Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho
Wildcats host No. 4 Idaho in final home game Saturday
11/8/2023 11:44:00 AM | Football
Weber State will host the Vandals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Stewart Stadium. WSU will honor its 11 seniors prior to the game.
• Fresh off a rivalry road win the Weber State football team returns home for the final home game of the season this Saturday when the Wildcats host fourth-ranked Idaho at Stewart Stadium.
• Weber State is 4-5 overall and 2-4 in Big Sky play. The Wildcats are coming off a 33-21 win at Idaho State last Saturday in Pocatello.
• Idaho is 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Big Sky play and the Vandals are ranked fourth in the country in this week's national polls.
• Weber State will honor 11 seniors for Senior Day prior to the kickoff of Saturday's game.
• This will be Idaho's first trip to Ogden since 1995.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. at Stewart Stadium and will be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Tony Parks and Riley Jensen calling the action.
Weber State's radio coverage will be on 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.
Wildcats roll to win at Idaho State
Weber State snapped a three-game losing streak with a dominating 33-21 win at Idaho State last Saturday in Pocatello. The Wildcats jumped out to a 21-0 lead and led 28-7 early in the fourth quarter.
WSU totaled a season-high 406 yards of offense and the Wildcat defense accounted for seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one interception.
Wildcat defense shuts down Bengals
The Wildcat defense had one of its strongest games in helping the Wildcats to the win. Weber State held Idaho State to -30 yards rushing in the game, the second-fewest yards allowed in a game in Wildcat history. The defense also accounted for two scores in the game.
The defense recorded seven sacks, had 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 12 pass breakups and one interception.
Winston Reid had eight solo tackles and a forced fumble. Jack Kelly had two sacks, including a safety. Garrett Beck had one sack, two tackles for loss, and recovered a fumble and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. Maxwell Anderson had two sacks and Steven Bryant had 1.5 sacks.
Three touchdowns for Richie Munoz
In just his third career start, Richie Munoz threw for a career-best 222 yards and had three touchdowns in leading the Wildcats to Saturday's win. He threw three touchdowns, all in the second quarter, of 23 yards, 19 yards, and 26 yards, and eight different receivers caught passes for the Wildcats. He also ran for 40 yards in the win.
In three games, Munoz has thrown for 573 yards and four touchdowns. He signed with Weber State in December 2022 out of West Covina, California. He was a three-star recruit out of Charter Oak High School where he threw for 2,994 yards and 40 touchdowns as a senior.
Senior Day for 11 Wildcat seniors Saturday
Prior to Saturday's kickoff, Weber State will honor 11 seniors who will be playing in their final game at Stewart Stadium. Many of these seniors have played several years at Weber State and have been a part of Big Sky Championship teams and FCS Playoff teams.
The 11 seniors honored prior to the game are: LJ Anderson, Maxwell Anderson, Ethan Atagi, Noah Atagi, Andrew Carter, Naseme Colvin, Haze Hadley, Jordan Lutui, Kris Jackson, Hayden Meacham and Winston Reid.
Military Appreciation Day for Saturday's game on Veteran's Day
Weber State will honor all those who have served the country in the military for Military Appreciation Day for Saturday's game, which is held on November 11, Veteran's Day.
There will be a flyover from Hill Air Force Base prior to the game. WSU will also honor a World War II veteran from Utah.
The Wildcats will wear black helmets with a Wildcat military camouflage logo and stripes for the game.
Weber State freshman Dallas Thielfoldt will also be recognized. Thielfoldt served in the US Marines before staring his college career. Weber State Director of Football Operations Derrick Luken also served in the US Air Force.
National/Big Sky rankings
Weber State is first in the nation in kickoff returns at 27.2 yards per return. Abraham Williams is fifth in the country at 30.7 yards per return.
The Wildcats are also 10th in the nation in net punting and Jack Burgess is first in the Big Sky and second in the country in punting at 47 yards per punt.
After the seven defensive sacks, the Wildcats are now 13th in the nation in sacks, averaging 2.7 per game. WSU is also 17th in defensive touchdowns with two and ranks 19th in the country in red zone defense.
Individually, Winston Reid is now seventh in the nation in solo tackles at 5.9 per game. He is also 14th in the nation in tackles at 10.1 per game. Jack Kelly is ninth in forced fumbles. Brayden Wilson leads the Big Sky and is 18th in the nation in tackles for loss with 12 this season. Maxwell Anderson is third in the Big Sky and 17th in the country in passes defended.
Records watch
Winston Reid is now fifth in school history in career solo tackles with 156. He also has 254 career tackles, just outside the WSU all-time top 10. With a forced fumble in Saturday's win, he is also now tied for second in school history with eight.
Another senior, Haze Hadley continues to rank second in school history in career punt return yards and is averaging 10.1 per game. Kyle Thompson is fifth in career field goals made with 45 and is fourth in career scoring. Maxwell Anderson is second in school history in pass breakups with 37, trailing only Taron Johnson of the Buffalo Bills with 42.
Four All-Americans and eight All-Big Sky performers returning
Weber State has four returning All-Americans from last year's squad. In addition to Abraham Williams and Winston Reid, Maxwell Anderson and Noah Atagi also return as All-Americans. Atagi was an All-American last year and earned first-team All-Big Sky honors for the third-straight year.
Also returning are four other players that earned All-Big Sky honors in 2022. Haze Hadley (punt returner) and Jordan Lutui (offensive line) earned second-team honors, Ethan Atagi (offensive line) earned third-team honors and Damon Bankston (running back) earned honorable mention honors in 2022.
Mickey Mental takes over as new Wildcat head coach
Weber State is under the direction of first year head coach Mickey Mental who was named the 12th head coach in Weber State history in December. Mental served as the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats in 2022 before being named head coach. He took over for Jay Hill who left for BYU after nine seasons as head coach. Hill is Weber State's all-time leader in coaching wins with 68 and led the Wildcats to four Big Sky titles and six trips to the FCS Playoffs.
This is not the first time for Mental as a head coach. The Olmstead Falls, Ohio native spent two seasons as head coach at Division II Notre Dame College in Ohio, prior to coming to Weber State. In two seasons as head coach he posted a 16-2 overall record and a 13-1 record in conference play. In the spring 2021 season, he led the Falcons to a conference championship.
Wildcats fourth in Big Sky preseason polls
The Wildcats were also ranked fourth in the Big Sky preseason media and coaches polls for the second-straight year. Montana State was selected as the preseason favorite in both polls with UC Davis second and Sacramento State third in the coaches poll and Idaho second and Montana third in the media poll.
Oh brother
This year's Wildcat squad includes six sets of brothers. LJ and Maxwell Anderson, Ethan and Noah Atagi, Garrett and Trevor Beck, Bronson and Jagger Childs, Ishaan and Rishi Daniels, and Jordan and Masi Lutui are all on the Wildcat team this season.
Team captains
As selected by their teammates, Weber State has named four captains for the 2023 season. This year's captains are senior offensive lineman Noah Atagi, senior cornerback Maxwell Anderson, senior cornerback Marque Collins, and senior linebacker Winston Reid. This is the third-straight year for Atagi as a captain and Reid was also a captain in 2022.
About Idaho
The Idaho Vandals come into Saturday's game ranked fourth in the nation in the latest polls. Idaho is 7-2 overall and tied for first in the Big Sky at 5-1. The Vandals opened the season with a road win at Lamar and a 33-6 win at Nevada. In Big Sky play, they have top-five wins over Sacramento State and Montana State.
Idaho leads the nation in net punting and is also first in punt return defense. The Vandals are sixth in the nation in total defense at 291.4 yards per game and rank seventh in passing defense, allowing just 158.1 yards per game.
On offense, Idaho is first in the Big Sky and third in the nation in time of possession. They are also 24th nationally in total offense and sixth in the country in red zone offense. They rank ninth in team passing efficiency and 12th in completion percentage.
The Vandals were 7-5 overall and 6-2 in Big Sky play last season and advanced to the FCS Playoffs. Idaho was picked second in the preseason media poll.
Idaho is coached by Jason Eck who is in his second season as head coach.
Series history
Weber State and Idaho are both charter members of the Big Sky Conference and joined the league when it was formed in 1963. The two teams played every year until 1996 when Idaho left the Big Sky and moved up to FBS. The Vandals returned to the Big Sky in ____.
Idaho holds a 18-14-1 all-time series lead over Weber State but this is the only the second meeting since the Vandals returned to the Big Sky. WSU beat Idaho 41-35 in October 2019 in Moscow.
This will be Idaho's first trip to Ogden since 1995.
Quick hits
Weber State is 4-1 this season when leading its opponent in rushing yards and is 0-4 when trailing in rushing...The Wildcats are also 3-0 this season when scoring 30 or more points and just 1-5 when scoring less than 30 points...Weber State has 39 players on this years roster from the state of Utah. California is next with 21 followed by Texas with 12 and Idaho with 10.
Up next
After Saturday, Weber State will close out the season with a road game at Cal Poly on November 18. Kickoff at 5 p.m. Pacific time (6 p.m. Mountain time) in San Luis Obispo.
Players Mentioned
