Weber State 41, WNM 10
OGDEN — Heading into Saturday's game against Division II Western New Mexico, Weber State head coach Jerry Graybeal hoped to accomplish a number of things — take an early lead, correct some mistakes made last week, have no injuries and get the reserves plenty of playing time.
Graybeal left the field at the end of the game though, holding a mixed bag of results.
A win? Well, that was a forgone conclusion since WNM entered the game with a 1-8 record and allowed 40 points a game. At least, it was supposed to be an afterthought.
Weber State (7-3, 5-2 Big Sky) struggled for the first 30 minutes but pulled away in the second half for a comfortable 41-10 victory at Stewart Stadium, extending its winning streak to five games.
Now the No. 20 Wildcats can put all their concentration into next Saturday's regular-season finale against Montana, a team that most likely will be ranked No. 1 when it travels to Ogden. The Grizzlies all but locked up the Big Sky Conference title with its win Saturday, but the Wildcats will put themselves in great position for a playoff berth with a win.
Both coaches and players admitted after the game it was hard not to look past WNM to the Montana game.
"You can harp on it all week and tell your kids that next game is down the road, but still in the back of their minds this whole week they are wanting to get a peek at Montana," said Graybeal. "I told them an effort like today won't even get you close to a Montana."
With the Montana game on the horizon, the last thing the Wildcats needed Saturday were injuries, but they took their toll. Quarterback Cole Cooper, running back Jordan Miller, receivers Josh Andrews and Ryan Prince and linebacker Keenan Gordan all suffered some dings during the game. The worst may be Miller, who started in place of Johnnie Gray, who was already sitting out with a sprained ankle. Miller suffered a thigh bruise early in the game and gave way to third-stringer George Patterson.
Patterson expected to get some playing time but not as much as he did. The redshirt freshman had 21 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown.
"I've got to be ready all the time, but I wasn't expecting to get in that early," said Patterson. "All 152 yards go to the lineman. They could put any running back back there and get that many."
It was a needed performance as Western New Mexico put up a longer fight than the Wildcats expected. The Mustangs opened with an option attack, something they hadn't done all year and the Wildcats hadn't prepared for.
"We had to chalk more on the sidelines for this game than we did the Toledo game," said Graybeal. "The kids aren't used to seeing (the option). Give them credit. It was a good idea."
Weber State didn't break the game open until Andrews returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown and a 24-10 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Mustangs then turned the ball over on two of their next three possessions, and Weber State scored on both of them to put the game on ice. Fourth-string back Myles Cooper also had a strong fourth quarter, scoring one TD and rushing for 54 yards.
Weber took an early 3-0 lead but didn't hold it for long. The Mustangs, using an option attack, kept the ball for more than 10 minutes as they drove 78 yards on 20 running plays to take a 7-3 lead after a 1-yard plunge by Chris Brown.
While the Wildcat defense sat stunned on the sidelines, the offense was quickly reclaiming the lead as Patterson displayed his running abilities. Patterson rushed the ball six times for 60 yards, the last carry going seven yards and giving Weber State the lead at 10-7.
However, WNM recovered a fumble and drove to the Weber 4 before tying the game at 10-10 on a 22-yard field goal by Mark Powers.
The Wildcats took the lead for good just before halftime though. Cooper passed WSU down to the 15, and then scrambled for a 14-yard gain to the WNM 1with 10 seconds left in the half. Cooper then connected with John Jefferson in the corner of the end zone for a 17-10 at the break.
NOTES: WSU held a groundbreaking ceremony prior to the game for its new press box and luxury suite addition. The facility is to be completed before the Wildcats' first home game next year.
E-mail: cliff@desnews.com