Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
5-5 , 3-4
Idaho
7-3 , 5-2
Weber State knocks off No. 4 Idaho 31-29 in final home game
11/11/2023 7:02:00 PM | Football
The Wildcats won their second-straight game on Senior Day at Stewart Stadium.
The Wildcats won their second-straight game with the upset win over the Vandals who were 5-1 in Big Sky play and ranked fourth in the country entering the game.
Idaho jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. Weber State responded with two touchdowns in the second quarter, both rushing touchdowns by Kris Jackson, and the 'Cats led 14-13 at halftime.
Weber State extended the lead to 21-13 early in the second half after Richie Munoz found Jacob Sharp for a three-yard touchdown.
Idaho tied the game at 21-21 with 6:03 to play in the third quarter. Late in the third, Haze Hadley returned a Vandal punt 71 yards to the Idaho 12-yard line. Three plays later Adrian Cormier scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 28-21 lead.
Kyle Thompson added a 24-yard field goal that gave the 'Cats a 10-point lead with 2:24 to play. The Vandals scored a touchdown and two-point conversion but Weber State recovered the ensuing on-sides kick to seal the win.
Idaho totaled 418 yards of offense, compared to 291 for the Wildcats. The Vandals had 346 yards passing but just 72 yards rushing. The Wildcat defense forced two Idaho fumbles and recorded three sacks and eight tackles for loss.
The Wildcats honored 11 seniors in their final home game prior to kickoff and the seniors responded with several strong performances.
Senior Winston Reid had a strong defensive day as he posted a career-high 17 tackles with seven solo and 10 assisted tackles. The 17 tackles are the most in a game by a Wildcat in nine years. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, two quarterback hurries, and one pass breakup. Reid is now tied for third in Weber State history in career solo tackles with 165.
Jack Kelly had two sacks for a loss of 15 yards, and totaled seven tackles. Garrett Beck also had seven tackles. Steven Bryant added one sack and Brayden Wilson had 1.5 tackles for loss.
On offense, senior Kris Jackson had 84 rushing yards and added two touchdowns. He has seven rushing touchdowns this season and moved past Josh Davis in to sixth in career rushing touchdowns with 28.
In his fourth start, freshman Richie Munoz was 10 of 18 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown. Sharp had three receptions for 28 yards and the touchdown.
On special teams, senior Haze Hadley finished with two punt returns for 89 yards, an average of 44.5 yards per return, with the career-long of 71-yards. He is second in school history with 809 career punt return yards.
The Wildcats are now 5-5 overall on the season and 3-4 in Big Sky play with one game remaining in the season. WSU will close out the year at Cal Poly on Saturday. Kickoff at 5 p.m. Pacific time, 6 p.m. Mountain time, in San Luis Obispo.
Team Stats
IDA 3, WSU 0
IDA - Chavez,Ricardo 32 yd field goal 10 plays, 60 yards, TOP 05:25
IDA 10, WSU 0
IDA - Romano,Nick 1 yd run (Chavez,Ricardo kick), 7 plays, 62 yards, TOP 03:43
IDA 10, WSU 7
WSU - Jackson,Kris 1 yd run (Thompson,Kyle kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:49
IDA 13, WSU 7
IDA - Chavez,Ricardo 53 yd field goal 7 plays, 29 yards, TOP 03:44
IDA 13, WSU 14
WSU - Jackson,Kris 3 yd run (Thompson,Kyle kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:48
IDA 13, WSU 21
WSU - Sharp,Jacob 3 yd pass from Munoz,Richie (Thompson,Kyle kick) 4 plays, 43 yards, TOP 01:22
IDA 21, WSU 21
IDA - Romano,Nick 4 yd run (McCoy,Gevani rush), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:50
IDA 21, WSU 28
WSU - Cormier,Adrian 13 yd run (Thompson,Kyle kick), 3 plays, 12 yards, TOP 01:40
IDA 21, WSU 31
WSU - Thompson,Kyle 27 yd field goal 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 00:58
IDA 29, WSU 31
IDA - Hatten,Hayden 3 yd pass from McCoy,Gevani (Cox,Jake pass) 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:12
