Weber State football: 'Cats eager to play in Montana

There's something about the Weber State players' traveling jerseys. Something about the way they fit or maybe it's because of the fact the away uniforms are brand new.
Or maybe it's just what the away jerseys mean that make the players love them so much.
"We love playing on the road," senior Bryant Eteuati said. "We couldn't ask for anything more with playing Montana there. We're better prepared and we're more focused. We feel we play a lot better on the road."
After beating Cal Poly 49-35 last Saturday in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, Weber State will advance to the quarterfinals against conference foe Montana. And like they were against the Mustangs, the Wildcats will be on the road.
Weber State seems to play its best when it is faced with adversity. The Wildcats have won in bad weather. They have won on the road. They have won on the road in bad weather.
No game presented a bigger challenge than playing Cal Poly at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
"[Cal Poly was] the best team we've played this year," Trevyn Smith said. "But our defense showed up and [the offense] just had to our part."
Weber State prevailed in that game, setting up a rematch against the Montana Grizzlies and showdown between the two Big Sky Conference co-champs.
The Grizzlies will surely be eager to play the Wildcats again
and avenge their only loss of the season. And this time, Montana will have home-field advantage. But Weber State welcomes the challenge.
"So far, we have performed well in adverse situations, and this Cal Poly game was as adverse as you can get," Weber State coach Ron McBride said. "But that's when you get the most out of the players."
Washington-Grizzly Stadium isn't an easy place to play at. Montana averages more than 24,000 fans a game, the second-most in the FCS. It's loud and raucous, and sometimes that can change the momentum of the game for the Grizzlies.
Eteuati remembers playing there as a freshman, walking on to the field and hearing the roar of the crowd.
"People in Montana love their football. As a freshman playing there, I remember it was packed, and that's as close to USC or Florida as you're going to get in I-AA," Eteuati said. "The fans are ridiculous, and it's a great football atmosphere."
Eteuati has had great milestones against the Grizzlies. He had his first touchdown kickoff return of his career his sophomore year. He was the team's leading receiver with 74 yards on seven receptions to beat Montana earlier this season. He hopes he can create another memory against the Grizzlies this Saturday.
"We feel like we can come out and rise to anyone's challenge," Eteuati said. "After losing to Eastern and having to share the title, we didn't like that too much. But, we're focused on our next goal and we have a national championship to play for."