Ogden • Entering his sixth season as Weber State’s football coach, Jay Hill is starting to sense what one of his old bosses experienced at Ohio State.
Hill’s being able to relate to former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer is a good illustration of how far the Wildcats have come since 2014, when they lost the first nine games of Hill’s head coaching career. Formerly a longtime assistant coach and support staff member at Utah, where he worked for Meyer and Kyle Whittingham, Hill has built a program that expects to be a perennial FCS playoff contestant.
That explains how he mentioned the Meyer comparison in a recent staff meeting. “Those elite teams have that pressure from Game 1,” Hill said, retelling he story in an interview. “Quite frankly, we're starting to get to that point where the players' expectations are to win and to be in the playoffs and to be at least competing for a conference championship.”
That’s how the Wildcats view themselves now, after consecutive trips to the FCS quarterfinals. They’ve reached a stage where losing at home to Maine in the playoffs last December was a major letdown. With their No. 8 preseason ranking in the FCS, the Wildcats think of the quarterfinals of the 24-team playoffs as a baseline.
“It's different,” Hill said, thinking back to his first year in Ogden. “Expectations are way higher from media, from fans, from coaches, from players. … Players are starting to police stuff, which is really the sign of a good team. Coaches don't let things slip, which is great.”
WEBER STATE SCHEDULE
Aug. 31 at San Diego State, 7 p.m.
Sept. 7 vs. Cal Poly, 6 p.m.
Sept. 14 at Nevada, 5 p.m.
Sept. 28 vs. Northern Iowa, 6 p.m.
Oct. 5 at Idaho, 3 p.m.
Oct. 12 vs. Southern Utah, 6 p.m.
Oct. 19 vs. Northern Arizona, 2 p.m.
Oct. 26 at UC Davis, 5 p.m.
Nov. 2 at Sacramento State, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9 vs. North Dakota, 2 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Montana, 1 p.m.
Nov. 23 vs. Idaho State, 2 p.m.
The Wildcats' roster is extraordinarily well positioned for 2020. That's not to dismiss their possibilities in 2019, because so many young players made an impact last season. Auston Tesch, a linebacker who's one of only a few senior starters, has been part of three playoff teams. Being from nearby Eden, the Weber High School alumnus knows how Weber State struggled during his high school years, when he was too discouraged to visit Stewart Stadium.
“Coming here wasn't very appealing,” he said. “It's cool to see just how far Weber has come. … There's big things going on at Weber, and it's exciting to be part of.”
Hill had recruited him as a Utah assistant in the fall of 2013. Then he showed up in Pleasant View in purple apparel the following winter and told Tesch, “You're coming with me.”
Tesch spent two years on a church mission while Hill was rebuilding the program, and returned to find it on a big upswing.
He’ll play an important role in 2019, as the Wildcats try to replace star linebackers Landon Stice and LeGrand Toia. Tesch is among seven players who made the preseason All-Big Sky first team, joining guard Ty Whitworth, running back Josh Davis, kicker Trey Tuttle, return specialist Rashid Shaheed and defensive ends Adam Rodriguez and Jonah Williams.
IN SUMMARY
The Wildcats will succeed if: They stay healthy at cornerback, where the roster is thin, and young players keep improving. The roster remains relatively youthful, but inexperience overall is not an issue. Weber State expects to compete for a Big Sky Conference championship and make the FCS playoffs.
The Wildcats won’t succeed if: They become discouraged by a difficult start of the schedule. If they’re overwhelmed by Mountain West opponents San Diego State and Nevada and lose to FCS power Northern Iowa at home, the Wildcats could lose confidence before fully launching into Big Sky play.
Bottom line: Weber State has come a long, long way under coach Jay Hill, and the program is now positioned for sustained success in the Big Sky with good personnel and outstanding facilities. The Wildcats must visit UC Davis and Montana, but they miss Eastern Washington in the conference schedule.
