purplehaze1
Active member
Nice article in today's SL Trib (8/4) about the two MWC games. I'm very excited about these games and believe we'll definitely ‘old our own’--and they will make us a better team.
Wildcats will test mettle vs. MWC
College football » WSU to visit Wyoming and Colorado State.
By Maggie Thach
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 08/03/2009 09:07:02 PM MDT
This is Weber State's chance.
It's a chance to show how the Wildcats measure up against Division I teams. It's a chance to show fans in Utah how well they can play against Mountain West Conference opponents. It's a chance to show that last year was no fluke -- and that the 'Cats will be serious Football Championship Subdivision contenders in 2009.
Those two nonconference games against Wyoming and Colorado State, on back-to-back weekends, won't have much of an impact on the Wildcats' quest for an FCS championship -- but they will pay dividends in toughening Weber State up for a title run.
"It's one of the toughest schedules in I-AA," Weber State coach Ron McBride said. "They're very important games. I think it's good to see how competitive we're going to be. They should be interesting."
And relatively lucrative. The Wildcats will take home a combined $420,00 for playing on the road at Laramie, Wyo., and Fort Collins, Colo.
However, these games do not come without risk. They're the kind of nonconference encounters that could haunt the Wildcats if they lose badly and wind up with a bunch of injuries. That could quickly kill the team's confidence and prevent Weber State from building on what it accomplished last year -- winning a share of the Big Sky Conference championship and advancing to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
That's why players have worked so hard during the summer, especially defensive captain Kevin
Linehan, who was selected to the preseason all-Big Sky Conference team. He heads into fall camp, which starts Friday, after an impressive summer. McBride said he was "blown away" with what Linehan has accomplished this offseason.
Then there is quarterback Cameron Higgins, who earned all-Big Sky honors last year after throwing for 4,460 yards and 36 touchdowns. This could be a dangerous team -- on both sides of the ball.
"A lot of people know these Mountain West teams, and if we show what we can do, we can earn a lot of respect with fans and local Utah residents," Linehan said. "We just want to get the experience early. These games will help us continue on in conference games."
What makes the back-to-back away games even more daunting is that both trips will be by bus. On the weekend of Sept. 5, the Wildcats will take an 11-hour round trip to Laramie and they'll return to the road the next week for a 13-hour drive to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State.
"We look for competition and with these teams, it will give us some positive exposure in the Intermountain region," Weber State athletic director Jerry Graybeal said. "But in hindsight, it is like we're coming off a great season and now we're starting on the road, and it seems like we're handcuffing the team. But the kids, they look forward to playing up."
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Wildcats will test mettle vs. MWC
College football » WSU to visit Wyoming and Colorado State.
By Maggie Thach
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 08/03/2009 09:07:02 PM MDT
This is Weber State's chance.
It's a chance to show how the Wildcats measure up against Division I teams. It's a chance to show fans in Utah how well they can play against Mountain West Conference opponents. It's a chance to show that last year was no fluke -- and that the 'Cats will be serious Football Championship Subdivision contenders in 2009.
Those two nonconference games against Wyoming and Colorado State, on back-to-back weekends, won't have much of an impact on the Wildcats' quest for an FCS championship -- but they will pay dividends in toughening Weber State up for a title run.
"It's one of the toughest schedules in I-AA," Weber State coach Ron McBride said. "They're very important games. I think it's good to see how competitive we're going to be. They should be interesting."
And relatively lucrative. The Wildcats will take home a combined $420,00 for playing on the road at Laramie, Wyo., and Fort Collins, Colo.
However, these games do not come without risk. They're the kind of nonconference encounters that could haunt the Wildcats if they lose badly and wind up with a bunch of injuries. That could quickly kill the team's confidence and prevent Weber State from building on what it accomplished last year -- winning a share of the Big Sky Conference championship and advancing to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
That's why players have worked so hard during the summer, especially defensive captain Kevin
Linehan, who was selected to the preseason all-Big Sky Conference team. He heads into fall camp, which starts Friday, after an impressive summer. McBride said he was "blown away" with what Linehan has accomplished this offseason.
Then there is quarterback Cameron Higgins, who earned all-Big Sky honors last year after throwing for 4,460 yards and 36 touchdowns. This could be a dangerous team -- on both sides of the ball.
"A lot of people know these Mountain West teams, and if we show what we can do, we can earn a lot of respect with fans and local Utah residents," Linehan said. "We just want to get the experience early. These games will help us continue on in conference games."
What makes the back-to-back away games even more daunting is that both trips will be by bus. On the weekend of Sept. 5, the Wildcats will take an 11-hour round trip to Laramie and they'll return to the road the next week for a 13-hour drive to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State.
"We look for competition and with these teams, it will give us some positive exposure in the Intermountain region," Weber State athletic director Jerry Graybeal said. "But in hindsight, it is like we're coming off a great season and now we're starting on the road, and it seems like we're handcuffing the team. But the kids, they look forward to playing up."
[email protected]
