Ogden paper

[velochat]

WSU Notes: Before you say 'not again,' credit Wildcats' defense

Mon, Oct 11, 2004

By JIM BURTON
WSU Notes

This probably won't make Weber State football fans feel any better, but it needs to be said.

The Wildcats took a step in the right direction Saturday afternoon.

Struggling with confidence and fighting the instinct to throw their hands in the air and say, "Here we go again," the Wildcats turned in their best all-around performance of the season in a disheartening 20-17 loss to Montana State at Bobcat Stadium.

Yeah, they're still oh-and-6 on the season -- 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference -- and off to the second-worst start in school history, trailing only the 0-8 mark set by the 1975 team. But the 'Cats showed more competitiveness and desire than they had all season.

Especially on the defensive side of the ball, where they pitched a first-half shutout and ultimately recorded a season-high four forced turnovers.

WSU middle linebacker Eric Jones set a new school record with 17 solo tackles and 21 total tackles.

Safety Ryan Wight finished with 11 total tackles.

Cornerback James McCowan had an interception and three pass break-ups.

Defensive tackle Colter Bolton recorded the only quarterback sack, knocking MSU quarterback Travis Lulay for a 7-yard loss in the first half.

Defensive tackle Chris Haener blocked a punt.

Defensive ends Brady Fosmark and Shane Barkdull combined for 10 tackles, two tackles for negative yardage, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. In addition, the two made it a long afternoon for Montana State's offensive linemen and constantly had Lulay scrambling for his life.

In the final analysis, WSU's defense played well enough to pick up win No. 1 this season. And while the offense was able to muster a pair of 76-yard scoring drives in the first half, it foundered in the second half, managing just three points, only after the Bobcats fumbled a kick off deep in their own territory.

"The defense put up a pretty good game," WSU receiver Wiley King said. "There was a couple of times when the offense needed to answer, or at least use up a little more clock."

Despite taking a 17-0 lead early in the third quarter, the Wildcats couldn't sustain their own momentum. After taking its biggest lead of the game, WSU's offense got the ball six more times in the second half, five of those possessions ended with a punt; the sixth ended with a fumble.

Montana State, meanwhile, had the ball eight times in the second half and wound up scoring on four of those possessions. A fifth possession lasted 11 plays and took up nearly four minutes before Bobcats' running back Justin Domineck fumbled two yards from the endzone.

After playing so well in the first half, WSU's defense struggled in the third and fourth quarters, mostly because it didn't have much time to rest. As a result, Montana State's offense was able to convert on 5-of-8 third-down situations after halftime.

Coach Jerry Graybeal admitted the Wildcats could have turned their season around with a win.

"It was very disappointing," he said. "Conference losses add up. There have been a lot of times when a team goes 5-2 and is right there in the conference hunt. We had a golden opportunity right here to stay in the mix and we underachieved."

*RECORD BREAKER: After a great deal of anticipation, Nick Chournos was able to break Weber State's school record for career rushing yards Saturday afternoon.

He came into the game needing just 24 yards to break the record. He had 21 yards by the end of the first quarter and 77 at halftime.

Chournos finished with 116 yards and a touchdown. After the game, he said he was glad to have the record chase behind him.

"It's definitely something I'm glad to have out of the way," he said. "It's an honor and a privilege to have my name up there with those guys on the list.

"It's not jut me, all my teammates helped make that happen and a lot of guys who've already come here and gone. I appreciate it."




Copyright ©2004, Ogden Publishing Corporation

[Bleedinbluengold]

I listened to the wrong game, I guess. I thought 1 drive was 65 yards, and the other was 2 yards, as I recall? The field goal was maybe 3 yards.