WOODS CROSS — Don't count Ron McBride as one of Mother Nature's biggest fans.
Especially not after the way she's treated his football team this spring.
McBride, entering his second year coaching Weber State, has been forced to juggle practice times and locations for much of the past two weeks. Thursday, when a winter storm rolled across the Wasatch Front, the Wildcats loaded into a pair of buses and found a few patches of artificial grass at an indoor soccer facility.
"We've been fortunate enough to be able to get in here and practice a little bit," McBride said. "But it's not ideal. There's a lot we just can't do."
The Wildcats broke into groups based on position and did the best they could on the three fields at Ultimate Indoor in Woods Cross. On one field, a tiny surface used by small children, the 'Cats focused exclusively on formations and individual skills.
On the largest soccer field, quarterbacks worked on passing routes with receivers and defenders testing each other. Linemen, linebackers and running backs focused on the ground game on a smaller field while McBride bounced back and forth between the groups.
"The nucleus of the team is here," he said. "But the worst thing is we can't develop any sort of a passing game. Your quarterbacks can't mature and grow because they can't practice all the way. Everything is limited."
The Wildcats aren't as fortunate as their in-state brothers. There is no indoor training facility in Ogden as there is in Logan, Provo and Salt Lake City. And with the actual practice fields in rather poor condition with all the rain and snow, WSU has practiced on indoor soccer fields, junior high fields and pretty much anywhere but on campus.
Still, McBride said he's seeing significant progress from his troops.
"The improvement is a great deal," McBride said. "We're a lot farther along than last year. We just know what we're doing this year."
In particular, McBride said he's pleased with the depth and skill at running back and along the offensive line. The quarterback position is in good hands with Ian Pizarro returning and the 'Cats have a few experienced and effective receivers back as well.
Developing a defensive line is taking a little longer than he'd like. With most of the starters gone, the 'Cats are waiting for the new recruits to arrive this summer. And they hope to get in enough work to have a competitive spring game April 22.
E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com