'Cats back home for Beehive Bowl with SUU Saturday

GAME #6

Sat., Oct. 14, 2017 • 6:00 p.m.

Ogden, UT

Stewart Stadium (17,500)

TV: Eleven Sports Network

Online: Pluto TV / WatchBigSky.com

Radio: KLO 1430 AM / kloradio.com

Live stats: WeberStateStats.com

Series: Weber State leads 16-7

Streak: Weber State 1 win

In Ogden: Weber State leads 11-5

Last game: 10/22/16 - WSU 37-36

THE GAME

• The 16th ranked Weber State football team returns to action to host in-state rival Southern Utah in the 'Beehive Bowl' Saturday in Ogden.

• Saturday's game will kickoff at 6 p.m., from Stewart Stadium and will be televised nationally on ELEVEN Sports Network with Bill Doleman and Darius Walker on the call.

• The game will also be streamed online on Pluto TV channel 235 and WatchBigSky.com.

• Radio broadcast will be on 1430 KLO radio and kloradio.com with Steve Klauke, the 2016 Utah Sportscaster of the Year, and former Wildcat All-American Bo Bolen.

• Live stats will be at WeberStateStats.com.

FIRST AND 10

• Weber State is 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big Sky play. The Wildcats had a bye week after a 25-17 win at Montana State on Sept. 30.

• The Wildcats are ranked 16th in the nation in this week's FCS Coaches poll and are 18th in the country in the STATS FCS poll.

• Weber State is off to its best start since 2003 and the Wildcats are looking to start the year 5-1 for the first time since 1998.

• Southern Utah is 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

• Head coach Jay Hill is in his fourth season as head coach at Weber State. He enters Saturday with an 19-21 career record and is 15-11 in Big Sky games.

• The Thunderbirds are coached by Demario Warren who is in his second season.

• Weber State leads the Big Sky in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, passing defense and red zone defense.

• Weber State holds a 16-7 all-time lead over Southern Utah and is 11-5 in games in Ogden, but SUU has won the last three games played at Stewart Stadium.

WILDCATS RETURN HOME FOR BEEHIVE BOWL WITH SOUTHERN UTAH
Coming off a bye week, Weber State returns home to host in-state rival Southern Utah Saturday night at Stewart Stadium. The Wildcats are 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big Sky play. The 'Cats are coming off a 25-17 win at Montana State on September 30 before a bye week last week.
The in-state rival with Southern Utah is known as the Beehive Bowl and is the game in Utah featuring teams from the same conference.
Saturday's game will be Hill Air Force Base Appreciation Day and Youth Football Day. Fans can get five tickets for just $25 or get five tickets, five hot dogs and five drinks for $50, courtesy of America First Credit Union.

WSU RANKED 16TH AND 18TH IN NATIONAL POLLS
After the bye week, the Wildcats continue to climb up in the national polls. Weber State is currently 16th in the FCS Coaches poll and 18th in the STATS media poll. The 16th ranking is Weber State's highest national ranking since 2009.

WILDCATS OFF TO BEST START IN 14 YEARS
Weber State is 4-1 to start the season for the first time in 14 years. The last time the Wildcats were 4-1 was during the 2003 season, a season which finished 8-4. The Wildcats are 2-0 in Big Sky play for the second-straight season.

Weber State has not started a season 5-1 since 1998.

DEFENSIVE DOMINATION
Weber State leads the Big Sky in four key defensive categories. The 'Cats are first in the league and 10th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 15.4 points per game. Weber State is also first in the conference and 21st in the nation in total defense at 306.8 yards per game. The 'Cats are also first in rushing defense at 114.2 yards a game and first in passing defense at 192.6.

In addition, the Wildcats lead in pass defense efficiency and opponent first downs.

GET IN THE RED ZONE
Weber State also leads the Big Sky and ranks third in the nation in red zone defense. The 'Cats have allowed their opponents to score on just 54.5 percent of attempts in the red zone. Opponents are just 6-of-11 in red zone scoring with four of those scores as field goals. WSU has allowed just two touchdowns in the red zone and has forced two turnovers.

On offense, the Wildcats are fourth in the Big Sky and 21st in the nation in red zone offense at 88.9 percent. WSU has converted on 24 of 27 attempts in the red zone with 15 touchdowns.

THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS
The Wildcats are first in the Big Sky and rank seventh in the nation in third down conversions. WSU was 9-of-16 on third down attempts in the win at Montana State. The 'Cats are now converting on 51.4 percent of third down attempts.

TIME OF POSSESSION
Weber State had the ball for 40:01 in the win at Montana State on September 30. The Wildcats are currently third in the nation in time of possession, averaging 35:32 of possession per game.

BY QUARTER
Weber State is outscoring its opponents 63-13 in the first quarter of the first five games this season. The 'Cats are also winning the second quarter 69-31 and are dominating in the third quarter 37-7. The only quarter in which WSU has been outscored is the fourth quarter, with a total of 26-24.

TURNOVERS
WSU is second in the Big Sky in turnover margin at +5. The Wildcats have four turnovers and have recovered nine turnovers on the year. Weber State has three fumbles and one interception this season and has not had a turnover in its last two games.

HOME SWEET HOME
Weber State returns home Saturday where the 'Cats have had great success lately. The Wildcats have won nine of their last 10 games at Stewart Stadium, dating back to 2015.

STEFAN CANTWELL LEADING WILDCAT OFFENSE
Senior quarterback Stefan Cantwell has led the Wildcat offense in the first five games of the season. Cantwell ranks sixth in the Big Sky in passing yards and is seventh in total offense. He has thrown for 1,114 yards and seven touchdowns and has rushed for 194 yards and four more touchdowns. He is also second in the conference in pass efficiency and has just one interception.

TREY TUTTLE 10-F0R-10 ON FIELD GOALS
Weber State freshman kicker Trey Tuttle made four field goals in the win at Montana State. The Arlington, Texas, native is now a perfect 10-of-10 on the season on field goals. He is also 19-of-20 on extra point attempts this season.
Tuttle leads the Big Sky in scoring with 49 points. The 10 field goals made is tied for the most of any player in the country.

COACHING STAFF
Jay Hill returns for his fourth season at the helm of the Wildcats. He has led WSU to a 19-21 overall record and a 15-11 record in Big Sky play. Hill also serves as defensive coordinator for the Wildcats this season. Fesi Sitake is in his fourth year at Weber State and his second season as offensive coordinator for the Wildcats.

Associate head coach Brent Myers returns for his fourth season at Weber State. Also returning are assistant coaches Kite Afeaki (defensive line), Kelly Bills (wide receivers), Quinton Ganther (running backs), Preston Hadley (secondary) and Colton Swan (special teams, outside linebackers). New assistant coaches this year are Grant Duff (inside linebackers) and former Wildcat All-American Al Pupunu (tight ends). Ryan Milus (cornerbacks) and Skyler Ridley (offense) are graduate assistants and Derrick Luken is the Director of Football Operations.

WEBER STATE PICKED FIFTH IN BIG SKY PRESEASON POLLS
This year Weber State was selected to finish fifth in the Big Sky preseason media and coaches polls. North Dakota was picked to finish first in both polls, followed by Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona and Cal Poly. The Wildcats were fifth with Montana sixth and Southern Utah seventh.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Coach Hill has named five captains for the Wildcats for this season, two on offense and three on defense. The two offensive captains are senior quarterback Stefan Cantwell and senior tight end Andrew Vollert. The three defensive captains are senior cornerback Taron Johnson, senior defensive tackle McKay Murphy and junior linebacker LeGrand Toia.

AROUND THE BIG SKY
Weber State is one of four teams that are nationally ranked this week. Eastern Washington is on top of the league at 3-0 and is ninth in the coaches poll and 10th in the STATS poll. Montana is now ranked, coming in 24th in the STATS poll and just outside the top 25 in the coaches poll. Northern Arizona is 2-0 and coming off a win over nationally-ranked Illinois State. The Lumberjacks are 24th in the coaches poll and receiving votes in the STATS poll.

There are five games on the Big Sky slate this weekend, including Weber State and Southern Utah. North Dakota is at Montana and Montana State is at Eastern Washington in two other key contests.

EXTRA POINTS
Junior running back Treshawn Garrett is eighth in the Big Sky in rushing at 68.2 yards per game. He now ranks 20th in Weber State history in career rushing yards with 1,434 yards...In the win at Montana State, senior Drew Batchelor became the 25th player in Weber State history to reach 100 career receptions...Senior Xequille Harry is second in the nation in punt returns...Freshman Rashid Shaheed leads the nation in yards per reception at 31.9.

LOOKING AHEAD
After Saturday, the Wildcats will head back out on the road to play at Cal Poly next Saturday, October 21 at 7 p.m. Mountain time. After that, WSU will host Montana on October 28 at Stewart Stadium.

Weber State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Drew Batchelor

Stefan Cantwell

Treshawn Garrett

Xequille Harry

Taron Johnson

McKay Murphy

Rashid Shaheed

Trey Tuttle

Andrew Vollert

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