Sure, Weber State laid a 41-12 whupping on Humboldt State. But Wildcat coach Jerry Graybeal wasn't exactly in a good mood after the game.
"I'm sick to my stomach, to be honest with you," Graybeal said with good reason.In the process of upping its record to 2-0, Weber State lost its starting quarterback for the season and a pair of linemen quite possibly for the season, not to mention several other injured players that may miss a game or two.
"A lot of it is due to the sloppiness of our play tonight," Graybeal said. "Obviously that is not acceptable."
The game turned from an ugly beating on the scoreboard to an ugly beating on the field. The second quarter saw nearly as much time spent tending to the wounded as running plays.
Weber State lost quarterback Steve Buck to an ankle injury with 2:43 to play in the half. Offensive tackles Carl Wright and Ron James also had to leave the game after pulling up lame with assorted injuries. Buck suffered a severely damaged left ankle. Early reports said he had most of the connective tissue in the ankle destroyed and the loose ankle turned completely around.
James is gone for approximately six weeks with a torn medial collateral ligament. Wright's condition was not known immediately after the game.
"Everybody's heart went out," said Weber safety Scott Shields. "People couldn't believe it. Honestly, it had a lot to do with the condition of the field and the rain."
The Stewart Stadium field was in terrible condition after rainstorms and heavy use left the turf lumpy and full of holes.
Not to be left out of the injury report, Humboldt State had its share of players carted off the field as the medical staffs of both schools got second-quarter workouts. Two players were lost for the season, including one who suffered a tib-fib fracture on a kickoff return.
Amid all the carnage, the Wildcats coasted to an easy 24-0 halftime lead as Morgan Welch ran for a pair of touchdowns and Buck hit Rashard Magee for a score.
And with the Weber State defense picking off three passes and allowing just 88 total yards and six first downs, the game was never really in doubt.
The Wildcats picked off five Lumberjack passes, recovered one fumble and blocked a punt as well as a PAT. All while limiting HSU to just 196 total yards of offense.
Which makes the lost players even more upsetting to Graybeal. "We're going to do some evaluation as to what we can do with the ball with the players we have," Graybeal said. "We're going to have to come up with a plan of attack.