From losing to winning: McBride changes Wildcats' direction

OGDEN — When Weber State finished the 2004 season with a miserable 1-10 record, any improvement would be welcome.

So when Ron McBride took over the Wildcats' football team from the dismissed Jerry Graybeal, few Weber State fans really got their hopes too high. A couple of extra wins was all many of the most optimistic fans had in mind.

When the Wildcats finished the season with a 6-5 record and were challenging for the Big Sky championship as late as their final conference game, it wasn't surprising to see those same fans boost their expectations another notch.

"These kids accomplished a lot in a small time," McBride said. "Overall, we had some weaknesses. But the kids played as hard as they could and never gave up. They made the most of their season."

The five-game improvement was the second best by a I-AA team this year and, McBride said, is opening the door to great things at Weber State.

Though the Wildcats are losing several key players on defense, including the entire starting secondary, WSU has a new attitude that should carry over into the 2006 season.

"When you start new with a team, usually it takes a little while for everyone to get on the same page," McBride said. "We should really improve in the second year, and that's good. Because we were pretty good this year, I think we were second in the conference in total offense. The offense should be able to be even more productive."

Weber State returns a veteran backfield on offense with quarterback Ian Pizarro back for his senior year after passing for 2,357 yards and 17 touchdowns. Running backs Zach Hall (848 yards) and Adrian Conway (560) also will be back, to improve on the combined 15 touchdowns they scored.

But despite all the success, Weber State might also look back on the 2005 season as one full of missed opportunities.

The biggest came at Portland State.

The Wildcats had won three straight games and had an outside shot at claiming a share of the Big Sky title. As the dominoes that WSU needed to fall tumbled, setting the stage for an improbable Wildcats championship, Weber State got crushed by the Vikings. The Wildcats finished one loss away from being in a four-way tie for first.