OGDEN, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – Coming off a 9-2 season, the Weber State football team received an at-large bid and will open the FCS playoffs Saturday at home against North Dakota.
The Wildcats were hoping for a first round bye, but will instead have to play the 7-4 Fighting Hawks at Stewart Stadium at 2:00 p.m. The winner will meet 4th-seeded Montana State in Bozeman on December 3rd.
Weber State was 5-1 at home this season with its only loss coming to Montana State on October 23rd.
“I like the matchup,” head coach Jay Hill said. “It’s a familiar opponent, they were in the league for a long time. They’re always disciplined and always tougher than nails.”
Hear from @CoachJayHill on the Wildcats heading to the playoffs and the first round matchup with North Dakota. #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/8Xr1nryfk6 — Weber State Football 🏈 (@weberstatefb) November 20, 2022
The top eight teams received first round byes, and Weber State was hoping to be one of them, but that didn’t happen.
“The reality is there were probably 10 to 12 teams good enough to get a seed,” Hill said. “A lot of those guys that got seeds were conference champions and most of them had 10-plus wins.”
The Wildcats finished third in the Big Sky Conference behind Sacramento State and Montana State, which both received first round byes.
Weber State last played North Dakota in 2019, beating the Fighting Hawks at home, 30-27.
This is the sixth time in the last seven seasons that Weber State has made the FCS playoffs. The Wildcats missed the postseason last year after finishing with a record of 6-5.