Weber State football: Wildcats know Big Sky title is on the line against Montana

The rest of the Big Sky Conference football season is almost a formality.

Before the 2009 season began, the conference championship was expected to come down to today's Halloween meeting between No. 14-ranked Weber State and No. 2 Montana, and that's how it's turned out. While Northern Arizona remains alive in the Big Sky title race, the team that survives today's Wildcat-Grizzly showdown should earn at least a share of the conference crown and an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.

Today's game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula kicks off at 1 p.m. It will be televised by KJZZ.

"This is what you coach for, this is what you play for," said Wildcats coach Ron McBride. "You play yourself into games that mean something."

Weber State receiver Tim Toone said that although he concentrates on each of his team's opponents every week, the Montana game is always in the back of his mind.

"It's always going to be a big game because they're so good and they're so fundamentally sound," Toone said. "You go into the season and you think about it. When you're playing each week, you don't put an emphasis on them, but you think this is to put us in position to play them and play for a Big Sky championship."

The Wildcats nearly blew their shot at playing for the conference title when they were stunned at home by Montana State four weeks ago. But they've won three straight games since then and Montana State lost conference games to Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington to put the Wildcats' fate back in their own hands.

Weber State wouldn't have it any other way, but beating Montana in Missoula is no easy task. The Wildcats haven't won there since 1987, and they saw their 2008 dream season ended on the Grizzlies' home field in a 24-13 loss to Montana in the FCS quarterfinals last December. Montana is once again a national powerhouse with a 7-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking.

The Wildcats are far from intimidated by Montana, however, and are the only team to beat the Grizzlies during the regular season in the last four years. Montana's pass defense has been vulnerable, ranking next-to-last in the Big Sky. Weber State, with quarterback Cameron Higgins heating up since the Montana State loss, has the conference's top passing attack.

Higgins has thrown 10 touchdowns and just one interception in the Wildcats' last three games.

"He turned the ball over early in the year when he forced some things," McBride said. "That was probably our (the coaches) problem as much as it was his problem. Each week he's gotten better at what he's doing. He's playing well and hopefully he'll play well on Saturday."