Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OGDEN — Weber State entered the weekend with the FCS’ 98th ranked passing game, but casual observers tuning in Saturday wouldn’t have known it.
Jake Constantine threw for a career-high four touchdowns and 199 yards, and Weber State defeated Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) 48-23 in the second round of the FCS Playoffs at Stewart Stadium.
Constantine, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Boise State, threw all four of his touchdown passes in the second quarter and helped build a 27-7 Weber lead heading into halftime.
For him, the performance was doubly gratifying. Constantine, a California native, lost a childhood friend in a mass shooting earlier this season. And so less than a half-hour after the game, the sophomore quarterback sat at the postgame press conference and spoke modestly about what this game meant to him in the context of an emotionally trying season.
“It’s a great feeling,” Constantine said. “I think it was me just kind of getting comfortable, a little more comfortable with myself and the offense. Ever since that, we’ve been rolling.”
His coach agrees.
“Jake’s played great. … His play and the play of the wide receivers is what’s opened up the run game. That’s become much more efficient,” Weber State head coach Jay Hill added.
Despite registering a fumble in the fourth quarter that was returned for a touchdown, Constantine was note-perfect, as was the rest of the offense. On the day, the Wildcats finished with 409 yards on 72 plays, as well as a season-high in points. In the red zone, they converted five of their seven opportunities, four of which were part of drives that covered 64, 71, 66 and 58 yards, respectively.
Individually, Rashid Shaheed caught six passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, while Isiah Jackson caught two more. Devon Cooley added 39 receiving yards and a touchdown and Treshawn Garrett rushed for 134 yards on 17 carries.
“I think we came out with great intensity,” Constantine said of the offensive output, adding, “The pass game opened up today and I think that helped our O-line and our backs out.”
With the win, the second-seeded Wildcats (10-2) will host seventh-seeded Maine in the quarterfinals. This will be Weber’s second consecutive trip to the quarterfinals and it holds home-field advantage throughout the semifinals.
“We’re gonna celebrate, I want them to be excited with wins like this,” Hill said. “You celebrate for a little bit and then you move right on.”
After an even 13 minutes, the Wildcats were reeling when Zack Smith fielded a punt, started right, then reversed field to yield 36 yards, but netted 48 after a horse-collar penalty was enforced. Landon Stice’s sack and a holding penalty backed up SEMO 19 yards, but Colby Cornett’s 30-yard reception on third-and-29 brought the Redhawks to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Daniel Santacaterina strode into the end zone and SEMO led 7-0.
That’s when Weber woke up. On the ensuing drive, Constantine completed four consecutive passes, with the last being to Darryl Denby for a 10-yard touchdown, to punctuate a 13-play sequence. Constantine would then throw three more touchdowns before the half was done, and the offense appeared to be cooking. He rushed for another on the opening drive of the second half and, from there, the rout was on at 34-7.
Defensively, the Wildcats' performance was characteristic of their season. Statistically, they were dominant, as evidenced by Santacaterina taking four sacks, completing just 12 of his 30 pass attempts and throwing four interceptions.
“Coach Hill told us they were primed for a big turnover game, that they would give us chances,” said safety Jordan Preator, whose 52-yard pick-six during the fourth quarter brought the game to its final score. “We just had to go out and capitalize on them and I think we went out and did exactly that.”
Dillon Anderson is studying literary journalism as a student at the University of Utah. You can follow him on Twitter @dillondanderson.
