Rainy weather? Even better for Wildcats

The Weber State University Football Team's 45-28 victory over the No. 3 University of Montana Grizzlies was one of the biggest wins in recent history. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, very few fans were there to see it because of the daunting, monstrous raindrops falling from the sky. What those intimidated fans didn't realize is that the extremely wet weather made for some extremely exciting football. The game started with player after player mishandling the ball. There were also a lot of players losing their footing, and some huge hits that sent players sliding across the field like it was a Slip 'N Slide. Occurrences early in the game made it clear that this game was going to be about which team could take care of the seemingly butter-covered football, and which team could not. WSU's Mike Phillips had the ball slip out of his hands for what would have been a huge reception early in the game. WSU's Scottie Goodloe, on the next Montana possession, had the ball squirt out of his fingertips for what would have been a key interception. Instead, Montana scored a touchdown in the same offensive series. Montana had every advantage early in the game. A team doesn't become No. 3 in the country without proving its experience in key situations like Saturday's. The Grizzlies closed the first half with a 14-3 lead, showing what they were made of. Montana appeared poised for its 10th straight victory over the Wildcats in the past 10 years, as the Grizzlies looked to keep their 25-game winning streak intact. But as the weather got worse, somehow the Wildcats got better. "We play well in wet weather," said WSU running back Trevyn Smith who ran for a season-high 158 yards in the rough conditions. "We always have. I don't know why." The Wildcat defense went on to force four turnovers - two fumbles and two interceptions - in the game. The Wildcat offense only turned the ball over once. Still, the Montana players and coaches didn't blame their poor performance on the weather. "There's 11 guys on our team and 11 guys on their team playing in the same conditions," said Montana safety Colt Anderson. "So if we're gonna be slower, they're going to be slower." The natural consequence of wet-weather football is the demolition of the field. Stewart Stadium's turf hasn't exactly been the most resilient over the past few seasons, even without conditions like Saturday's. By the time halftime hit, there was a crew of groundskeepers walking around the field, replacing divots twice the size of those produced by Tiger Woods' nine iron - and that's pretty big. The freezing temperature didn't dampen the importance of this win for the Wildcats, evidenced by the Gatorade getting dumped on WSU Head Coach Ron McBride in the closing minute of the game.