A double overtime and a few wrong words said to the wrong people at the wrong time turned an upset-headed Idaho State team into a losing team - again - to Weber State, 45-38.
With the score tied at 31 after regulation, the two teams went into overtime . . . possession on the 25 and first-down opportunities to score. Idaho took possession first and scored on a one-yard dive by Chris Rose. Weber followed, after a penalty started it on the 40, and scored when George Jackson swept left.Weber started the second series and Jackson pushed it in on two runs. Idaho got to fourth and nine and lost the game on a missed pass.
For Idaho State coach Garth Hall, a product of Highland High School, it was a sour loss. A single play, he felt, turned the game. In the third quarter, ISU's quarter back was sacked, then a personal foul was slapped on a Bengal player, then the Bengal bench was hit was a personal foul. Instead of third-and-12, the Bengals were facing third-and-50.
"We had the momentum and we had control. It (the second personal on a coach) should never have been called. We didn't handle it well, though, because we let it bother us. We didn't come back," he added.
Weber coach Dave Arslanian, too, felt the call was a turning point.
"We felt the swing and we knew we had to take advantage . . . and we did," he said.
"I felt good about the way we came back and the way we played in overtime. I don't know why we went with the two runs at the end, but we just felt it was the thing to do. Still, we didn't play 60 minutes of good football. I had hoped we would have played better."
It appeared midway into the third period that Idaho was going to break a five-loss string. Down 14-21 at the half, the Bengals came back with 17 unanswered points . . . Darren Goodman kicked a 41-yard field goal; George Kelley ran 21 yards for a touchdown after Weber's Jamie Martin was intercepted one play earlier; and Jason Whitmer passed to Sylvester Jones for 52 yards and the score.
Then came the call and the scales tipped. Jackson scored for Weber on a five-yard pass from Martin two minutes into the fourth quarter. Then Brent Chuhaniuk kicked a 29-yard field goal six minutes later to tie the score at 31-all.
Idaho State was never in position to score or even to make a threat at scoring.
"We had our chances. We played a good game. We lost in the overtime, but I still think it's an exciting way to finish a game," said Hall.
Arslanian, too, said he liked the overtime. "It's something we practice, so I think when we went into it we were ready. I think my players were excited and that was the difference."
Neither team was able get much of an upper hand in the first half. Weber led 21-14, but Idaho State showed it had the offensive talent to recover.
ISU scored first when the Weber defense left Jones alone on the sideline and Whitmer delivered a 79-yard pass.
Weber countered three minutes later when Martin pulled out of the pocket and unable to find an open receiver he ran the 20 yards - untouched.
In the second quarter, Idaho started a drive on its 20 and 75 yards later running back Kelley carried up the middle for a five-yard TD. Darren Goodman kicked his second extra point to give Idaho State a 14-7 lead with 14:22 to play.
Two possessions later, Weber pushed from its 20 to the Idaho 20 on a perfectly thrown pass into the waiting arms of Trevor Shaw. Jackson finished up with a seven-yard run up the middle. Chuhaniuk hit the left upright on the extra point, however, to leave Weber trailing 13-14.
On its next posession, however, Weber pushed down the field on a drive that included another perfect pass from Martin to Rob Trebilcock for a 30-uard TD. This time the Wildcats went for two and got them when Martin hit Shaw over the middle.
The Wildcats had a chance to gain breathing room with under two minutes to play in the half when they recovered a fumble on the run-back. Two play later, however, Idaho's Troy Koopman stripped the ball from Jackson on the Idaho five. Weber had a second chance with 1:16 left when Idaho was forced to punt from its four. A 12-men-on-the-field penalty, however, took the pressure off Idaho.
Martin was 9-for-16 for 185 yards the first half, while Whitmer was 8-for-16 for 199 yards. Weber had 297 yards at the half to 240 for ISU.