Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Colorado
Game 7: Wildcats return home to host Bears for Homecoming game
10/8/2024 5:31:00 PM | Football
The Homecoming game will include a post game drone show at Stewart Stadium.
• After a historic road win last week to move to 2-0 in conference play, Weber State returns home for the annual Homecoming game this Saturday night.
• The Wildcats host Northern Colorado Saturday at 6 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
• Weber State is 3-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play following Saturday's 55-48 overtime win at No. 8 Montana in Missoula.
• Northern Colorado is 0-6 this season and 0-2 in conference play. The Bears have lost 15 straight games heading into Saturday's matchup.
• Weber State is ranked 20th in the nation in the Stats Perform poll and 23rd in the coaches poll.
• Wildcat sophomore Richie Muñoz was named the National Player of the Week for his performance in Saturday's win.
• This will be the 13th all-time meeting with Northern Colorado and the Wildcats have won the last five games against the Bears.
• Saturday's game marks the start of the second half of the regular season.
• It's the annual Homecoming game at Weber State and there will be a drone show following the game at Stewart Stadium.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Tony Parks and Riley Jensen 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.
Weber State back in national rankings after road win
After Saturday's win at Montana, the Wildcats have moved back into the FCS top 25 polls. Weber State is 20th in this week's Stats Perform poll and 23rd in the AFCA Coaches poll. WSU is one seven teams from the Big Sky in the top 25 this week.
Historic road win at Montana
The Wildcats beat eighth-ranked Montana 55-48 in overtime in an all-time classic win in Missoula Saturday afternoon. Weber State totaled 541 yards of total offense in the win, the most yards in a game in two seasons.
The 55 points is the most point any team has scored against Montana in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, which opened in 1986. It also snapped Montana's 15-game home winning streak.
It was Weber State's second win in Montana in the last three tries. The Wildcats have won five of the last six against the Grizzlies overall.
The 55 points is the most under coach Mental and the most since a 62-0 win at Southern Utah in 2021.
Richie Muñoz named National Offensive Player of the Week
For his performance in the road win, Weber State sophomore quarterback Richie Munoz has been honored as the Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week. He was also honored as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.
Muñoz was 19 of 28 passing for a caterer-high 364 yards and a career-best six touchdowns in the dramatic win.
He had touchdown throws of 35, 6, 50, 53, and 71 yards in regulation, then had a seven-yard touchdown in the first overtime that gave the 'Cats the go-ahead score.
He is one of four players in all of Division I football to throw six touchdown passes in a game this season. It is also the most touchdown passes in a game by a Wildcat since 1993.
He has thrown for 1,321 yards and 13 touchdowns through six games with just one interception. The 13 touchdowns are the most of any player in the Big Sky and the sixth most in the country.
Muñoz ranks second in the Big Sky in passing at 220.2 yards per game. He is also third in the conference in total offense.
Garrett Beck named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week
After the game-clinching play in Saturday's win, Weber State senior Garrett Beck was named the Co-Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week.
Weber State scored first in overtime and took a 55-48 lead. On Montana's first possession in overtime, Beck had a strip sack and recovered the fumble that sealed the win for the Wildcats.
He also tied for the Wildcat lead with eight tackles in the game with four solo and four assisted tackles.
Through six games this season, Beck leads the Wildcats in tackles with 35 and is second on the team with two sacks.
Beck is serving as one of the team captains for the Wildcats this season. The senior from Meridian, Idaho has played in 41 career games at Weber State and has 162 career tackles with 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Kickoff return touchdown for Noah Kjar
Among the great plays in Saturday's win was a breakout touchdown by Wildcat freshman kick returner Noah Kjar.
With 10:33 to play in the second quarter, Kjar returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown that put the Wildcats up 21-10. It was Weber State's first kickoff return since the first game of the 2023 season.
He finished the game with three kickoff returns for 138 yards, an average of 46 yards per return.
It was the first kickoff return touchdown by any player in the Big Sky this season and he currently leads the conference at 38 yards per return. He also has seven receptions for 90 yards.
Kyle Thompson approaching scoring record
Senior Kyle Thompson made two field goals in Saturday's win, including a 43-yard field goal that pushed the game to overtime. Thompson ranks third in career field goals with 56. He is also third in career scoring with 320 points but needs just six more points to pass Scott Shields and become WSU's all-time scoring leader. Thompson has 56 field goals and 152 extra points made in his Wildcat career.
National/Big Sky rankings
As a team, Weber State ranks fourth in the country in kickoff returns and fifth in net punting. The 'Cats are also 10th in the nation in turnovers lost with just three turnovers in six games. Individually, Kemari Munier-Bailey ranks third in the country in tackles for loss and is eighth in sacks. Kyle Thompson is eighth in field goals per game at 1.6, Jacob Sharp is 11th in receiving yards, and Oscar Doyle is 12th in punting. Damon Bankston ranks 11th in the country in rushing yards per game and Bird Butler is 16th in punt returns.
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 Northern Colorado
The Bears of Northern Colorado enter Saturday's game with an 0-6 overall record and an 0-2 mark in conference play. UNC was 0-11 last season and has lost 18 straight games dating back to November 2022, the longest active streak in the nation.
In non-conference play, the Bears lost at #14 Incarnate Word and Colorado State before a 24-22 loss to Abilene Christian on a last second field goal. They also lost at SFA, then lost to Cal Poly to open conference play. They are coming off a 55-17 loss at third-ranked Montana State last Saturday.
Ed Lamb is in his second season as head coach of the Bears. Lamb was the head coach at Southern Utah in the Big Sky for several seasons and led the Thunderbirds to the conference title in 2015. He then coached at BYU as an assistant coach for seven years before becoming head coach of the Bears.
The defensive coordinator for Northern Colorado is Preston Hadley, who was an assistant coach under Jay Hill for two seasons at Weber State in 2016 and 2017 and was part of WSU's Big Sky Championship team in 2017. He played at BYU and also spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Cougars before going to Northern Colorado.
Series history
This will the 13th all-time meeting between Weber State and Northern Colorado and the Wildcats hold an 11-1 series lead. Weber State has won the last five games against the Bears. UNC's only win in the series was in 2012. In games in Ogden, the Wildcats are 6-1 all-time and have won three straight games.
Weber State beat Northern Colorado 28-21 last September in Greeley. The 'Cats trailed in the fourth quarter but had three late interceptions, including one returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Winston Reid to seal the win.
Looking ahead
After Saturday, the Wildcats are back on the road for their next two Big Sky games. WSU will play at Sacramento State on October 19, then have a bye week, before playing at Northern Arizona on November 2. The next home games is November 9 against Idaho State.
