Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
Game 4: Wildcats host Bobcats in top-10 showdown and Big Sky opener
9/19/2023 4:06:00 PM | Football
Weber State hosts Montana State Saturday at 6 p.m. at the newly renovated Stewart Stadium. It's Throwback Night Saturday and 2,000 t-shirts will be distributed throughout the game.
• It's a top-10 FCS showdown for the conference opener as Weber State returns home to a new-look Stewart Stadium Saturday night to host longtime rival Montana State.
• Weber State is 2-1 on the season following Saturday's 31-7 loss at Utah. The Wildcats are ranked eighth in the nation in this week's FCS Coaches poll.
• Montana State is also 2-1 and is ranked third in the country. MSU leads the nation in scoring offense, total offense, and rushing offense.
• It will be Throwback Night and the grand opening of the renovated Stewart Stadium.
• This will be the 58th all-time meeting between the two longtime rivals, both charter members of the Big Sky Conference.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 6 p.m. at Stewart Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN+ as well as by the Scripps network and can be seen in Utah on KUPX TV channel 16, which is available over-the-air as well as on cable and satellite services. Ben Creighton and Ty Gregorak will call the action.
Weber State's radio coverage will be on 103.1 FM "The Wave" with Craig Hislop 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.
Two top-10 teams to start conference play
Weber State is coming off a 31-7 loss at 12th ranked Utah on Saturday in Salt Lake City. The No. 12 ranking was the highest ranked FBS opponent in WSU history. The Wildcats are ranked eighth in the nation in this week's FCS Coaches poll and 10th in the Stats Perform poll.
Montana State is 2-1 on the season and coming off a 57-20 win over Stetson. MSU also beat Utah Tech to start the season then lost 20-16 at No. 1 ranked South Dakota State.
The Bobcats are ranked third in the nation in this week's FCS polls.
The Big Sky Conference boasts six teams in the top 25 with five teams ranked in the top 11.
Winston Reid leading Wildcat defense
Weber State senior All-American linebacker leads the Big Sky in tackles and tackles for loss after three games. Reid has recorded 12 tackles in each of the three games this season, which ranks eighth in all of FCS football in tackles. He is 10th in the country in solo tackles at 7.3 per game. He also has 5.5 tackles for loss in three games, which is ranked 14th in the country.
Prior to the season, Reid was named the Big Sky Preseason Defensive MVP. He earned first-team All-Big Sky honors and earned All-America honors last season as he started all 13 games and finished sixth in the Big Sky in tackles with 112 for an average of 8.6 per game. He had 68 solo tackles, the sixth-most in a season in WSU history, and had 10 or more tackles in a game five times. He also finished in a tie for first in the conference with five forced fumbles.
In addition, Reid has been named to the watch list for the 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl, the prestigious pre-draft game next February. He is one of five players from the Big Sky on the preseason watch list.
Throwback game Saturday night
Along with the Big Sky opener and a top-10 matchup, it's also Throwback Night for Weber State as the Wildcats will wear the throwback "Go W" logo on the helmet. WSU will wear purple helmets with purple jerseys and white pants in the game.
In addition, 2,000 Throwback t-shirts will be distributed to fans throughout the game, courtesy of America First Credit Union. Plus any fan showing their America First Credit Union card can receive up to four free tickets to the game.
Grand opening of renovated Stewart Stadium
Saturday night will also mark the first game of the recently renovated Stewart Stadium. This year the entire east stands of Stewart Stadium were rebuilt to enhance the fan gameday experience. In addition, a new field and new track have also been installed at the stadium. A ribbon-cutting event to mark the grand opening of the stadium will take place prior to kickoff on Saturday.
With the enhancements, the seating capacity of Stewart Stadium is now 13,441.
Damon Bankston leads Big Sky in rushing
Through three games, Wildcat junior running back Damon Bankston leads the Big Sky and ranks 10th in the nation in rushing yards. Bankston has 43 carries for 322 yards and five touchdowns in three games, an average of 107.3 yards per game, best in the conference. Bankston ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns in WSU's win at Northern Iowa on September 9. His five rushing touchdowns is also the fourth-most of any player in the country so far this season.
The junior from Katy, Texas, has played in 25 career games at Weber State and has 1,154 career yards, which ranks 30th in WSU history. He also has 16 career touchdowns.
Abraham Williams leads nation in kickoff returns
Wildcat junior All-American kick returner Abraham Williams leads all of FCS football at 39.8 yards per return after three games this season. In the season-opening win over Central Washington, Williams returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. It was his fifth career kickoff return touchdown and all five returns have been 100 yards. He has six returns for 239 yards in three games.
Last season, Williams was a consensus All-American after returning four kickoffs for 100 yards. He led the country in kickoff return yards last year at 37.4 per return. He was the only player in all divisions of the NCAA to have more than two kickoff returns in a season last year.
He is WSU's all-time leader in average at 39.0 yards per return and is seventh in career yards. He is also second in WSU history with five touchdowns, behind Rashid Shaheed, now with the New Orleans Saints, who is tied for the FCS record with seven touchdowns.
Defensive rankings
Individually, Weber State leads the Big Sky in several defensive categories. Winston Reid is first in tackles and tackles for loss. Brayden Wilson ranks second in tackles for loss.
Maxwell Anderson ranks first in passes defended with five. He has four pass breakups and one interception in the first three games. Anderson is second in school history in pass breakups with 33.
Jack Kelly is first in the league in forced fumbles with two, both coming in the win at Northern Iowa on September 9.
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 in December 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.
A look back at 2022
The Wildcats posted a 10-win season in 2022 and advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs. Weber State has now been to the FCS Playoffs in six of the last seven seasons. The Wildcats were 10-3 overall and finished 6-2 in Big Sky Conference play. Weber State defeated North Dakota at home in the first round of the playoffs before falling at Montana State in the second round.
The Wildcats ended the season ranked ninth in the country.
About #3 Montana State
Montana State is 2-1 and ranked third in the nation in this week's polls. The Bobcats opened the season with a 63-20 home win over Utah Tech, then lost 20-16 at No. 1 South Dakota State on September 9. MSU is coming off a 57-20 win over Stetson on Saturday.
Through three games, MSU leads all of FCS football in scoring offense, averaging 45.3 points per game. The Bobcats are also first in the country in total offense and rushing offense. They rank fifth in the country in first downs and first in sacks allowed, having not given up a sack this season.
The Bobcats were 12-2 overall last year and won the Big Sky with a perfect 8-0 record. They have won 15 of the last 16 Big Sky games over the last two years. MSU also advanced to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs, including a win over Weber State in the second round of the playoffs.
Montana State was picked to finish first in the Big Sky preseason polls this year.
Brent Vigen is back for his third season as head coach of the Bobcats. He has a career record of 26-6 at MSU and is 15-1 in Big Sky play.
Series history
This will be the 58th all-time meeting between the two schools who are both charter members of the Big Sky Conference. Montana State holds a 33-23-1 all-time series edge over the Wildcats and the Bobcats beat the Wildcats in two games in Bozeman last year.
MSU is 16-13 all-time in games in Ogden, including a 13-7 win in 2021, their last trip to Stewart Stadium. Weber State had won the previous two games in Ogden.
Quick hits
The Wildcats have won seven of their last eight Big Sky openers...Through three games, WSU is outscoring its opponent 38-14 in the second half, including 10-0 in the fourth quarter...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 the Wildcats are back on the road at Northern Colorado on September 30, then will host Northern Arizona and UC Davis on October 7 and 14 in back-to-back home games at Stewart Stadium.
Players Mentioned
