This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ogden • The losing — finally — was too much for Weber State senior Bo Bolen.
After Portland State's 30-17 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday at Stewart Stadium, Bolen sat in the interview room with his head in is hands, trying to hide the tears that had welled up in his eyes.
When he was finally asked a question about how difficult Weber State's 0-8 start has been on the players, Bolen could barely speak.
"It just sucks to lose," he whispered. "I think we're just tired of losing."
Consider Bolen's plight.
Weber State has gone through four head coaches since the running back from Aurora, Colo., originally arrived on campus. Counting the loss to Portland State, the Wildcats have lost 27 of their last 31 games.
Weber coach Jay Hill is eight games — eight losses — into his first season. Like Bolan, he is struggling for answers.
"The coaches have to get it fixed, starting with me," Hill said. "... I'm frustrated with our situation. That's probably obvious."
Said senior receiver Shaydon Kehano: "It's tough. We've been in multiple games, coming down to the wire — the last two minutes. Then something happens."
With 10:49 to go against Portland State, the Wildcats trailed, 23-10. They quickly drove 75 yards for a touchdown, which came on a 36-yard pass from quarterback Billy Green to Darryl Denby.
Weber State got the ball back, too. But a potential go-ahead drive swiftly self-destructed.
A holding penalty on the Vikings punt forced the Wildcats to start at their own 10. On first down, Green was sacked for a seven-yard loss. Weber State gained only three yards on its next two plays and punted on fourth-and-14.
"... I thought about a fake," Hill said.
Instead, the Wildcats played the percentages and punted. Blake O'Neill's 60-yard kick forced Portland State to start from its own 34 with 6:31 remaining, giving Weber a chance to hold and get the ball back in decent field position.
It didn't happen.
The Vikings marched 66 yards in eight plays. They chewed up almost four minutes and sealed their victory on quarterback Kieran McDonagh's six-yard touchdown run with 2:25 left in the game.
"... I didn't like the way we caved on that last drive," Hill said.
Weber State played most of the game without freshman linebacker Emmett Tela, who is from Provo. He collided head-first with teammate Jawian Harrison while making a tackle in the first quarter. The Wildcats' leading tackler was carted off the field, though Hill said later that team doctors are "very optimistic he's going to be O.K."
Twitter: @sluhm