Weber State Ready To Host Second Ever FCS Playoff Game
Nov 27, 2018, 12:59 PM | Updated: Nov 28, 2018, 10:21 am
Weber State players stand on the field. WSU placed a school-record 13 players on the Big Sky All-Conference first team. (Robert Casey, Weber State Athletics)
(Robert Casey, Weber State Athletics)
OGDEN, Utah – Weber State will host the second round of the FCS Playoffs at Stewart Stadium on Saturday when they face Southeast Missouri State.
Weber State finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and a share of the Big Sky Conference title.
Last season, the Wildcats hosted their first playoff game when they beat Western Illinois 21-19 in the first round. That led them to Cedar City in a victory over Southern Utah 30-13 in the second round before losing to No. 1-seed James Madison 31-28 in the quarterfinals on the road. James Madison had won 26 straight games against FCS teams going into that game. They went on to lose to North Dakota State in the FCS Championship game.
.@weberstatefb will host Southeast Missouri State in the second round of the FCS Playoffs Saturday at 2pm. The Wildcats are “hungry” for a national championship. #WeAreWeber @weberstate pic.twitter.com/vwnuMAMUBE
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) November 28, 2018
Weber State will make their fifth appearance in the FCS Playoffs since 2006. They are 3-4 in Playoff games during that stretch.
The Wildcats can host every playoff game all the way to the championship if they continue to advance since they are the No. 2-seed.
Weber State Running Game
The Wildcats have relied heavily on freshman running back Josh Davis who won the National Freshman of the Year award. Davis has racked up 1,334 yards and 9 touchdowns, which is good for eighth in FCS for most rushing yards and the most among freshmen.
The Alta High School graduate has rushed over 100 yards seven times and surpassed 200 yards twice.
Weber State’s offense averages 28.6 per game but their defense has been really good as they have allowed just 18.8 points per game in the 10 games against FCS opponents.
We are just 3️⃣ days away from Weber State hosting Southeast Missouri in the #FCSPlayoffs. Get your tickets and come cheer on the Wildcats!#WeAreWeber #BigSkyFB pic.twitter.com/1wwxwq0ReO
— Weber State Football 🏈 (@weberstatefb) November 28, 2018
Southeast Missouri State
The Redhawks from the Ohio Valley Conference finished the regular season with a 9-3 overall record and 6-2 conference record. They knocked off No. 15 Stony Brook 28-14 in the first round.
Southeast Missouri State made their second appearance since 2000 in the FCS Playoffs this season. Their win over Stony Brook was their first playoff win in that span. This season is the third season since 2000 that the Redhawks have finished the season with a winning record. They have an 80-135 record in that span.
Quarterback Daniel Santacaterina leads the offense for the Redhawks with 2,734 yards, 28 touchdowns and 7 interceptions through the air. Senior running back Marquis Terry is the leading rusher for Southeast Missouri State with 1,226 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Southeast Missouri State’s offense is the most dangerous between that and their defense. The offense averages 39.8 points per game against 11 FCS opponents while their defense allowed 27.9 points per game.
They are coached by Tom Matukewicz, who is in his fifth season with the Redhawks. This is his first head coaching job in college football. He has spent 26 seasons coaching football as either a head coach or an assistant.
Weber State and Southeast Missouri State will kickoff from Stewart Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN 3.
