Weber State football: Bye came at a good time

OGDEN ?— Since he started coaching college football in 1965, Ron McBride hasn't had many open fall afternoons.

He had one last weekend when his Weber State Wildcats were on a bye from Big Sky football. He didn't take a break from football when he had the chance.

McBride had his team practice early on Saturday, and then he headed to the gym where he completed his swim workout routine. From there, it was time to follow college football on TV, as McBride said he watched at least parts of the BYU-Wyoming, Utah-New Mexico, USC-Arizona State, Mississippi-Northern Arizona and Hawaii-Utah State games over the course of about eight straight hours.

"I enjoyed it," McBride said. "I know most of the coaches at those schools. I like to watch their teams play, see how they're doing."

McBride said he followed his team's break from playing on Saturday by watching "Saturday Night Fights" at about 5 a.m. on Sunday.

"I got a full fix of everything," he said.

McBride said the bye week was well-timed for his team. McBride, his players and assistant coaches had gone through nine consecutive weeks of Saturday football games that included road games against FBS teams Wyoming and Colorado State, a rivalry game against Idaho State and a humbling road loss to Montana. The three long bus rides to Wyoming, Colorado State and Northern Colorado added to the grind.

"I think it (the bye) was good for this team," McBride said. "We probably needed a little time off. I'm not always for byes, but I think for this team it was probably a positive."

Weber State had its bye a week later last year, but its schedule wasn't as demanding early on. The Wildcats played FBS teams at Hawaii and Utah, and had a couple of easy victories over Montana-Western and Dixie State.

"Last year's schedule was set up a little bit better, but you can't worry about stuff you can't control," said safety Beau Hadley. "We knew it was a tougher schedule, but we needed to step up and take care of business. It was tougher on us. But if we would have done what we were supposed to, we would have been in a really good spot, too."

The Wildcats were able to regroup and recharge for their final two games while enjoying their bye. They have no shot at winning the Big Sky championship, and they have slim hopes for an at-large berth in the FCS playoffs. They close the season with home games against Northern Arizona and Cal Poly. The Northern Arizona game on Saturday basically serves as an elimination game, as the loser will certainly be out of playoff contention.

'BEAST' MIGHT SIT: Defensive tackle Ryan "The Beast" Eastman isn't likely to play in Weber State's key conference game against the Lumberjacks on Saturday. He tore his MCL against Montana in the Wildcats' last game, and he is still recovering.

"I would say right now it doesn't look real good," McBride said. "He hasn't practiced. He's still in a brace. Knowing Eastman, you never know about him. He seems to reappear at the strangest times. He'll walk in Friday and say, 'I'm going to play.' "

Two other important players are dealing with injuries. Running back Trevyn Smith injured his ankle against Montana but expects to be ready for Northern Arizona. Linebacker Nick Webb is still out with a shoulder injury and will have to go through a full practice in order to be cleared for Saturday's game.

Smith is coming off a game in which he rushed for just 64 yards on 20 carries.

"He's getting better," McBride said. "Hopefully, he'll be OK. At this point in his career, he's got to play."

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