Weber State football: Wildcats hope to avoid a shootout

Weber State's skill-position players on offense, such as quarterback Cameron Higgins and receiver Tim Toone, fondly recall the team's 73-68 win over Portland State last October. It set an NCAA record for most points scored in a game, and the two teams will rematch today at Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Stadium.

Others, such as defensive players and coaches, wouldn't mind forgetting it.

"Longest game I ever played in," said Wildcats defensive tackle Bryce Scanlon.

Offensive coordinators surely enjoyed watching their game plans work to near-perfection. The defensive-minded coaches were tortured, however, and will be looking for some redemption today. Game time is 1:05 p.m.

"I don't want one of those games where you can't control anything," said coach Ron McBride. "It was like a runaway freight train. You'd like to have a little better control over the situation. I'll take whatever, if you get more points than the other guy, I guess it's all right. But last year's game was insane."

Today's game could be just as crazy.

Although it will be extremely difficult for the two teams to combine for 1,189 yards and 141 points like they did last year, the two teams return both starting quarterbacks from that game. Portland State's Drew Hubel threw for 485 yards and nine touchdowns in the Vikings' loss last season, and he is once again lighting up the Big Sky.

Hubel is tops in the conference in passing yards per game and total offense, barely leading Higgins by fewer than 10 yards in both categories. He threw for 623 yards in a win over Eastern Washington earlier this season, and for 474 yards in a win over Idaho State last week. He is averaging 56 passing attempts per game.

McBride said his secondary players will have to play their best game of the season today.

"Our front four is going to have to put some pressure on their quarterback," McBride said. "If you let a guy stand back there in the run-and-shoot offense with time to throw, it becomes an almost unstoppable offense."

Scanlon and fellow defensive linemen Derek Johnson, Pate Moleni and Kevin Linehan are up for the challenge.

"This is a big game for us," Scanlon said. "If we worry about what we got to do and not what they're gonna do, we'll be fine. We have to get pressure on their quarterback. We're going to lock them down."