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I like where we are right now. We've played well in our first three games. We still have some things to clean up, which we know, but we're looking forward to the conference season. – Weber State head coach Jay Hill
Now, let the "real" games begin.
Now that they've each completed their non-conference games with 2-1 records, the Weber State and Southern Utah University football teams both jump into Big Sky Conference play this weekend.
The Wildcats will host UC Davis on Saturday at 5 p.m., while the Thunderbirds travel to northern California to face Sacramento State at 7 p.m. MDT.
In Ogden, where it's Weber State's annual Homecoming game, the nationally ranked Wildcats (No. 18/23 in this week's FCS polls) will take on a UC Davis squad which is also 2-1 and riding a two-game winning streak since a season-opening loss to FBS opponent San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference.
This matchup will send the Big Sky's best passing attack, fueled by UC Davis quarterback Jake Maier, up against a Weber State squad that leads the league in pass defense.
Maier, a sophomore, leads the Big Sky and ranks fourth in the country in passing yards per game (314.3), and he leads the league and is eighth in the country in total offense (326.7 yards per game). His top target is junior receiver Keelan Doss, who ranks first in the Big Sky and third in the nation in receiving yards per game with 115.7.
The Wildcats' pass defense, meanwhile, has allowed a league-best 151.3 yards per game and WSU also leads the Big Sky in total defense, so something's gotta give when the Aggies invade Stewart Stadium.
"We have a great opponent in UC Davis coming in this week," said Weber State head coach Jay Hill. "I really like what they are doing and coach (Dan) Hawkins has them playing at an extremely high level. They are coming off two really big wins where they looked impressive. We know we'll have our work cut out for us.
"They have a really good quarterback in Jake Maier, who's a guy we recruited. He is very good in their offense and is an athletic player who can extend plays. He's a competitor and has done a good job for their offense. They do a good job running the ball, and they have one of the top wide receivers in the league.
"I like where we are right now," said Hill, whose team jumped out to a 24-0 lead last week at Sacramento State, then held on for a 31-24 victory which won't count in the conference standings. "We've played well in our first three games. We still have some things to clean up, which we know, but we're looking forward to the conference season."
Hawkins is in his first year at UC Davis, which is his alma mater, following previous coaching stints at Boise State (where he went 53-11) and Colorado, followed by spending the last few years as an analyst for ESPN.
SUU, meanwhile, opens conference play on the road when the Thunderbirds fly to Sacramento to face Sac State. Southern Utah is one of five Big Sky teams at 2-1 on the season, as the T-Birds won their second straight with an upset victory over nationally-ranked Northern Iowa last week.
"We just battled," second-year SUU head coach Demario Warren said of last week's impressive win. "We didn't play great the whole game as a team, and we just overcame everything that happened to us. We turned the ball over four times, three times deep in our own territory, and the defense didn't blink all night. Special teams came up big at the end of the game, and it was just a resilient effort. We're really proud of the guys to be able to fight in a close game and pull one out.
"I don't think we've been able to do that in the last couple of years, and I feel like we can win in a lot of different ways now, so hopefully that gives us some confidence in those tight ballgames."
Coach Warren is eager to get the Big Sky season started.
"It's another opportunity," he said. "We didn't get what we wanted to get accomplished last year, and now we're starting all over.
"There's a lot of excitement going into Sacramento, going to go play a quality team that's been playing well lately, and it'll be a good opportunity for us to go 1-0 (in conference play). It's exciting that it's here, and we all know where we were picked at (seventh in this year's preseason polls), and I think we have a real opportunity to prove people wrong."
He's impressed with what he's seen out of the Hornets (1-2) thus far this season.
"They've got speed everywhere," Warren said. "Speed at receiver, speed at running back, speed on defense, there's just a lot of talent on the field, so it will be a big challenge for us to keep up with their speed."
WSU on the air
UC Davis (2-1) at No. 18/23 Weber State (2-1)
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Stewart Stadium, Ogden
TV: KJZZ Radio: 1430 AM
Online: Pluto TV 235/WatchBigSky.com
SUU on the air
Southern Utah (2-1) at Sacramento State (1-2)
Saturday, 7 p.m. MDT
Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, California
TV: none Radio: 590 AM
Online: Pluto TV 233/WatchBigSky.com
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com