OGDEN -- To Weber State quarterback Cameron Higgins, it's a horror film. One he's seen over and over again.
As Higgins and his Wildcats teammates dive into summer training camp, the memory of last season's FCS playoff loss to William & Mary is providing a certain amount of motivation.
"I watch (film of the William & Mary game) probably every day when I come up to the stadium," Higgins said. "It just gives me a bad feeling in my stomach. That's what I don't ever want to feel again."
The Wildcats, who went 7-5 last year and made their second consecutive trip to the playoffs, lost several players from that 2009 team, including top receiver Tim Toone and running back Trevyn Smith.
Still, that 38-0 season-ending loss has meaning to those who remain. And as the Wildcats focus on the 2010 season, they want to make sure they learned something from it.
"It helps me train and work hard and prepare," Higgins said.
Under veteran coach Ron McBride, the Wildcats have raised expectations in and around Stewart Stadium. They say they aren't content to be a middle-of-the-pack program and instead insist they want to be seen as title contenders, not just in the Big Sky Conference, but nationally as well.
"In this program now, our expectations are to win the conference because that's what we expect to do," McBride said. "It doesn't matter if we're all freshmen or all sophomores -- it doesn't matter. We expect to be in the top 10 in the country and we expect to win the conference. That's kind of where we're at."
Like his quarterback, McBride is haunted by last season's playoff loss. And he admitted the memory of it angers him.
"It proved that we weren't physical enough in some areas and that we didn't handle adversity (well enough)," he said. "It was good for us, it was a good learning experience."
As for Higgins, who accounted for five turnovers against William & Mary, he said he has changed his mental approach from last season.
"It was definitely a learning experience," he said. "Last year, I think I was more of a high-risk, high-reward kind of guy."
Higgins said last season he liked to look for the home-run play, a long, risky pass down the field. Any football fan knows those plays can be electrifying. However, they can also lead to a loss of field position, or worse yet, a turnover.
Now a senior, Higgins said he is committed to making smarter decisions.
Sometimes it's better to go for the higher-percentage play, get the first down and, "live to fight another day," he said.
Beyond the loss to William & Mary, Higgins said the 2009 season as a whole taught him a difficult lesson.
"I think that's what I learned most from last season, I'm not as good as I really thought I was," he said somewhat sheepishly. "It kind of humbled me."
If the end of last season wound up breaking Higgins' spirit a bit, the prospect of another campaign has him raring to go.
"I think that season was meant to happen so it doesn't happen my senior year," he said.
Higgins came face-to-face with his own limitations last season. Because he was able to swallow his pride, he said now believes he can actually reach a new level.
The Wildcats will continue to train through this month and will kick off the 2010 season Sept. 4 at Boston College. Their home opener is Sept. 11 against Northern Colorado.
Comments