CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Weber State has never traveled this far north nor this far east to play a football game, so it's fitting the Wildcats may play today's game in a nor'easter.
With Hurricane Earl steaming up the East Coast just offshore on Friday, heavy rain or winds could be a factor in today's 11 a.m. kickoff (ESPN3.com) at Boston College's Alumni Stadium. It isn't called the Atlantic Coast Conference for nothing.
Weber State coach Ron McBride welcomes whatever wild weather or wind may come.
"I hope it is bad weather," he said. "I would like it to be hurricane, I'd like it to be rain. I just like bad weather. Teams always play good in bad weather. Bad weather does not bother me."
It's not just the Eagles or the windstorms the Wildcats will face today, it's the long odds of history: Weber State, a Football Championship Subdivision school, is 3-42 all-time against Football Bowl Subdivision teams. That's a .060 winning percentage, if such a percentage could be called winning.
If those numbers are imposing enough, Boston College's offensive line averages 6-foot-6 and 296 pounds, with a preseason All-American in 6-foot-7 Anthony Castanzo at left tackle.
"They're a big physical football team. That's their brand of football," McBride said. "They're going to knock you out of there from an offensive standpoint. They're not going to make any mistakes. They're not going to do anything mentally to beat themselves. To beat them, you have to beat them. They're not going to give you any freebies. Anything you're going to do against that team, you're going to have to earn."
Weber State was picked fourth in the Big Sky preseason polls by the coaches and media, though the Wildcats are ranked No. 18 in the FCS coaches poll and No. 19 in The Sports Network Top 25 poll.
Not being picked as a conference favorite is motivation for WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins, and a tough season-opener is an opportunity.
"That's just more fuel to the fire right there, man," Higgins said. "That's just how we were two years ago, the first big year, no one really gave us any respect, really. It kind of lit a fire under us that we've got to make a statement. I think Boston College would be perfect for that, for us to make a statement that we're for real and that we trained our butts off for the season."
Senior tailback Vaingamalie Tafuna won't be the first Tafuna to play a game at Alumni Stadium. His brother David played there as a safety for BYU in 2005 and should be in attendance today, along with his mother, cousin and nephew.
"It's a big game for a team like BYU and it's a huge game for us," Tafuna said.
Tafuna's mother runs a Polynesian dance company and he grew up on the stage, he said.
Getting to play at Boston College is just another chance to perform.
"I love the stage. I love the opportunity. I love the challenge. I'm excited for the opportunity to show the nation what we can do," Tafuna said.
He doesn't worry about labels like FBS or FCS, Tafuna said. Those categories won't determine or deter his approach against Boston College.
"I find my value within. I know that I'm a good player. I know that we've worked hard, and so I'm not intimidated by anything, by anyone, because of the status of what society has put them in," Tafuna said. "We're all grown men and we're all going to have to play to the best of our abilities. Let the best man win, not the best program. It's just men going to play football."
Boston College will get an emotional lift today from the return of senior linebacker Mark Herzlich, who missed last season with Ewings sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Herzlich apparently has both an iron will and a metal rod inserted in his right leg to reinforce the bone.
Running back Montel Harris is on the school's top 10 list for rushing yards and carries after just two seasons and should be one of the Eagles' primary weapons. Harris set BC rushing records for a freshman and a sophomore.
"He's what they call a zone-crease runner," McBride said. "He doesn't dog you. He's a downhill guy. Once he sees his opening, he's going to take it. For what they run, he's the ideal back."
Quarterback Dave Shinskie, a 26-year-old former minor league pitcher, held on to the starting job despite a challenge in fall camp and plays well within the structure of BC's offense, McBride said.
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