Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Sacramento State
Game 8: Wildcats back on the road at Sacramento State
10/15/2024 5:32:00 PM | Football
Weber State makes its first trip to Sacramento in five years.
• Weber State looks to bounce back as the Wildcats return to the road to play at Sacramento State on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium.
• The Wildcats are coming off a 21-17 home loss to Northern Colorado last week.
• Weber State is 3-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
• Sacramento State is 2-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Sky games.
• Wildcat senior Kyle Thompson tied the Weber State career scoring record in Saturday's game.
• Weber State plays its next two games on the road.
• This will be the 26th all-time game against Sacramento State but the first game for the Wildcats against the Hornets in five years.
• Weber State has won five of the last six meetings against the Hornets.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Jason Ross, Darren Arbet calling the action.
The Weber State radio broadcast will be on 103.1 FM "The Wave" with Carl Arky and former WSU head coach and athletic director Jerry Graybeal calling the action.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
Wildcats drop Homecoming game to Northern Colorado
A week after a historic win at No. 8 Montana, Weber State dropped a Homecoming game 21-17 to Northern Colorado last Saturday at Stewart Stadium. The Wildcats totaled 401 yards of offense but the 'Cats committed five turnovers with four fumbles lost and one interception to drop the game to the Bears. Weber State had only committed three turnovers in the first six games of the season prior to the five turnovers in Saturday's game.
Damon Bankston again surpasses 100 yards
For the fourth time in seven games this season, Weber State junior running back Damon Bankston surpassed 100 rushing yards in Saturday's game as he finished with 16 carries for 108 yards.
Through seven games, Bankston is third in the Big Sky and 17th in the nation at 98.9 rushing yards per game. He's run for 692 yards and five touchdowns this season. Bankston also moved up to 12th in WSU career history with 1,912 yards. He needs 82 more yards to become the 12th player in WSU history to reach 2,00 career rushing yards.
Raimoana Tinirauarii with career-high 15 tackles
Weber State sophomore linebacker Raimoana Tinirauarii had a career night in Saturday's game. He finished with a game-high 15 tackles with eight solo and seven assisted tackles. Tinirauarii had 13 tackles in the first six games of the season, heading in Saturday's game. The 15 tackles is tied for the second most of any Big Sky player in game this season.
Tinirauarii is currently third on the Wildcat team in tackles with 28 this season. He is a native of Pa'ea, Tahiti. He played high school football at Juan Diego High School in Draper, Utah.
Kyle Thompson ties career scoring record
Senior Kyle Thompson made one field goal and had two extra points in Saturday's game and in the process tied for a Weber State career record. Thompson now has 325 career points and is tied with Scott Shields (1995-98) for the WSU career scoring record. With one more points, he will become the all-time leader. Thompson has 57 career field goals and 154 extra points made in his 47 career games at Weber State.
This season, Thompson is first in the Big Sky and eighth in the nation in field goals made per game at 1.5. He has nine field goals made in six games played this season.
He ranks third in school history in career field goals made and needs 11 more to pass Shields for the all-time record.
National/Big Sky rankings
As a team, Weber State ranks fourth in the country in net punting and sixth in kickoff returns, averaging 27.1 yards per return. The 'Cats are also 12th in punt return defense. Offensively, Weber State ranks 19th in the country in rushing offense at 202.6 yards per game and is 20th in total defense. The Wildcats are also 13th in the nation in first downs at 11.2 per game.
Individually, sophomore quarterback Richie Muñoz is eighth in the country in passing touchdowns with 14 in seven games. He is also third in the Big Sky in passing at 213.1 yards per game. Jacob Sharp is third in the Big Sky and 13th in the nation in receiving yards with 526.
On special teams, Oscar Doyle ranks 11th in the country in punting, averaging 45.1 yards per punt. Bird Butler is 14th in the nation in punt returns and 24th in kickoff returns.
Defensively, Kemari Munier-Bailey ranks eighth in the nation in tackles for loss with 11.5, and is 14th in sacks with six on the season. Garrett Beck is 10th in the country in forced fumbles with two.
Seven seniors on the Wildcat team
Weber State begins the 2024 season with just seven seniors on the roster. The seven seniors are linebacker Garrett Beck, defensive tackle Zeke Birch, defensive tackle Steven Bryant, defensive end Kemari Munier-Bailey, long snapper Grant Sands, wide receiver Jacob Sharp, and kicker Kyle Thompson. Sharp is the only senior on the current depth chart on offense.
Seven seniors is the fewest of any school in the Big Sky Conference.
Head coach Mickey Mental in his second season as head coach
Mickey Mental is in his second season as head coach at Weber State and his third season as the offensive coordinator with the Wildcats. Prior to coming to Weber State in 2022, Mental was the head coach at Notre Dame College in Ohio for two seasons where 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.
A native of Olmstead Falls, Ohio, Mental came to WSU for the 2022 season as the offensive coordinator under Jay Hill and helped lead the Wildcats to a 10-3 overall record and a trip to the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
Team captains
As selected by their teammates, Weber State has named five captains for the 2024 season. The five captains are junior running back Damon Bankston, senior linebacker Garrett Beck, senior defensive end Steven Bryant, junior wide receiver Jayleen Record, and junior cornerback Jalon Rock.
About Sacramento State
The Sacramento State Hornets enter Saturday's game at 2-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Sky play. The Hornets started the season ranked eighth in the nation in the Stats preseason poll. They began the year with back-to-back FBS losses at San Jose State and Fresno State, then beat Nicholls and Texas A&M Commerce in non-conference play.
In Big Sky play, Sacramento State lost at Northern Arizona and lost 35-28 at home to Eastern Washington last Saturday.
The Hornets are tied for first in the nation in sacks with 20 for an average of 3.3 per game. They are also tied for ninth in the country in sacks allowed with just five allowed in their first six games. Sacramento State is also fifth nationally with seven fumbles recovered and ranks ninth in tackles for loss and 14th in rushing defense. They are also first in the Big Sky in red zone defense.
Sacramento State was 8-5 overall last season and 4-4 in Big Sky play. They advanced to the FCS Playoffs for the fourth straight year and lost in the second round.
The Hornets were picked to finish fifth this year in the preseason polls.
Andy Thompson is in his second season as head coach of the Hornets after spending four years as the defensive coordinator.
Series history
This will the 26th all-time meeting between Weber State and Sacramento State with the Wildcats holding a 16-9 series edge. The Hornets won the last meeting, a 33-30 win in Ogden in November 2022, which snapped a five-game winning streak for the Wildcats.
This will be Weber State's first trip to Sacramento in five years. The Wildcats won the last meeting 36-17 in November 2019. In games at Hornet Stadium, Sacramento State leads 7-5 all-time but the Wildcats have won the last two games in Sacramento.
Quick hits
Weber State played without senior captain Garrett Beck against Northern Colorado who was out of the game with shin splints...Weber State is outscoring its opponents in the first quarter (38-17) and the second quarter (63-48) of games this season...But the 'Cats have been outscored in the third and fourth quarters...WSU has allowed its opponents to score a touchdown in the last nine trips to the red zone...Weber State is tied for ninth in the country with just two interceptions thrown this season.
Looking ahead
After Saturday, Weber State will have a bye week next week and will next be in action at Northern Arizona on November 2 as part of the Red Rock Rivalry game.
WSU's next home game will be on November 9 against Idaho State.
