Weber St. football: Defense gears up for pass-happy Portland St.

Weber State cornerback Josh Morris isn't exactly intimidated that his team will be facing the most pass-happy offense in the Big Sky Conference at Portland State today.

In fact, after basically being ignored and avoided by opposing offenses so far this season, Morris is looking forward to some competition against the Vikings. The second conference game for both teams kicks off at 2:05 p.m. (MDT) at PGE Park.

"I feel like there's going to be a lot of opportunities for plays to be made," Morris said. "There are going to be plenty of balls, we just have to go up and get them and let them know that we are business. I'm excited to go into this game and make some plays."

That's not to say that Morris and the Wildcats are taking Portland State lightly. The Vikings are a dangerous team, and especially because of their offense. Quarterback Drew Hubel leads the Big Sky in passing at 315.7 yards per game and he has a prime target to throw to in Ray Fry, who has 19 receptions for 303 yards this season.

Portland State is also in a must-win situation if it wants to stay in the Big Sky race. The Vikings, coached by Jerry Glanville, jumped out to a two-touchdown lead last week against Montana before losing, 49-17. The wheels came off for Portland State in that game in the form of turnovers, mistakes and penalties.

"They'll be ready," said Weber State coach Ron McBride. "They're playing at home, they got one loss in the league. You got to think about what they're thinking about and what their coaches are thinking about. They'll play great. They can't afford another loss."

The Wildcats are hoping to get through this game at less than full strength. They are without star tight end Cody Nakamura for the rest of the season, and starters such as defensive linemen Ryan Eastman and Kevin Linehan, center Kyle Mutcher and receiver Mike Phillips are dealing with nagging injuries. Eastman, Mutcher and Phillips are expected to be back today, though.

Weber State isn't worried about today's game turning into a shootout, as it has the firepower to match Portland State. Quarterback Cameron Higgins had his best game of the season against Idaho State last week, as he had a passer efficiency rating of 180.6 by completing 25-of-31 passes for 256 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Tim Toone leads the Big Sky with an average of 7.3 catches per game and Trevyn Smith had his first 100-plus rushing yard game last week, gaining 177 yards on 20 carries against the Bengals.

McBride said he's hoping to avoid a repeat of the last time Weber State played at Portland State. The Wildcats defeated the Vikings 73-68 in a defensively challenged contest that McBride said wasn't much fun to be a part of.

"It was like a runaway freight train," McBride said. "It's no fun when you don't have control of the game. They didn't have control of the game and neither did we. The only thing I'm happy about is that we won."

Wildcats on the air

Weber State (1-2, 1-0 Big Sky)

at Portland State (1-2, 0-1)

Today, 2:05 p.m. MDT

PGE Park, Portland, Ore.

TV: None Radio: 1430 AM

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com