Weber State head coach Jay Hill rallies his team prior to kickoff against Nevada in an NCAA college football game in Reno, Nev., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. | Lance Iversen, Associated Press
OGDEN — To reach new territory and take the program to unprecedented heights, Weber State must go through a familiar foe.
The Wildcats are scheduled to host Montana in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs Friday at 8 p.m. at Stewart Stadium. The game will be the Wildcats’ third consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals of the postseason. A win would vault Weber State to the tournament semifinals for the first time in school history.
Having an opportunity to make history for the third straight season is not something coach Jay Hill and his team are taking lightly. This time around, Hill is confident the Wildcats can break through, thanks in large part to having home-field advantage.
“I think it’ll make a huge difference,” said Hill. “We need a huge crowd out on Friday night, so we’re calling on all the faithful, all the Utahns, to come out and support us.”
Although the kickoff time is late and the outside temperatures are forecast to be in the teens or lower, Hill and his players are hopeful the local sports community will come out to support the Wildcats in the biggest game of their 100-year football history. With the Utah Jazz on the road and the Utah Utes and BYU Cougars waiting for their bowl games, the Wildcats’ playoff matchup with Montana should be the biggest show in town on Friday.
To reach the uncharted waters of the playoffs’ final four, the Wildcats must defeat the only opponent that defeated them in Big Sky Conference play. The Grizzlies dismantled the Wildcats 35-16 on Nov. 16 in Missoula. The rematch, however, will be hosted by Weber State, something Hill feels will favor his team even though Montana rolled through its second-round opponent, Southeastern Louisiana, 73-28.
“We want to make history, we want to be the best team in school history, all those things are important to us,” said Hill following Tuesday’s practice. “This already is the winningest senior class in school history and if we can just keep adding to it, obviously that just keeps getting better.”
One of those seniors, defensive lineman Jonah Williams, knows Montana well and is excited to play the most important game of his collegiate career against the Grizzlies. Williams is especially excited for the opportunity to seek revenge on a team that beat the Wildcats earlier in the year.
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Robert Casey, Weber State athletics
“They get a lot of attention in the Big Sky and I guess we’re here to prove more than getting just a win,” said Williams.
The key to slowing down the powerful Montana offense is “physicality,” according to Williams.
“Our defense is the most physical defense in the Big Sky and we got to just show that. We didn’t necessarily do that when we went up there the last time. We’re going to come here and we’re going to show that dominance,” said Williams.
Junior quarterback Jake Constantine is also fired up for the opportunity to dispatch a conference rival and lift the program to new heights, citing the game’s availability on national television as a great chance to show off Weber State’s program.
“I think it’s just cool, a playoff atmosphere, we got ESPN2 on air for, so a nationally televised game. You got be to pumped up just for that,” said Constantine. “Then a night game, that’s always exciting, so hopefully we get a lot of people out here to make it even more amped”
Wildcats on the air
No. 3 Weber State (10-3)
vs. No. 6 Montana (10-3)
Friday, 8 p.m.
Stewart Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 1430 AM
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