Ogden » Nobody needs to remind the Weber State Wildcats what week this is.

The No. 14 Wildcats will travel to play No. 2 Montana on Saturday in Missoula, and they understand that a loss probably will kill their postseason hopes.

But just in case the players needed a reminder, assistant coach Steve Cox was there to give it to them. As the team went through stretches and warm-ups, he yelled out, "It's Montana week now. This is it. This is the one."

Head coach Ron McBride says the road to victory starts now, not when his team steps onto the field in Missoula, Mont.

"This game is [going to be] won long before we get on the bus. It's won right here," McBride said, gesturing towards the practice field.

Smith eager to return

After not seeing any playing time in Weber State's 28-20 win over Northern Colorado on Saturday, running back Trevyn Smith is ready to get back on the field. He's also ready to start redeeming himself in the eyes of the offensive linemen.

Smith was suspended for the first half against the Bears because he was in violation of team rules for missing a team meeting the previous night.

"My offensive line played one of the best games of the season, and for me not to be out there [against Northern Colorado] was really hard," Smith said. "I owe them an apology. I really believe in our offensive line and I'm going to do everything in my power to play the best game of my life [against Montana]."

Freshman Bo Bolen got the start and after a solid first half, the coaching staff decided to stick with Bolen and give Smith's legs a rest before the Montana game.

"[The rest] is good for Trevyn because his legs will feel good, his body will feel good," McBride said. "And he'll be anxious to prove what he can do."

Bolen's homecoming

Bolen didn't know he would play a big role in the Northern Colorado game until the night before, but he was ready. In his first start of the season, he rushed for 207 yards on 37 carries. He finished with 295 all-purpose yards.

And he did it front of plenty of family and friends. The running back is from Aurora, Colo., about an hour and a half away from the Northern Colorado's Nottingham Field.

"All of my extended family was there, and it was good to see my friends," Bolen said. "It was a good feeling, but I didn't do anything special. I was just following the line."

mthach@sltrib.com