With one stroke of the foot, the Jamie Martin era came to a close Saturday evening in Wildcat Stadium.
Martin, Weber State's record-breaking quarterback, led the Wildcats to two straight second-half touchdowns to give them a 22-20 lead late in the game. But with nine seconds on the clock, freshman Jose Larios split the uprights on a 35-yard field goal attempt, giving 11th-ranked McNeese State a dramatic 23-22 victory. The loss dropped Weber to 6-5 on the year and dashed all hopes of the Wildcats earning a NCAA Division I-AA playoff berth."I didn't think there was any way we were going to lose this game," Weber coach Dave Arslanian said. "We should have won it, period."
Indeed, the Wildcats had plenty of chances. Weber drove deep into McNeese territory four times only to come away with zero points. Three of those drives were halted by interceptions inside the 10-yard line.
"We just shot ourselves in the foot too many times," Arslanian said.
Martin had some bright spots along with disappointment in the final collegiate game of his career. He completed 32 of his 56 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns, but had three passes picked off. One of his interceptions came late in the second quarter with the score tied, 7-7. To make matters worse, McNeese's Lamar Thomas, who picked off the pass at the eight, ran untouched 92-yards for a touchdown, giving the Cowboys a 14-7 lead at intermission.
Early in the third quarter the Cowboys added to their lead on a one-yard run by Bryan Foster.
Weber's Dwight Richards scored on a five-yard run with 2:07 remaining in the third, cutting the lead to 20-14.
With just over five minutes remaining in the game, Wildcat defensive lineman Tim Otton forced a fumble and teammate Lamar Mickey recovered at the McNeese 17. Two plays later, Martin threw a 20-yard TD pass to Nate Burchette. The snap on the PAT was bobbled, but holder Roy Hudson had the composure to get up and throw a strike to Pat McNerney for a two-point conversion, giving Weber a 22-20 lead with 4:52 remaining.
Weber's defense held on McNeese's next possession. But the 'Cats couldn't run the clock out and were forced to punt, setting up the Cowboys' dramatic drive in the final two minutes to get in field goal range.