Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho
Game 11: Wildcats take on Vandals Saturday in Moscow
11/12/2024 3:53:00 PM | Football
This will be Weber State's first visit to Moscow in five seasons.
• Weber State returns to the road for the final time this season when the Wildcats play at nationally-ranked Idaho Saturday night in Moscow.
• Weber State is 3-7 overall and 2-4 in Big Sky play. The Wildcats are coming off a 43-35 home loss to Idaho State last Saturday.
• Idaho is 7-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky play and has won three straight games heading into Saturday's matchup.
• The Vandals are ranked eighth in the nation in the Stats Perform media poll and 10th in the AFCA Coaches poll.
• This will be the 35th all-time meeting between the two schools, but just the third meeting since Idaho rejoined the Big Sky Conference.
• It will be Weber State's first visit to Moscow since 2019.
• The Wildcats beat the fourth-ranked Vandals 31-29 last November in Ogden.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Austin Getz and Brian Strandley 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.
'Cats drop home game to Idaho State
In its last game, Weber State fell 43-35 to Idaho State Saturday at Stewart Stadium in Ogden. The Wildcats surpassed 500 yards of total offense for the third time this season and outgained the Bengals 506 yards to 485 yards, but Idaho State never trailed in the game and Weber State had 10 penalties for a season-high 105 yards. ISU also threw for 348 yards, the third-most passing yards the Wildcats have allowed in game this season.
Four touchdowns for Richie Muñoz
In Saturday's game, Weber State sophomore quarterback Richie Muñoz surpassed 300 passing yards for the third time this season and the fourth time in his career. He was 28 of 43 passing for 315 yards and four touchdowns. It was his second time this season reaching at least four touchdowns in a game.
On the year, Muñoz has thrown for 2,170 yards and 21 touchdowns. He currently ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 25th in the nation in passing yards per game at 217. His 21 touchdowns is the second-most of any player in the conference and the ninth most in the nation.
Muñoz has played in 15 games in his Wildcat career and currently ranks 18th in career passing with 3,224 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Kemari Munier-Bailey returns to Idaho
Weber State senior Kemari Munier-Bailey led the Wildcat defense in Saturday's game with six tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. This season, Munier-Bailey leads the Big Sky and is 10th in the nation in tackles for loss at 1.5 per game. He has 14.5 tackles for loss and needs two more to move into the WSU singe-season top 10. He is also second in the conference and 20th in the nation in sacks with 7.5.
Munier-Bailey is a transfer this season and joined the Wildcats in the summer of 2024 after playing the 2023 season at Fresno State.
Prior to Fresno State, he played two seasons at Idaho and is making his first return to Moscow this week. He played in the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Idaho and led the team in sacks and tackles for loss in 2022.
Davion Godley rushes for career-high
Weber State freshman running back Davion Godley had a career-high in Saturday's game against Idaho State. Godley had career-highs of 16 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals, his first game surpassing 100 yards rushing. Godley also had three catches for 33 yards.
Godley, a true freshman from Richmond, Texas, has played in all 10 games this season for the Wildcats and has 79 carries for 531 yards and three touchdowns.
National/Big Sky rankings
As a team, Weber State ranks sixth in the country in net punting and 10th in kickoff returns. WSU is also 10th in the nation in rushing offense at 210.5 yards per game, and rank 19th in all of FCS football in total offense at 427.5 yards per game. WSU is also 13th in the nation in sacks allowed with just 10 this year.
Individually, Bird Butler ranks eighth in the nation in combined kick returns, and is ninth in punt returns.
Damon Bankston is 14th in the country in rushing yards per game at 105 and ranks 15th in yards per carry at 6.3. Senior Jacob Sharp is 11th in the nation in receiving touchdowns with eight.
Kyle Thompson is ninth in field goals per game at 1.4. He needs seven more field goals to pass Scott Shields as WSU's all-time leader.
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 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 Idaho
Idaho enters Saturday's game with a three-game winning streak and is ranked eighth in the nation in the Stats Perform media poll and 10th in the AFCA Coaches poll. Idaho is 7-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
The Vandals started the year at Oregon, now ranked first in the nation, and lost 24-14. They then picked up an FBS win 17-13 at Wyoming and also defeated UAlbany and Abilene Christian in non-conference play.
In Big Sky play, the only two losses are at UC Davis and Montana State, both ranked in the top four in the country. They have wins over Northern Arizona, Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, and Portland State.
This season, the Vandals rank second in the nation in punt return defense at 0.11. They are also seventh in passing yards per completion and ninth in red zone offense. Idaho has scored on 33 of 36 trips in the red zone with 27 touchdowns.
The Vandals are also first in the Big Sky in sacks with 26 on the year.
Idaho was 9-4 last season and in a tie for second in the Big Sky at 6-2. The Vandals advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
Idaho is coached by Jason Eck who is in his third season as head coach. He has led the Vandals to a 23-12 record and is 16-6 in conference play with two FCS Playoff appearances.
Series history
Saturday's game will be the 35th all-time meeting between the two schools who are both charter members of the Big Sky Conference. Idaho was a member of the Big Sky from 1963-1996 before leaving the conference. The Vandals returned to the Big Sky prior to the 2018 season.
Idaho holds an 18-15-1 all-time series lead over Weber State, but the two teams have met just twice since Idaho returned to the Big Sky, with Weber State winning both matchups.
This will be Weber State's first trip to Moscow since 2019 when the Wildcats beat the Vandals 41-35, en route to winning the Big Sky title.
Weber State beat Idaho who was ranked fourth in the country last season in Ogden. The 'Cats won the game 31-29 on November 11 at Stewart Stadium.
Quick hits
WSU sophomore quarterback Richie Muñoz currently ranks 20th in WSU history in career passing yards with 2,909 yards and 27 touchdowns in 14 career games with the Wildcats...Muñoz needs 91 more passing yards to become the 19th player in WSU history to reach 3,000 career passing yards...Weber State won its final three games of the season last year, beat Idaho State, Idaho, and Cal Poly. Those same opponents are in the same order for the final three this season.
Looking ahead
After Saturday, the 'Cats return to the road for the final time this season when they play at Idaho on November 16 in Moscow. It will be Weber State's first trip to Moscow since 2019. The final home game of the season will be on November 23 against Cal Poly.
