'Cats claw MSU 35-12

Perhaps Wildcats thrive in messy weather. On Saturday, playing in 30-degree weather, mixed with heavy snow and wind, the Weber State University Football Team defeated Montana State University 35-12 on the road in Bozeman, Montana. The win is the second consecutive for WSU in unfavorable weather, the first coming last weekend when the Wildcats defeated the University of Montana 45-28 for the first time in 10 years. The Wildcat defense set the tone early Saturday, forcing a quick three-and-out on the Bobcat offense in the game's opening series. The 'Cats started with great field position when they got the ball back, but failed to turn it into points. After another quick three-and-out from MSU, the Wildcat offense marched down the field, capping it off with a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cameron Higgins to running back Trevyn Smith. Things got ugly for the Wildcats, when Higgins was sacked on his own one-yard line, resulting in a short punt from WSU kicker Mike Snoy. The Bobcats then took advantage of their good field position, putting together a quick 30-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown run from quarterback Cody Kempt, tying the game up 7-7. On WSU's ensuing possession, a bad snap rocketed over Snoy's head, rolling 47 yards backwards and out of the end zone for a safety, giving MSU a brief 9-7 lead. However, WSU responded quickly when a tipped Higgins pass landed in the arms of receiver Mike Phillips, who took it down the field for a 59-yard touchdown, giving the lead back to the Wildcats, a lead that they did not relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon. With halftime approaching, Wildcat linebacker Biff Swan picked off a Kempt pass in MSU territory, but WSU failed to get off a field goal attempt before time expired on the clock, putting the Wildcats up 14-9 at the half. As the second half got underway, both defenses forced quick punts on the offenses. On WSU's second possession of the half, Higgins orchestrated an 80-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard run by Smith, and a successful two point attempt, increasing the Wildcat lead to 22-9. The Bobcats then put together a strong drive to finish the third quarter, quickly marching all the way from their own 12-yard line to the WSU 8-yard line, but the Wildcat defense dug in, and forced MSU to settle for a 25-yard field goal. From there, WSU crushed any hopes of a Bobcat comeback. In a time consuming drive, Wildcat receiver Tim Toone caught several long passes, finishing the drive off with a 5-yard touchdown grab from Higgins, putting Weber State up 28-12 with only a few minutes left to play. For insurance, Higgins tacked on one last touchdown pass to fullback Marcus Mailei in the game's closing minutes, icing a 35-12 win for the Wildcats. Weber State is now 3-0 in the Big Sky Conference, and 4-2 overall. Higgins overcame being sacked four times, finishing the game with 347 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Smith fought for a tough 73 rushing yards, and two total touchdowns. The win marks the first time WSU has defeated MSU since 2000, previously losing seven straight to the Bobcats. The Wildcats also completed the season sweep of both the University of Montana, and Montana State University, the first time WSU has done so since 1987. Next Saturday, WSU heads back home, facing the University of Northern Colorado in Stewart Stadium at 1 p.m. that resulted in a touchdown run from quarterback Cody Kempt, tying the game up 7-7. On WSU's ensuing possession, a bad snap rocketed over Snoy's head, rolling an incredible 47 yards behind him and out of the end zone for a safety, giving MSU a brief 9-7 lead. However, WSU responded quickly when a tipped Higgins pass landed in the arms of receiver Mike Phillips, who took it down the field for a 59-yard touchdown, giving the lead back to the Wildcats, a lead that they did not relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon. With halftime approaching, Wildcat linebacker Biff Swan picked off a Kempt pass in MSU territory, but WSU failed to get off a field goal attempt before time expired on the clock, putting the Wildcats up 14-9 at the half. As the second half got underway, both defenses forced quick punts on the offenses. On WSU's second possession of the half, Higgins orchestrated an 80-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown run by Smith, and a successful two-point conversion, increasing the Wildcat lead to 22-9. The Bobcats then put together a strong drive to finish the third quarter, quickly marching all the way from their own 12-yard line to the WSU 8-yard line, but the Wildcat defense dug in, and forced MSU to settle for a 25-yard field goal. From there, WSU crushed any hopes of a Bobcat comeback. In a time consuming drive, Wildcat receiver Tim Toone caught several long passes, finishing the drive off with a 5-yard touchdown grab from Higgins, putting Weber State up 28-12 with only a few minutes left to play. For insurance, Higgins tacked on one last touchdown pass to fullback Marcus Mailei in the game's closing minutes, icing a 35-12 win for the Wildcats. Weber State is now 3-0 in the Big Sky Conference, and 5-2 overall. Higgins overcame being sacked four times, finishing the game with 347 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Smith fought for a tough 73 rushing yards, and two touchdowns. Toone had another solid game, finishing with 11 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. The win marks the first time WSU has defeated MSU since 2000, previously losing seven straight to the Bobcats. The Wildcats also completed the season sweep of both the University of Montana, and Montana State University for the first time since 1987. Next Saturday, WSU heads back home to face the University of Northern Colorado at Stewart Stadium at 1 p.m.