Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Cal Poly
Game notes: Weber State hits the road at Cal Poly Saturday
9/28/2021 3:12:00 PM | Football
18th ranked Wildcats and the Mustangs will play at 6:30 MT Saturday night on ESPN+.
• It's a road trip to start October for Weber State football. After two straight home games, the Wildcats hit the road for the first time in Big Sky play when they head to Cal Poly Saturday night in San Luis Obispo. Kickoff will be at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time (6:30 MT) from Alex G. Spanos Stadium. It will be streamed online on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. WSU radio coverage will be on 103.1 FM "The Wave" with live stats at WeberStateSports.com.
Wildcats drop Big Sky opener to UC Davis
Weber State dropped its second straight home game and the Big Sky opener as the 'Cats fell 17-14 to UC Davis Saturday night at Stewart Stadium. Weber State led 14-10 when the Aggies scored a touchdown with 27 seconds left to seal the win, their first win over the Wildcats since 2012.
Weber State remains nationally ranked
The Wildcats have lost on back-to-back weeks to teams now in the top 10 in the country. Weber State remains nationally ranked as the Wildcats are 18th in the AFCA Coach poll and 19th in the Stats Perform media poll. The Wildcats have been ranked in at least one of the national polls every week since November 2016.
The Big Sky currently has five teams ranked in the Stats Perform poll with four ranked in the top 11. Montana is ranked fourth and Eastern Washington is sixth. Those two teams meet Saturday night in Cheney on ESPN2. Weber State's opponent last week, UC Davis, is now No. 8 in the nation and WSU's next opponent after this week, Montana State, is ranked 11th.
Josh Davis surpasses 3,000 rushing yards
Weber State junior running back Josh Davis made history Saturday. The Draper, Utah native had 15 carries for 87 yards on Saturday, as well as three receptions for 15 yards and a touchdown.
With the 87 yards rushing, Davis became the fourth player in Weber State history to surpass 3,000 career rushing yards. Davis now has 3,047 career rushing yards with 22 touchdowns. He needs just 16 more yards to pass Lee White and move into third place on the Weber State career rushing list. Davis is also currently eighth in career all-purpose yards. This season he is ninth in the Big Sky in rushing at 54.3 yards per game. He has rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown in three games played. Davis is a three-time All-Big Sky first team selection and a two-time All-American.
Shaheed continues move up in the record books
Weber State senior Rashid Shaheed did not have a kickoff return on Saturday for the first time this season. However, he still ranks third in the nation in kickoff return average at 41.3 yards per return this season. He is WSU's career leader in kickoff return average at 29.8 yards per return, which is the best career return average of any active player in all of Division I football. Shaheed also passed Tim Toone and moved into fourth in WSU history in career all-purpose yards now with 4,519 yards. He is also now third in career kickoff return yards with 2,234 and fourth in punt returns. He has six career kickoff returns for touchdowns, which is tied for the FCS all-time record.
Jay Hill still one win away Weber State coaching record
Jay Hill has a career record of 53-34 in his eighth season as head coach of the Wildcats. The 53 wins is tied with Dave Arslanian for the most coaching victories in Weber State history, leaving him one win away from the all-time record. Arslanian was 53-47 in his nine seasons as head coach at Weber State from 1989-97.
Hill has transformed the Weber State program, leading the Wildcats to four straight Big Sky titles and five straight appearances in the FCS Playoffs. He was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year during the spring 2021 season and has been named the Region 5 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association in each of the last two seasons.
Hill is second in WSU history in overall winning percentage (.609). He is 39-15 in Big Sky games and the .722 conference winning percentage is the best in WSU history.
Wildcat rankings
Through four games, Weber State is first in the Big Sky and 15th in the nation in third down conversion defense. The Wildcats have allowed opponents to convert third downs just 30 percent of the time. Weber State is also third in the conference in red zone defense at 82.4 percent and the 'Cats are fourth in passing defense, fifth in scoring defense and fifth in rushing offense. The Wildcats are also fourth in the nation in kickoff returns.
Full game notes
