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Show MyWeberMedia.com | April 18, 2019 | 19 . The Signpost Archives LeGrand Toia intercepting a pass. Grua said. “We had a tough schedule too. (Sears) had to play BYU and Fresno State the first year, had to play Utah and Utah State the next year as well as McNeese State on the road.” The FCS-FBS games were not kind to the Wildcats, especially in 2013. WSU fell at the University of Utah 70–7 before dropping their contest to Utah State in Logan 70–6. Grua said these results led athletic director Jerry Bovee to rethink his philosophy for finding non-conference opponents. “We try to avoid two FBS games unless it’s a 12-game season,” Grua said. “Since 2013, we haven’t done that and it has made a big difference.” Weber State’s defense has been on the rise the last four years, becoming one of the most feared groups in the FCS. However, the defense first went through a rough patch that included surrendering a pro- gram record 41.4 points per game in 2013. Jay Hill, a defensive-minded head coach, has completely changed the philosophy of defense at Weber State. He now leads a group that held opponents to a record-low 17.6 points per game in 2017 and just over 20 points in 2018. McBride coached Hill at Utah in 1998 and 1999. He said he was confident that Hill would turn around Weber State’s program after he was hired. “They are very well coached under Jay Hill,” McBride said. “Kids play with a lot of passion. He has recruited speed and toughness. The program is in great shape and it should last.” Hill said he has been fortunate to work with defensive players such as Devonte Johnson, Taron Johnson, Tre’von Johnson and McKay Murphy. All four of them have reached the NFL.. Most notably, Taron Johnson was drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2018 and had a successful rookie season. His most notable accomplishments included a sack and forced fumble of Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, then intercepting Titans signal-caller Marcus Mariota later in the year. Grua said a big difference has been the recruiting process that Hill goes through. Hill has a knack of recruiting players who display positive attitudes and hustle on and off the field. He wants quality individuals who are successful in life to join his team. “His recruiting has improved the quality of players,” Grua said. “He’s done that in the sense that he has had players buy into what he wanted. I think it took a few years, and he will even admit that there were struggles in his first year or two. He’s really got that magical touch and they have been able to turn into a balanced team.” Hill has worked with many defensive coaches in his first five seasons and has a lifelong appreciation for their efforts. “They are everything to me,” Hill said. “They’re the ones in the film room grinding and doing the hard work. I have the fun job. I just get to go call it on gameday.” Hill also noted that he has lost a lot of assistant coaches to higher positions at other schools but has also kept many and is grateful for them. Former Weber State cornerback and special teams playmaker Xequille Harry said it meant a lot to have his four years as a player coincide with Hill’s first four seasons as head coach. “It’s a family dynamic. I was part of Coach Hill’s first recruiting class in 2014 Continued on page 20 |