Weber State 2016 FCS Football Playoff Capsule

 
Weber State Wildcats
Big Sky
 
Following a road losses to Utah State and South Dakota to begin the 2016 season, Weber State reeled off five wins in a row and looked like a serious contender in the Big Sky. That went away after losses to North Dakota and Northern Arizona and then it was all about beating Cal Poly and Idaho State to reach 7-4 and have a shot at the playoffs. The Wildcats managed to win those last two games and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
 
2016 Record: 7-4, 6-2
Coach: Jay Hill
 
Big Wins: 10/22 at Southern Utah (37-36), 11/12 Cal Poly (22-15)
Bad Losses: 9/10 at South Dakota (49-52), 11/5 Northern Arizona (20-33)
 
Strengths:
When the ball is in the air, Weber State is a dangerous team. Quarterback Jadrian Clark has had some very good games and is capable of throwing the ball all over the field. With four very good receivers, most notably Andrew Vollert and Darryl Denby, the Wildcats are a very difficult team to stop when the passing attack is clicking on all cylinders. On the other side of the ball, Weber State ranked first in the Big Sky in pass defense, allowing under 181 yards per game through the air. This is not a team that will take a lot of risks defensively, but the secondary deserves a lot of credit for containing some of the potent passing offenses in the Big Sky.
 
Weaknesses:
The rushing defense was not nearly as good though. Without much of a pass rush or push from the defensive line, most teams can have a pretty easy time pushing the Weber State line off of the line of scrimmage and at least picking up a healthy chunk of yards up the middle. A tough back with a good line can have a field day against the Weber State front seven. The story is the same on the other side of the ball too where the Wildcats rank 12th in the conference in rushing offense. Treshawn Garrett is a promising sophomore back, but has not been consistent this season. Haini Moimoi is a big back that can pick up the tough yards, but somebody needs to prove that this team can make plays on the ground or the offense can become one-dimensional.
 
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Treshawn Garrett, RB, 517 yards
Passing: Jadrian Clark, QB, 2,823 yards
Receiving: Andrew Vollert, WR, 757 yards
Tackles: Landon Stice, LB, 96
Sacks: Tre-von Johnson, LB, 3.5
Interceptions: 5 tied with 1
 
2016 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 128.7 (91st in nation, 12th in conference)
Passing Offense: 251.8 (27, 4)
Total Offense: 380.5 (57, 9)
Scoring Offense: 26.4 (58, 9)
Rushing Defense: 203.3 (97, 7)
Pass Defense: 180.6 (19, 1)
Total Defense: 383.9 (58, 4)
Scoring Defense: 28.7 (68, 5)
Turnover Margin: -0.60 (91, 10)
Sacks: 1.10 (114, 13)
Sacks Allowed: 1.80 (52, 8)
 
Recent Playoff Appearances:
 
2009    First Round     Lost to William & Mary
2008    First Round     Defeated Cal Poly
2008    Quarterfinals   Lost to Montana
1991    First Round     Lost to Northern Iowa
1987    First Round     Defeated Idaho
1987    Quarterfinals   Lost to Marshall
 
*all team stats through 11/12