Weber State receiver Tim Toone broke a school record that had stood for 20 years during his team's 49-35 win over Cal Poly in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last Saturday.
Toone, only a junior, caught his 19th career touchdown pass, breaking the old mark of 18 held by Wade Orton, who played at Weber State from 1984-88. But Toone didn't celebrate the accomplishment or even have any warm and fuzzy feelings about it.
The only numbers he cared about from Saturday were 49 and 35, and that the Wildcats were moving on to play Montana in the FCS quarterfinals in Missoula on Saturday.
"I really didn't care," Toone said. "I was just like, whatever. The win, that's all I cared about. There's a bigger picture in life."
Toone might not have had that same perspective without doing a lot of growing up since graduating from Arizona's Peoria High in 2003.
Toone attended Weber State for a semester in 2003 before serving an LDS Church mission in West Africa. He said the experience of sharing his faith with people in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone changed his approach to life.
"It was the experience of a lifetime," Toone said. "It's made me who I am today — a better person, more responsible. I had to grow up a lot. It gave me a new perspective on life."
He would need that changed perspective when his mission was over.
Toone, originally recruited to Weber State by former coach and current athletic director Jerry Graybeal, had to convince coach Ron McBride and his staff he was scholarship worthy when he returned to school. He had to resell himself to the program and make the coaches believe that a 5-foot-10, 165-pound receiver really could contribute on the FCS level.
Toone didn't really have any other options coming out of high school despite averaging 30 yards per catch during his senior season at Peoria. Northern Arizona was the only other collegiate program to offer him a scholarship, but Toone didn't have much interest in being a Lumberjack. He thought about walking on at Arizona State after his mission, but things worked out between him and the Wildcats.
That's a bit of an understatement.
With an FCS playoff run in progress, Toone has already reached No. 2 on the all-time receiving yards list at Weber State. He has 2,402 yards, trailing the leader Orton by just 520 yards. He should shatter the mark as long as he stays healthy during his senior season.
"I'm happy with it (the career numbers so far)," Toone said. "There are a lot of things I see I need to get better at. I don't know if I'm satisfied. It's a big improvement over last year. Every year I keep getting better and better, so it's enjoyable."
Cal Poly fans who were unfamiliar with Toone prior to Weber State's victory over the Mustangs were truly in awe of how he dominated their team last Saturday. Toone had 10 receptions for a career-high 199 yards and a touchdown. The fans were almost dumbfounded that one of the smallest players on either team could take over a game the way Toone did.
"He told me before the game he was going to play his best game and he did," McBride said.
Toone has a slight build, but he has played big for the Wildcats the last two seasons. His combination of speed, route-running, intelligence and toughness make him a difficult weapon to try and slow down.
"He's a real technician of the position," McBride said. "He really understands how to get off coverage, he understands how to get off press, he understands how to get off zone, and he understands where the open area is. And he's a lot more physical than you'd think he'd be."
A big reason for Toone's success is the relationship he's built with quarterback Cameron Higgins. The two players started developing chemistry when they broke into the starting lineup last season. They each got better as the season progressed, and then really solidified their connection by spending countless hours together during the summer with Toone running routes and Higgins throwing to him.
"I think we can train even harder over this next offseason," said Higgins, who added that Toone bails him out of tough situations. "I think the thing he does is he runs crisp routes. You can never tell what he's running. He never gives away what he's running until he breaks it off. He's a good blocker, too. He's smart. He's really the whole package."
Toone's package as a player includes the growing dreadlocks he sports. An obvious conclusion would be that they were inspired by his church mission in Africa. But that's not the case. When the Wildcats learned that they would be playing against Hawaii this season, some of the players made a pact to grow out their hair so that they would resemble some of the Hawaii players who wear long hair.
"We started talking, and we all said we were going to get it," Toone said. "I got it and then everyone else cut their hair. I put up with it for a while. I'm used to it and I kind of like it."
Wildcats on TV
Weber State (10-3)
at Montana (12-1)
Saturday, 12:05 p.m.
Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Missoula, Mont.
TV: Altitude Sports Radio: 1430 AM
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com