Coach Hill’s Top 10 Memorable Wins
Paul Grua BA ’02, MPC ’13, Weber State University Athletics
Following the 2022 season, when Weber State’s football team again ranked in the top 10 in the FCS, Jay Hill stepped down as head coach. During his nine seasons with the team, Hill transformed the program. He led Weber State to four Big Sky championships and six trips to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. He also coached multiple All-Americans and All-Conference players.
He left Weber State as the Big Sky Conference’s all-time leader in football coaching wins with 68.
Coach Hill had many memorable WSU victories, and it’s difficult to narrow them down to a list of the best, but we gave it a shot.
Here is our list of the top 10 memorable wins in Coach Hill’s career.
10. Oct. 23, 2021
Win at #2 Eastern Washington: The Wildcats forced three turnovers and had three successful fake punts when they defeated second-ranked Eastern Washington 35-34 in Cheney, Washington. Eastern Washington was the highest-ranked team WSU defeated during the Hill era.
9. Nov. 13, 2021
Shutout win against Southern Utah: WSU dominated Southern Utah in every aspect of the game, beating the Thunderbirds 62-0 in Cedar City.
8. April 10, 2021
Clinched fourth straight title: WSU won its first outright championship ever and its fourth-straight Big Sky title with a 20-15 win over Idaho State. With this win, the Wildcats earned an undefeated regular season record.
7. Nov. 25, 2017
Playoff win over Western Illinois: WSU hosted its first-ever FCS playoff game and defeated Western Illinois 21-19 at Stewart Stadium.
6. Oct. 10, 2015
Win at Montana: Weber State did something it hadn’t done in 28 years, win a game in Missoula. The Wildcats beat the Grizzlies 24-21 in overtime for their first win in Montana since 1987.
5. Oct. 22, 2016
Comeback win at Southern Utah: With under eight minutes to play in the game at Southern Utah, the Wildcats trailed the Thunderbirds 36-14. But WSU scored 23 unanswered points as the minutes ticked by to beat Southern Utah 37-36. The victory also gave WSU a 4-0 record in Big Sky play.
4. March 27, 2021
Hail Mary win over Northern Arizona: WSU pulled out a miracle win as Randall Johnson found Justin Malone for a last-ditch 50-yard touchdown pass as time expired to lift the Wildcats to a 28-23 win over the Lumberjacks at Stewart Stadium.
3. Dec. 2, 2017
Playoff win at Southern Utah: The Wildcats got revenge for a regular season loss as they went to Cedar City and beat Southern Utah 30-13 in the second round of the FCS playoffs. During the first quarter, WSU trailed 10-0 before outscoring SUU 30-3 the rest of the way. The win moved WSU to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs for the first time.
2. Sept. 10, 2022
Win at Utah State: WSU dominated Utah State 35-7 for the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) win of Hill’s career. It was also the first win for the Wildcats over an FBS team in 29 years and the first win against Utah State since 1978.
1. Dec. 13, 2019
Playoff win over Montana: On a cold, snowy night, WSU made history at Stewart Stadium with a 17-10 win over archrival Montana in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The Wildcat defense had six sacks and forced five interceptions. The win advanced Weber State to the semifinals of the playoffs for the first time ever.
Did we miss a victory? Do you disagree with our list?
Let us know at magazine@weber.edu.