Weber State football makes first trip to Northern Colorado in 8 years
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- Weber State sophomore running back Eric Wilkes (13) runs through the Northern Colorado defense Sept. 26, 2015, in Greeley, Colo.
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- Weber State’s Braxton Gunther (25) and Doug Schiess (99) tackle a Northern Colorado ball carrier Saturday, Nov 20, 2021, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
No. 13 Weber State football is going to Northern Colorado for the first time since 2015 and the trip couldn’t come at a better time.
The 2-2 Wildcats are coming off their first shutout loss to an FCS team in eight years and have scored just seven points in the two games since a strong 34-17 road win at Northern Iowa (albeit against Utah and Montana State, both ranked in the top-10 in their respective subdivisions).
Northern Colorado is last in the Big Sky, by a big margin, allowing 564 yards per game to opposing offenses and second-to-last at 43 points allowed.
The Bears (0-4) haven’t been much of a factor in football since joining the Big Sky and have one win in 11 tries against WSU.
No matter all that, Weber State head coach Mickey Mental says the Wildcats are sticking to their mantra of only being concerned about themselves.
The Bears will take some lumps this season but, under first-year head coach Ed Lamb — the former Southern Utah head coach who was on the opposing sideline for that 2015 Weber State shutout — Northern Colorado is likely building to something better.
“They’re just a work in progress right now but they play hard. They’re well-coached and they’ve played some really good teams,” Mental said. “From a program standpoint, it’s always about us. If we play to our standard, we give ourselves a good chance to win.”
MEET THE BEARS
Senior quarterback Jacob Sirmon (No. 3) has the reins after the failed McCaffrey family experiment. In four games, he averages 153 passing yards on 60% completion with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Last week against Idaho State, he was 22 of 32 for 223 yards, though with two picks.
Redshirt freshman Blake Haggerty (No. 19) has been his top target with twice as many catches as the next guy. He has 21 receptions for 265 yards and one touchdown, with a long of 75 yards.
David Afari (No. 1) is the primary back, taking 61 carries for an average of 78.3 yards per game. Darius Stewart (No. 0) gets nearly all the rest of the carries with 37 rushes for 50 yards per game.
Defensive back Dustin Johnson (No. 4) and linebacker Tama Tuitele (No. 45) each lead the defense with 26 tackles. Johnson has one of his team’s three defensive interceptions. The Bears have recorded just two defensive sacks this season.
TEAM VS. TEAM METRICS
Through four games, Weber State is averaging 19 points and 257.8 yards per game, averaging 4.4 yards per play. The unit needs a boost, no doubt. Defensively, WSU gives up 24.5 points and 394 yards per game on a 5.7 yards-per-play average.
Northern Colorado averages 15 points on 320.5 yards per game, averaging 4.9 yards per play. Defensively, the Bears allow an average of 43 points per game on 564.3 yards and a 7.6 yards-per-play average.
ODDS & PREDICTIONS
Jeff Sagarin ranks Weber State No. 10 in FCS and No. 120 in all of Division I (FBS and FCS). Northern Colorado is No. 222 overall. Including accounting for home-field advantage, his formula favors Weber State by 20 points.
Bill Connelly ranks Weber State at No. 21 in FCS and Northern Colorado at 117. His formula predicts a Weber State win 41-13.
D Ratings predicts a Weber State victory of 41-16 at 96% probability.
WEATHER
Colorado is east, and therefore a day or so delayed, from the rain storms that will reach Utah this weekend. So Saturday is expected to be a hot one in Greeley with a high of 87 degrees.
Saturday’s 1 p.m. kickoff will help, with a forecasted temperature of 78 degrees, though it should rise to the day’s high temps by the time the game ends.
TV & RADIO
Saturday’s game broadcast will stream on the ESPN+ subscription service, available at watchespn.com or the ESPN app on mobile/streaming devices.
Weber State’s radio call, with Steve Klauke and Jerry Graybeal on the mic, will be on 103.1 FM over the air in Utah and online at www.1031thewave.com.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Weber State is 10-1 all-time against Northern Colorado and 4-0 in Greeley, averaging 42 points per game in the last seven times out against the Bears. The average score of the 11 contests is a 35-22 Weber State win and the last time out (2021 in Ogden), the Wildcats won 48-17 with the help of three interceptions returned for touchdowns.