Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Sacramento State
Game 9: Wildcats host Sacramento State in top-five showdown
11/1/2022 4:20:00 PM | Football
Weber State is ranked fifth in the nation; Sacramento State is undefeated and ranked second in the country.
Another week and another national showdown for Weber State football.
For the third-straight week, the Wildcats will play a team in the top 10 in the country. This Saturday Weber State hosts second-ranked and undefeated Sacramento State in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Stewart Stadium in Ogden. The Wildcats are ranked fifth in the country this week.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will streamed on ESPN+ and on the ESPN app with Tony Parks and Riley Jensen calling the action.
The Weber State radio coverage will be on KLO 103.1 FM "The Wave" with Steve Klauke and former Wildcat head coach and athletic director Jerry Graybeal on the call.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
Throwback game Saturday
Weber State will honor its past with a Throwback Day for Saturday's game. The Wildcats will wear their new white helmets with a purple "Go W" throwback logo on the side.
In addition, the first 3,500 fans at Saturday's game will receive a free "Go W" Wildcat football T-shirt, courtesy of Utah Community Credit Union.
Wildcats bounce back with win over Montana
Following the first loss of the season at Montana State, the Wildcats bounced back with a 24-21 win over No. 10 Montana last Saturday at Stewart Stadium.
Weber State totaled 345 yards of offense and held Montana to just 114 total yards, including 42 yards rushing. The Wildcats also ran the ball for three first downs in the final minutes of the game to seal the win.
Another national showdown for the Wildcats
This Saturday's game with Sacramento State will be the third of three-straight games for the Wildcats against teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation. This week, Weber State is ranked fifth in the country in the Stats Perform poll and Sacramento State is ranked second. The Hornets have won eight-straight road games and have won 16-straight conference games, both the longest active streaks in the country.
Jack Burgess named Big Sky Player of the Week
Weber State sophomore punter Jack Burgess was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week after his performance in the win over the Grizzlies.
Burgess punted seven times for 312 yards, an average of 44.6 yards per punt. He booted a career-long punt of 68 yards in the second quarter and had another punt of 60 yards in the third quarter. He also finished with two inside the 20-yard line and had one touchback.
On the season the Bacchus Marsh, Australia native ranks sixth in the Big Sky and 27th in the country in punting at 41.7 yards per game.
Weber State is fourth in the Big Sky in net punting at 37.9 yards per punt.
There's no place like home
Weber State is playing the second of three-straight home games at Stewart Stadium, marking the first time in 33 years the Wildcats will play three-straight Big Sky Conference games at home.
Under coach Jay Hill, Weber State is 36-13 at home and 28-9 against Big Sky schools at Stewart Stadium. The Wildcats have won 18 of the last 21 home games against Big Sky opponents.
Defensive domination
The Wildcats held Montana to 114 yards of offense, the lowest amount by a Division I opponent against WSU this season.
Through eight games, Weber State is first in the country in red zone defense (.600), ranks second in team pass efficiency defense and is third in third down conversion defense (.283). The Wildcats are also fourth in the nation in interceptions with 13, fifth in scoring defense at 16.2 points per game and seventh in total defense.
Individually, Maxwell Anderson is second in the country in interceptions with five on the season. He is also seventh in passes defended.
Career-high 14 tackles for Winston Reid
Junior captain Winston Reid had a career-high 14 tackles in the win. He finished with six solo tackles and eight assisted tackles. He had 1.5 tackles for loss.
On the season, Reid leads the Wildcats and is sixth in the Big Sky in tackles, averaging 8.3 per game. He also leads Weber State in tackles for loss with six. He also has an interception, a sack and a forced fumble this season.
Three sacks for Steven Bryant
Weber State junior defensive tackle Steven Bryant had a career-game in Saturday's win. In just his second career game at Weber State, Bryant had three sacks for a loss of 15 yards in the win. He totaled five tackles in the game.
Bryant transferred to Weber State this summer from Butte Junior College. He played in the season opening win over Western Oregon as his only other career game.
100 yard rushing game for Dontae McMillan
Wildcat sophomore running back Dontae McMillan rushed for a season-high 100 yards in Saturday's win. He had 23 carries to reach the 100 yards and ran the ball six times for 20 yards on the final drive of the game to seal the win.
It was the third 100 career rushing game for McMillan. The Seattle, Washington native is averaging 54.9 yards per game through eight games and has ran for 439 yards and four touchdowns this season. He ranks 26th in Weber State history in career rushing yards with 1,289 yards and has 13 career touchdowns.
Records watch
With 84 receiving yards in Saturday's win, Ty MacPherson became the 14th player in Weber State history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards...Eddie Heckard is second in career pass breakups with 30, trailing only former Big Sky MVP and current Buffalo Bill Taron Johnson at 42, and Kyle Thompson is now eighth in career field goals.
Josh Davis has not played in the last three games due to an ankle injury. Davis needs 91 yards to pass Nick Chournos for second in all-time rushing yards. He also needs 67 all-purpose yards to pass Tim Toone for fifth all-time.
Team captains
As selected by their teammates, Weber State has five captains for the 2022 season. This year's captains are junior offensive lineman Noah Atagi, junior cornerback Eddie Heckard, senior wide receiver Ty MacPherson, junior linebacker Winston Reid and senior safety Desmond Williams. MacPherson also served as a team captain during the spring 2021 and the 2021 seasons.
About Sacramento State
The Hornets of Sacramento State enter Saturday's game with an undefeated record of 8-0 overall and are 5-0 in Big Sky play. Sacramento State is one of four unbeaten teams in all of FCS football.
Sacramento State also has two of the nation's top winning streaks. The Hornets have won 16-straight Big Sky games over the last three years, the longest active streak of conference games in all of Division I football. The last Big Sky loss for Sacramento State was against Weber State on Nov. 2, 2019.
The Hornets have also won eight-straight road games, tied for the longest active streak in the FCS.
Like Weber State, Sacramento State also has a win over an FBS opponent. The Hornets beat Colorado State 41-10 on September 24.
Sacramento State ranks third in the nation in rushing offense at 265.9 yards per game. The Hornets are also third in the country in first downs and fourth in total offense.
Head coach Troy Taylor
The Hornets are coached by Troy Taylor who is in his third season at Sacramento State.
Taylor has led the Hornets to a 26-7 overall record, including an impressive 20-1 Big Sky Conference record. The 2019 loss to Weber State is the only conference loss by Sacramento State in the last three seasons.
Taylor was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021, and has the best winning percentage in Sacramento State history.
He was the offensive coordinator at the University of Utah in 2017 and 2018 before becoming head coach. He was also the offensive coordinator at Eastern Washington and spent a long career as a high school coach in the Sacramento area.
Series history
This will be the 25th all-time meeting between Weber State and Sacramento State with the Wildcats holding a 16-8 series lead. Weber State has won the last five games against the Hornets, with Sacramento State's last win coming in 2014, the first season for Jay Hill at Weber State.
In games in Ogden, Weber State holds a 11-1 all-time series advantage over Sacramento State. The only win at Stewart Stadium for the Hornets came in 2013. This is the first visit for Sacramento State to Ogden since 2018.
Last meeting - Nov. 2, 2019 - Sacramento - WSU 36-17
The last game played between the two schools was nearly three years ago this week when Weber State beat the Hornets 36-17 on Nov. 2, 2019, in Sacramento, in a top-10 matchup. It was also the last Big Sky loss for Sacramento State.
That week, the Hornets were ranked third in the country and Weber State was ranked sixth. Weber State improved to 5-0, as the Wildcats held the Hornets to just 84 rushing yards and had five touchdowns.
Josh Davis ran for 177 yards and a touchdown in the win and Kris Jackson had 46 yards and two touchdowns. Ty MacPherson and Hayden Meacham also caught touchdown passes for the Wildcats.
A total of 18 Wildcats that played in that game are on the 2022 roster.
Up next
After Saturday, Weber State will play the final regular season home game on Saturday, November 12 against Idaho State.
The last regular season game will be on November 19 at Northern Arizona.
