A graduate of Taylorsville High, Filipe was recruited by Weber State and also by Southern Utah, the Wildcats' opponent tonight, as his prep career came to a close. Both Division I-AA programs were interested, but Filipe did not choose either - at least, not right away. He spent a season at Dixie State before leaving for an LDS Church mission in Los Angeles.

Then, it was off to SUU, where he averaged more than 120 yards of all-purpose yards a game in 2004. A coaching change in Cedar City prompted the transfer to Weber State, where he sat out the 2005 season per NCAA rules.

"I've been waiting for this game for over a year now," Filipe said. "I'm definitely looking forward to this week. It's given me a lot more motivation."

Although the state's two Division I-AA schools are rarely linked as closely in player pursuits as they have been in Filipe's case, they do draw largely from the same pool. Over the last two years, 81 percent of Utah players on Weber State's roster are from the Wasatch Front. Over that same time, 82 percent of Utah players on SUU's roster are from the same region.

As smaller Utah programs with fewer resources but, by and large, the same recruiting restrictions, SUU and Weber State often compete for the same players.

"We don't want to lose somebody in our backyard," said Fred Fernandes, Weber State's assistant in charge or recruiting. "That's a big priority for us. . . . And for every player we get, we probably get 50-60 season tickets, too."

When it comes to competing for in-state recruits, Weber State has the edge over SUU, according to SUU coach Wes Meier. Weber State is closer to schools along the Wasatch Front and, sometimes, SUU just doesn't have the funds to travel.

If the schools' series record is any indicator, Meier may be right: WSU leads 13-3.

"We would love to have all those schools in our backyard. The majority of the schools with the higher populations are right there in Salt Lake," Meier said. "Yeah, we know we're all out in the same area and we're more limited as to where we can go, primarily because of money. It's kind of a money issue right now that we're trying to overcome. Other schools just have more money to recruit more areas."

SUU has tried to foster strong ties with high school coaches in the Salt Lake Valley to counteract the fact that it's located some 250 miles to the south. Meier has a few players on his team from Davis because of his relationship with head coach Ryan Bishop. He counts Davis Knight at American Fork, Billy Pluim at Clearfield, Richard Grosh at Granger, Keeko Georgelas at Murray and Doug Bills at Springville as solid recruiting resources.

When Brent Guy took over at Utah State two years ago and McBride came in at Weber State at the same time, in-state recruiting became a bigger priority.

"It seems like the first time I came down here, it was easy to recruit. The bigger schools didn't seem to be taking top Utah athletes," Meier said. "With the coaching changes, each of those schools are taking nine to 11 of the top Utah athletes now."

Ultimately, it's a player's decision, and the will of Meier, McBride and that of high school coaches matters less than what's best for the student, and the family, according to Fremont coach Blaine Monkres.

"I don't try to place them, I just try to get film out to colleges, so a kid has every opportunity to play," said Monkres, who will have former players on both teams tonight in Ogden. "I really don't get involved in their selection, on where they want to go. Unless they ask, then I give them what is positive or negative."

lgustus@sltrib.com

mthach@sltrib.com

Weber State vs. Southern Utah

At Stewart Stadium

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Radio: 1430 AM

Records: WSU 0-2; SUU 2-0

Series: WSU leads 13-3-0

Last Meeting: WSU 27, SUU 10 (2005)

About WSU: Senior Shawn Woods will earn his first start as Weber State's QB today. . . . Weber State defensive coordinator Kevin Clune spent two seasons (2003, 2004) at Southern Utah in the same capacity. . . . The Wildcats haven't failed to score in back-to-back games since 1980.

About SUU: As coach of the T-birds, Meier is 1-1 against Weber State. . . . SUU has won two of the last three meetings in Stewart Stadium. . . . The T-birds have already won more games in 2006 than they did in all of 2005, with victories over Western State and Montana Tech. . . . Quarterback Wes Marshall is the No. 1-ranked quarterback in Division I-AA, with a QB efficiency rating of 230.89.