Seeking its first 4-0 start since 2007, McNeese State heads into a game with a sense of familiarity about an opponent for the first time this year when Weber State visits Cowboy Stadium at 7 p.m. today.

It’s not just because the Cowboys (3-0) remember last year’s game at Weber, which they won 35-21. They have also reached the point in the season when all the scouting video comes from the current year, so there will be few surprises.

“We’re getting into what you’re doing this year instead of what you were doing last year,” Viator said. “Of course, for the other team it will be the same with us. In the past three weeks, it’s been based off of a little of what you did last year or what the coordinator did when he was (somewhere else). Now we have a little better look at the direction they’re headed this year.”

From the looks of it, weather may be a factor.

Friday’s heavy rains are expected to carry into this afternoon and possibly through the evening. Viator said his team should be prepared to handle those conditions after practicing in the rain on Thursday and a handful of times in training camp.

“We had three or four situations where we stayed out in the rain, obviously without lightning, before the end of August camp,” Viator said. “And we had two good situations where we had to stop and then come back. That’s also good to get into in case there is a lightning delay or anything. Any time you can simulate things like that that can happen, it’s very important.”

If the rain does let up, it may introduce the visitors to Utah from something they aren’t very familiar with — intolerable humidity.

“We can’t control the weather, the humidity, the altitude,” said Weber State coach Jody Sears. “Hydrating early in the week, up and through the game is our message. We can’t spend too much time on things we cannot control.”

The Wildcats (1-2) will try to control the McNeese offense, which is something no opponent has done so far this season. The Cowboys are second in the FCS with 51.7 points per game.

On the surface, Weber does not appear to be the team that can stop that train. The Wildcats are allowing 60 points per game after surrendering 70 in back-to-back games against in-state FBS foes Utah and Utah State.

“The last two weeks they’ve been overmatched, but we think they have a very good football team,” Viator said. “Last year they had the ball in our red zone in the third quarter going in to tie it and Guy Morgan intercepted a pass. Next thing, Diontae Spencer goes 91 yards for a touchdown.”

Viator remembers the Wildcats as one of the most physical teams McNeese faced last season, and Sears said that is the area where his squad has made the most strides from a year ago.

The onus will be on the Cowboy offensive and defensive lines to make sure that does not work into Weber’s favor, especially if the weather forces this game to be decided by power.

“We’ll respond like we responded last week,” said left guard Quentin Marsh. “We have a very physical offensive line. We go out there to punish the defensive linemen. We don’t take it lightly. If someone wants to be physical with us, we’ll be physical right back. That’s how we’ve always been, and that’s how we’re going to stay.”

(Rick Hickman / Special to the American Press)