and they've got enough good athletes that make big plays."
WSU's defense also realizes the challenge its offense faces today, and wants to provide as much help as possible by creating big plays of their own, specifically turnovers.
"Their defense is good, so our offense is going to need as many possessions as possible," Hadley said.
Today's game is the first playoff game for the Tribe since 2004, while the Wildcats have the experience advantage in that area and hope to use last season's playoff success to help them today.
"It makes us more confident," Oram said, remembering last season's playoff win over Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif. "We went in and beat Cal Poly when they were ranked No. 3 and we were ranked 14 and we're ranked 16 going against No. 6, so why not?"
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