The ball was snapped on the Hornets’ 47-yard line to Northern Colorado’s Dominic Breazeale, strong safety Brent Webber dropped back into coverage and saw the junior quarterback’s pass lobbed into the air.

With a quick grab, Webber intercepted the ball on the 20-yard line for no gain in the Hornets’ 14-9 win over Northern Colorado on Saturday, making it his sixth interception of the season.

With that interception, the junior business major now leads the Big Sky conference in interceptions and is tied for third-most interceptions in a season in Sacramento State history. But Webber isn’t letting the record affect his play.

“You always think about ‘Oh I could be leading interceptions,’ but it’s really not what I’m going for. I’m just trying to get the ball back for the offense so we can score some points,” Webber said.

Webber has six interceptions for a lot of different reasons. From his growth as a more mature and confident player and his time in the film room spent studying the opposing teams’ plays, to the efforts made by the Hornets’ defense putting pressure on the quarterback.

From making his reads on the play and putting himself into position, to being at the right place at the right time, a lot of the times an interception happens so fast, Webber said.

“When the ball actually does come, it seems like I’m actually kind of surprised sometimes,” Webber said. “Your eyes get real big when that ball comes towards you.”

For Webber, the most memorable win this season was also his most memorable moment while playing for Sac State, and it was against Eastern Washington on Sept. 30.

The 21-20 win against the Eagles was one of the most emotional wins in his 23-year coaching career, said coach Steve Mooshagian. Being the first win of the season, it also snapped the teams’ 19-game road losing streak.

“It being the first win of the season and being the first road win in I don’t know how many years, it really gave us some much-needed confidence and opened our own eyes to the possibilities we’re capable of,” Webber said.

Stephon Pace, the team’s defensive backs coach, has seen Webber grow as a player from an inexperienced “true” freshman to the player he is today. Webber has become a player who knows his job and his responsibilities once he steps onto the field.

During the offseason, Pace worked with Webber in improving his pass coverage. A major change in Webber from last season is that he now believes he can cover a receiver, Pace said. Webber had to work harder and dedicate more time at defending the pass than stopping the run. Working with Pace, Webber described the coach’s yelling and barking and how he is the toughest coach on the team, but what Pace does on the practice field helps Webber and the other players prepare for game day.

“I think coach Pace being so hard on us helps us a lot mentally and physically,” Webber said.

In Saturday’s win over Northern Colorado, Webber aggravated a shoulder injury in the first half and didn’t play for the rest of the game. He had surgery on his shoulder a year ago.

Though he was cleared to play in the rest of the game, the coaching staff didn’t want to risk Webber seriously hurting his shoulder again. He was only going to play if the team needed him, Mooshagian said.

With a frustrated look on his face, Webber sat on the sidelines for the rest of the game. He wasn’t upset with the coaches’ decision to sit him out, but rather, the fact that he had hurt his shoulder again, Pace said. Webber is expected to practice this week and to play in Saturday’s away game against Idaho State.

“He better be ready to play on Saturday,” Pace said.

Pace wants Webber to get better for his senior year. Focusing on Webber to maintain pass coverage and putting himself in a better position to defend the pass, Pace always wants Webber to step away from being one of the more quiet types on the team.

“We want him to be a more vocal leader, but I’ve been saying that for the past three years,” Pace said with a smile and a soft laugh. “I’m not sure if we can get that one.”

Matthew Beltran can be reached at [email protected]