For a program now used to making the postseason, but one with just five seniors on offense and defense combined, one could expect some discouragement.

Ahead of a road trip to No. 8 Montana (4-1), the Wildcats (2-3) say that hasn’t happened.

“We know we have the players, we know we have the talent, we just have to execute the plays,” junior center Terrance Caldwell said. “You can see the focus in the meetings and talking to the guys who know they can step up and make those plays. They’re all set and getting extra work after practice, focusing on getting more film work.

“We’re already way ahead of the film; coming in Monday … we were already seeing we can make these little plays, just little stuff because those plays are open and we can make them if we execute.”

Caldwell says he looks at his team’s 287-yard rushing night against McNeese and knows the young group — newly experienced together and adjusting after injury to guard Vae Soifua — will keep improving. He says that will spark the team to more success on both sides of the ball.

Offensive line and associate head coach Brent Myers says aside from observing body language and other things, he looks at how players work in practice after such disheartening losses.

“Off the way we practiced today (Tuesday), against a very multiple movement defense we’re going to face (at Montana), the kids really responded and played well today,” Myers said. “That willingness to learn, we repeated plays to get things right — the players don’t care, they want to win … the kids are responding correctly to our coaching and the fact that they want to get better.”

Myers, a 40-year coaching veteran with the last 11 at Weber State, said coaches also spent time on film showing players what they did right, as well as the expected detailing of other plays that could have been made.

Using that, the focus is to get going from kickoff.

“We just kind of eased into the game (against McNeese) … it needs to be done at a higher level, we didn’t start very fast. We’ve got to start fast on both sides of the ball.”

Montana played in last year’s national championship game and is always a bellwether for opponents to see where they stand. Weber State is 4-1 in the last five games with the Griz, including a 1-1 mark in Missoula. Montana dominated the last matchup there, a 35-16 decision in 2019.