#BigSkyFB Postseason Notebook – Apr. 22
#BigSkyFB Postseason Notebook
FARMINGTON, Utah (April 22, 2021) – The FCS postseason is set to kick off this weekend, as both Eastern Washington and Weber State will represent the Big Sky Conference in the Spring 2021 FCS Playoffs.
The Schedule
- Weber State will be playing at home this weekend, while Eastern Washington is heading out on the road.
- Eastern Washington @ North Dakota State | 1:30 p.m. MT | ESPN3
- Southern Illinois @ Weber State | 2:00 p.m. MT | ESPN3
Round One Preview: No. 3/3 Weber State
Making their fifth consecutive postseason appearance the Wildcats of Weber State are set to host the Salukis of Southern Illinois in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.
WSU finished the season with a perfect 5-0 record, claiming their first outright Big Sky Conference title in school history. It is also their fourth straight Big Sky title.
The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 3 in the two major FCS polls.
Freshman quarterback and Jerry Rice Award finalist, Bronson Barron, navigated the Wildcats to their perfect season. He completed 56 passes for 847 yards and six touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception all season. Carrying the road on the ground was first-team All-Big Sky player Josh Davis, and Freshman of the Year Dontae McMillan. The duo combined for 707 yards and six touchdowns over five games.
Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Conner Mortensen is the anchor for Weber State’s defense, racking up 44 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss over the course of the season. As a unit, the Wildcats only gave up 17.6 points per game.
WSU head coach Jay Hill was named Big Sky Coach of the Year for the first time in his career with the Wildcats for their performance this regular-season.
The Wildcats placed 10 players on the All-Big Sky First-Team, and an additional four players on the All-Big Sky Second-Team.
The No. 14/14 Salukis of Southern Illinois finished their 2020-21 campaign with a 5-3 overall record, and a 3-3 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. They won their final regular season game at home against then-ranked No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana 55-48.
SIU gave up 29.38 points per game this season, averaging 26.38 from their offense.
Round One Preview: No. 9/8 Eastern Washington
Boasting one of the best offenses in the nation, Eastern Washington will travel to the Fargo Dome this weekend for a rematch of the 2018 FCS Championship game as they’ll go head-to-head with No. 6/7 North Dakota State.
The Eagles have not lost a contest since February 27, when they fell to Idaho on the road 28-21.
Recently named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year Eric Barriere has made life difficult for opposing defenses all season long.
The senior led the Big Sky in the vast majority of passing categories. He completed 166 passes for 2,188 yards and 18 touchdowns. He connected on 62 percent of his passes and averaged 364.7 yards per game through the air. The Eagles scored at an incredibly high clip, averaging 40.67 points per game. EWU finished the season with the sixth-highest scoring offense in the FCS.
Barriere’s top target this season is Talolo Limu-Jones, who has caught 44 passes for 721 yards and four touchdowns.
On the ground both Tamarick Pierce and Dennis Merritt have four touchdowns to this point of the season.
On the defensive side of the ball Ty Graham led EWU in tackles with season with 42 total and 3.5 tackles for loss.
The Eagles are the No. 9 team in the FCS according to Stats Perform, and the No. 8 team according to the coaches poll.
EWU had six First-Team All-Big Sky performers, and four more on the league’s Second-Team.
North Dakota State finished their 2020-21 slate with a 6-2 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They lost their final game of the season 27-17 to South Dakota State, giving up the Dakota Marker.
Notable
- Three #BigskyFB teams are ranked in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 and AFCS Coaches’ Top 25
- #3/3 Weber State – Top 3 ranking all season long
- #8/9 Eastern Washington – Highest ranking in 2021
- #13/12 UC Davis – Three straight weeks in Top 15 in both polls
- Standings
- Weber State is 5-0
- Eastern Washington is 5-1
- UC Davis is 3-2
- Northern Arizona is 3-2
- Idaho is 2-4
- Idaho State is 2-4
- Southern Utah is 1-5
- Cal Poly is 0-3
- Weber State became the first team since 2016 to finish the regular season with a perfect league record. The Wildcats recorded a 5-0 mark to capture their fourth consecutive Big Sky title and first outright trophy to earn the league’s automatic berth to the FCS Playoffs.
- Northern Arizona knocked off Idaho in the final regular season game of the Big Sky schedule.
- Portland State and Montana played each other last week in a non-conference contest.
- 17 #BigSkyFB games this season have been decided by 10 points or less, 10 games by five points or less, and five games by three points or less.
- Cal Poly announced on Monday, March 29 that it would opt out of the rest of the spring season.
Where To Watch
All First Round games of the FCS Playoffs will be streamed live on ESPN3.
Follow Us
Follow the Big Sky Conference on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat – at @BigSkyConf and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated. Fans can also follow Big Sky football on Twitter @BigSkyFB.