OGDEN — After dismantling two lowly Division II teams and sitting through two early-season byes, the Weber State football team finally gets a chance to silence its critics.
Those "critics" — coaches and media voting in preseason polls — picked the Wildcats to finish last in the Big Sky.
Weber State coach Jerry Graybeal knows that his team's wins over Western State and Eastern Oregon aren't going to silence anybody. But a win on Saturday at Northern Arizona would give the Wildcats a huge lift to start conference play as they look to improve on last season's 2-5 Big Sky record.
"This game will be a great measuring stick," Graybeal said. "Everyone has picked us last. But if we're going to read press clippings from August, we might as well stay home and give them a 2-0 forfeit."
The defending 1-AA national champion Montana is favored to win the Big Sky title as it has 16 returning starters and has won its first four games. That may sound depressing for the rest of the conference, but a meager 13-9 home win over Idaho State on Sept. 21 has given other teams confidence that they can knock off the powerful Grizzlies.
"I think the teams have drawn closer," Graybeal said. "You would hope that the rest of us aren't going to always be fighting for crumbs and trying to be the second team in the playoffs."
Graybeal hopes that an improved defense and special teams will bring his team back above .500. Graybeal said stopping the run will be the No. 1 key for his team to have a good conference season.
"We don't want to get into games where the other team is scoring a bunch of points and we're trying to keep up with them," Graybeal said. "We have go-to guys on offense, but those kind of games aren't good for your team."
New kicker Joe Johnson has improved the Wildcats' special teams so far this season. His placements on kickoffs have greatly aided the Wildcats coverage and he's been consistent on field goals.
Quarterback Tate Bennett, running back Nick Chournos and wide receivers Justin DeFour, Wiley King and Ryan Nath are expected to give the Weber State offense plenty of firepower. But the defense will be a question mark until it proves otherwise.
After the Wildcats open conference play at Northern Arizona, they will host No. 1 ranked Montana on Oct. 12. Weber State then plays at Montana State and Idaho State before finishing its home schedule against Big Sky contenders Eastern Washington and Portland State in November.
A look at the rest of the Big Sky, in the order of preseason polls:
MONTANA (4-0, 1-0): The Grizzlies have won four straight Big Sky championships and seven in the last nine years. Montana would tie Eastern Kentucky's record if it can qualify for the 1-AA playoffs for the 10th straight season.
Montana coach Joe Glenn said he wouldn't want to be in any other situation.
"We knew there would be big expectations from the fans and media and we wouldn't want it any other way," he said.
Montana's strength is its mammoth offensive and defensive lines. And the Grizzlies have a solid signal caller in senior John Edwards.
The Grizzlies know that they will get each opponent's best shot since they're the national champions. Time will tell if the early season struggle with Idaho State was an aberration.
PORTLAND STATE (2-2, 0-1): Before the season started, Portland State coach Tim Walsh said his team would be careful to not overlook any opponents prior to its Oct. 26 showdown with Montana.
In 1999, the Vikings defeated the Grizzlies but then lost its final two conference games to give Montana the Big Sky title. So, Walsh said he hoped his 2002 team wouldn't put all of its eggs in one basket and focus too much on the Grizzlies.
Oops.
The No. 16-ranked Vikings lost their conference opener 14-10 to Northern Arizona. The Oct. 26 meeting between the two teams in Portland looked to be the conference's game of the year but may have lost some its luster since the Vikings already have a conference loss.
Portland State definitely has the weapons to rebound and contend for the conference title with quarterback Justin Wood and running back Ryan Fuqua. But both had off games against Northern Arizona.
MONTANA STATE (2-2, 0-0): The Bobcats rebounded from a winless season in 2000 with five wins in 2001. Montana State got their first win last season at Stewart Stadium, and the Wildcats will be looking for revenge on Oct. 19.
Ten starters return on an offense that averaged 28.1 points per game last season. The Bobcats defense gained national attention earlier this season when it knocked Washington State Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Jason Gesser out of the game in their Sept. 21 meeting. Gesser left the game with a dislocated rib and the Bobcats had a decent showing in their 45-28 loss.
NORTHERN ARIZONA (3-1, 1-0): The No. 12-ranked Lumberjacks were the surprise of the Big Sky last season after they went 8-4 and qualified for the 1-AA playoffs for the second time in school history. Northern Arizona improved on a 3-8 season in 2000.
Running back Brian Bingham returns after backing up the school's all-time leading rusher Marcus King. Bingham rushed for over 100 yards in NAU's 42-32 win over Weber State that spoiled the Wildcats' homecoming last season.
EASTERN WASHINGTON (3-1, 0-0): Now that Portland State has lost once, Graybeal's old team could be Montana's biggest threat. The Eagles lost in double-overtime to the Grizzlies last season and get to close this season at home against Montana.
The Eagles have been impressive so far as they defeated Southern Utah 49-14 on Saturday. Eastern Washington's only defeat came at the hands of Arizona State in its season opener.
IDAHO STATE (2-2, 1-1): The Bengals were thought to be a darkhorse team in the Big Sky before the season started. Their 13-9 loss at Montana showed that the Bengals could contend for the conference's second playoff spot.
"I think the Montana game shows they're definitely for real," Graybeal said.
The Bengals returned 18 starters from last season and could have a turnaround season like Northern Arizona last year. Idaho State nearly upset Utah State in Logan on Sept. 14.
SACRAMENTO STATE (1-3, 0-1): Ah, the Matadors. That's what Weber State fans can say after Sacramento State saved the Wildcats from having the worst defense in Division 1-AA last season. The Matadors employed a matadorlike defense and gave up 512.1 yards and 38.5 points per game. Sacramento State lost its conference opener 32-24 at Idaho State on Saturday.
E-MAIL: aaragon@desnews.com