Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
Playoff notes: Wildcats and Bobcats meet in second round Saturday
11/29/2022 4:09:00 PM | Football
Weber State and Montana State will kickoff Saturday at 1 p.m. in Bozeman. Game will be televised on ESPN+
It's a playoff rematch with a longtime rival. After a first round win at home, the Weber State football team hits the road for a second round matchup at fellow Big Sky team Montana State. The Wildcats and Bobcats will kickoff at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN+ and on the ESPN app with Ted Emrich and Tyoka Jackson 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 ncaa.com.
Playoff rematch for longtime rivals
Weber State and Montana State are both charter members of the Big Sky Conference and Saturday's game will be the 57th ever meeting between the two schools, but will be the first-ever matchup in the FCS Playoffs. Montana State beat Weber State 43-38 on October 22 in Bozeman. The Wildcats jumped out to a 24-9 lead early in the second quarter, before 34 straight points by Montana State to lead 43-24. Weber State scored the final two touchdowns and had a chance to win the game in the final minute.
The Bobcats rushed for 347 yards and totaled 487 yards of offense. Weber State and a punt and a kickoff returned for touchdowns. The Wildcats committed four safeties in the game.
Wildcats open playoffs with home win over North Dakota
Weber State opened the FCS Playoffs with a 38-31 home win over North Dakota last Saturday on a snowy day at Stewart Stadium. The Wildcats rushed for 330 yards and had four rushing touchdowns in the win.
'Cats reach 10-win milestone
The win over North Dakota gave Weber State 10 wins on the season. It's just the sixth time in Weber State history the Wildcats have won 10 or more games in a season. Four of the 10-win seasons have come since 2017 under head coach Jay Hill. Weber State has only won 11 games twice in school history, 2017 and 2019.
Weber State FCS Playoff history
This is the 10th all-time appearance for Weber State in the FCS Playoffs. The first appearance for the Wildcats was in 1987 under head coach Mike Price. WSU also appeared in 1991, 2008 and 2009.
The Wildcats are in the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons under head coach Jay Hill. WSU has competed in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and the spring 2021 season. The 'Cats reached the quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018 and the semifinals for the first time ever in 2019.
Weber State's all-time record in the playoffs is 8-9 and is 6-5 since 2016 under coach Hill.
On the road again
WSU has won 10 of the last 11 road games against FCS opponents, with the only loss coming earlier this season at MSU. The Wildcats have won 15 of the last 17 road games against Big Sky opponents.
15 Wildcats earn All-Big Sky Conference honors; five on first-team
Weber State had 15 players earn All-Big Sky Conference honors with five players named to the first team. WSU had five on the second team, two on the third team and three that earned honorable mention honors.
Eddie Heckard and Noah Atagi both earned first-team honors for the third time in their careers. Only nine players in Weber State history have earned first-team honors three times in a career. Maxwell Anderson earned first-team honors as a defensive back, Winston Reid earned the honor as a linebacker and Abraham Williams earned first-team honors as a kick returner after four 10-yard kickoff return touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Ty MacPherson, junior offensive lineman Jordan Lutui, junior punt returner Haze Hadley, junior defensive tackle Kalisi Moli and senior safety Desmond Williams all earned second team All-Big Sky honors.
Junior center Ethan Atagi and sophomore running back Dontae McMillan earned third-team honors and sophomore running back Damon Bankston, junior cornerback Kamden Garrett and senior tight end Justin Malone all earned honorable mention honors.
National rankings
Weber State has been near the top in several categories this season. Defensively, Weber State is second in the nation in third down conversion defense at 30.3 percent. The Wildcats are also fourth in the country in team pass efficiency defense, eighth in total defense, ninth in turnovers gained and 10th in interceptions and scoring defense.
The Wildcats are first in the nation in kickoff returns, 10th in first down offense, 12th in passing defense and 13th in scoring offense.
Sophomore kick returner Abraham Williams leads the nation in kick return average at 42.4 yards per return. He is the first player in FCS history with four 100-yard kickoff return touchdowns in a season. One of his returns was October 22 at Montana State.
Winston Reid is tied for second in the nation in forced fumbles with four. Maxwell Anderson is tied for sixth in the country with five interceptions, Kyle Thompson is eighth in field goals per game and Ty MacPherson is 11th in receiving touchdowns with 10.
Winston Reid named Buck Buchanan Award finalist
Weber State junior linebacker Winston Reid has been named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award. He is one of only three players from the Big Sky named to the finalist list. Reid leads the Wildcats and is fifth in the Big Sky in tackles at 8.6 per game. He has 102 tackles through 12 games. He has 62 solo tackles, which ranks as the eighth most in a season in WSU history.
He also has 11 tackles for loss, seventh in the Big Sky. He is tied for second in the country with four forced fumbles. He also has four sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery on the season.
He was named the National Player of the Week after Weber State's win over Idaho State on November 12, after forcing three fumbles, with two strip sacks, one of which led to a Wildcat touchdown.
Reid is also serving as a team captain this season.
Season trends
The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 142-45 in the first quarter of games this season and 94-49 in the fourth quarter. Weber State is 10-1 this season and 42-6 under Jay Hill when leading after the first quarter. The 'Cats are 8-0 this season when leading at halftime and 0-2 when trailing. WSU is also 10-0 this season and 59-5 under coach Hill when leading after three quarters.
The Wildcats are also 9-0 this year and 55-7 under Jay Hill when leading their opponent in rushing yards and 7-1 this season when leading in passing yards. WSU is also 6-0 this season when leading in turnover margin.
Records watch
Josh Davis rushed for a season-high 129 yards in Saturday's playoff win and is second in Weber State history in career rushing yards with 3,772 yards and 27 touchdowns. He is also fifth in career all-purpose yards with 4,702. Davis is a two-time All-American, a three-time All-Big Sky first-team selection, and has played in 49 career games at Weber State. He won the Jerry Rice Award as the National Freshman of the Year in 2018.
Wildcat sophomore quarterback Bronson Barron became the seventh player in Weber State history to surpass 5,000 career passing yards. He now has 5,064 yards and 35 touchdowns and ranks eighth in career total offense in 25 career games at Weber State.
Ty MacPherson is fifth in career receiving yards with 2,330 and is 11th in career receptions with 145. Kyle Thompson is now seventh in career field goals with 34
Eddie Heckard is second in career pass breakups with 30, trailing only former Big Sky MVP and current Buffalo Bill Taron Johnson at 42. Maxwell Anderson is right behind in third with 29 career pass breakups.
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 Montana State
Montana State comes into the second round of the playoffs with a 10-1 overall record and is ranked third in the nation in the national polls. The Bobcats received the fourth seed in the playoffs. Montana State was a perfect 8-0 in Big Sky play to tie for first with Sacramento State in the league standings.
MSU is second in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 325.7 yards per game. The Bobcats are also second in the country in turnover margin at +15 and rank third nationally in scoring offense and total offense.
Head coach Brent Vigen
The Bobcats are coached by Brent Vigen who is in his second season at Montana State. Vigen was named the Co-Big Sky Coach of the Year this season after leading the Bobcats to a perfect 8-0 conference record. In his two seasons, he boasts a record of 22-4 and is 15-1 in Big Sky games. In his first season, he led the Bobcats to the championship game of the FCS Playoffs.
Vigen played football at North Dakota State and then coached with the Bison and Wyoming before going to Montana State.
Series history
This will be the first-ever playoff meeting between the two schools but the 57th all-time meeting between the two charter members of the Big Sky Conference. Montana State holds a 32-23-1 all-time series lead, including the win earlier this season.
In games in Bozeman, MSU holds a 16-10-1 series lead.
Up next
The winner of Saturday's game will take on the winner of William & Mary and Gardner-Webb in the quarterfinals next weekend.
