Weber State brings aggressive defense

Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

On paper, the football teams of the University of Montana and Weber State appear to be polar opposites.
Entering Big Sky Conference play today, the top-ranked Grizzlies are 3-0. Following last weekend’s loss to Montana State, the Wildcats are 0-3. After a summer-long quarterback controversy, Montana has settled on a winner: Cole Bergquist had a career game last week against Albany, and was named the conference’s offensive player of the week for the second time this season.
Late in fall camp, Weber State got a highly touted transfer at quarterback: Jimmy Barnes, formerly of Alabama, has flopped in three preseason games and was benched against the Bobcats. The Wildcats’ head coach Ron McBride said Tuesday that Barnes is likely not an option for the team this week due to some nagging injuries.
Despite the apparent disparities, Griz head coach Bobby Hauck said he is respectful of Weber State entering today’s Homecoming game.
“We’re anticipating a really aggressive physical game. A very tough game to win,” Hauck said. “Our experience with Weber State is the fact that in each of the last four years it’s no coincidence they’ve played their best game of the year against us.”
In Hauck’s four seasons at the helm for the Griz, only in 2004 did Montana top Weber State by more than five points. Last year in Ogden, Utah, the then-No. 2 Griz narrowly escaped with a 33-30 win.
“They’re a good opponent,” said senior cornerback Quinton Jackson. “We treat them like they’re a good opponent and that’s how we prepare ourselves.”
When preparing for Montana, McBride said, Weber State would have to find a way to shut down the Grizzlies potent offense.
“If you can stop them, go ahead and stop them,” he said. “If you can’t, you can’t. You know what they’re going to do.”
At quarterback, the Wildcats will likely turn to redshirt freshman Cameron Higgins. Higgins was 9-for-17 for 113 yards in less than three quarters against Montana State.
Backing him up will likely be junior Brendon Doyle, McBride said.
Barnes struggled in the team’s first two games, against Boise State and Cal Poly, as well, before being pulled last weekend.
In his three starts, Barnes completed less than one-third of his passes for just under 300 yards.
Montana’s Bergquist, who has thrown for 596 yards in three games, said he still has things to work on despite his recent successes.
“I don’t necessarily think it was my best game after watching it on film,” he said. “I missed a couple opportunities and there’s always room to improve.”
After not throwing an incomplete pass two games ago against Fort Lewis College, and setting career highs in passing and rushing last week, Bergquist expects a stiffer test from the Wildcats.
“They look as solid as any defense we’ve seen so far,” he said. “Their defensive play doesn’t really reflect their record.”
Senior safety Ty Sparrow is one of the defensive leaders, having accrued 26 tackles on the season.
Today’s game will also be Montana’s first chance to defend their shiny new No. 1 ranking after moving up a spot in the wake of Appalachian State’s loss to Wofford. The Griz received only 46 of 103 possible first place votes in The Sports Network top-25 poll and apparently has some convincing to do with the voters.
However, McBride said he believes the Griz are ranked where they should be, saying they look like a No. 1.
“I’ve watched most of the teams that are ranked,” he said. “First of all (Montana hasn’t) been pushed. The games have been over early and they just keep playing. They’re a nice team and I think they deserve their ranking.”
Montana senior receiver Ryan Bagley maintained that the ranking doesn’t affect the way the team prepares for a game or views itself.
“I definitely don’t feel any different than I was last week,” he said.
McBride said if the Wildcats can shore up its sloppy play, it might have a shot at the vaunted Grizzlies. If it has a repeat performance of either its six fumbles against Cal Poly or its three interceptions against the Bobcats, McBride said the outcome might not be pretty.
“If we can eliminate our mistakes and come out and play football like a real football team, then we’ll see what happens,” he said. “If we continue to do the things we’ve done the last three weeks, it’s going to be a long road.”