'Cats playing for tourney bid

In the minds of Weber State's players and coaches, there's still a chance for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs.

Whether that's true or not, the Wildcats will play as if their postseason lives depend on it when they face Cal Poly today at Stewart Stadium in a non-conference matchup.

"We got one more game to make a statement," said receiver Tim Toone. "We have to show that we want to make it."

Cal Poly is coming off a three-game losing streak, but at one point in the season, the Mustangs were ranked as high as No. 12 in the FCS polls. Even with a first year coach in Tim Walsh, it seemed at one point the Mustangs could be as strong as they were last year, when they led the FCS with 44.4 points and 487.5 yards per game. But the Mustangs have struggled on the road going 0-5 despite building halftime leads in most of those games.

Still, Cal Poly has shown at times it can be a dangerous team. Against South Dakota last week, the Mustangs trailed by as many as 22 points before scoring three touchdowns in the final 17 minutes and coming up just short to lose 50-48.

One of the Mustangs' most potent weapons on offense is receiver Dominique Johnson. He has 42 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Tony Smith, who began his collegiate career at the University of Utah, has completed 101 of 195 passes for 1,452 yards and 13 touchdowns.

"They have a little different team than the one we played last

season," Weber State coach Ron McBride said. "They still run the spread with four receivers but they don't rely on their quarterback to run as much as they did last season."

The Wildcats are well-rested after their bye week and it showed with an impressive 27-9 win against Northern Arizona last week. McBride says the only thing to do at this point in the season is to focus on themselves and hope they've made a stron enough case for an at-large berth.

"Considering what this team has been through and what they've had to face, they've done an amazing job getting to this point," McBride said. "We finished second in the Big Sky. That has usually meant a playoff berth, so we've done what we can. Obviously, if Montana State can pull the upset over Montana, then they deserve to go, but I really feel we deserve a chance if we win."

mthach@sltrib.com