Weber State University Athletics
Saturday, August 31
Seattle, WA
9:00 p.m. MT
Weber State University
at
Washington
Game 1: Wildcats open 2024 season Saturday night at Washington
8/26/2024 4:33:00 PM | Football
Weber State and Washington will meet for the first time ever Saturday night in Seattle. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
• Weber State football opens its 63rd season of NCAA football Saturday night when the Wildcats take on a new opponent in a new conference.
• Weber State opens the 2024 season at the University of Washington Saturday at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. Pacific time (9 p.m. MT).
• Weber State is coming off a 6-5 season last year and won the final three games of the season, including a win over No. 4 Idaho. WSU has had nine-straight winning seasons.
• Head coach Mickey Mental returns for his second season as the head coach at Weber State.
• The Wildcats return nine starters off last year's team but have just seven seniors on this year's roster.
• Weber State is ranked 22nd in the Stats FCS preseason poll, the eighth-straight season the Wildcats have been nationally ranked in a preseason poll.
• Washington was 14-1 record last season and lost in the championship game of the College Football Playoff. Saturday's game is the first game for new Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.
• The Huskies are in their first year as members of the Big Ten Conference and Saturday's game will be Weber State's first-ever game against a team from the Big Ten.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network with Jeff Levering, Jake Butt, and Lincoln Kennedy calling the action, with Brooke Fletcher on the sideline.
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 is nationally ranked again to start a season
For the eighth-straight year, Weber State will begin the season nationally ranked. The Wildcats are ranked 22nd in the nation in the Stats Perform FCS preseason Top 25. It's the eighth-straight year the Wildcats have been nationally ranked in a preseason poll. The Wildcats have recorded nine-straight winning seasons.
The Big Sky has six teams in the Stats Perform preseason poll, including four in the top eight with Montana is ranked third, Montana State fourth, Idaho seventh and Sacramento State is eighth.
Wildcats open 2024 after winning final three games of 2023
Weber State finished the 2023 season with a 6-5 overall record and won the final three games of the season, including a win over fourth-ranked Idaho. It was the ninth-straight winning season for Weber State, the longest streak in school history.
The Wildcats lost four All-Americans and 10 players that earned All-Big Sky Conference honors and off last year's team, including senior linebacker Winston Reid who is now a member of the Cleveland Browns.
The 'Cats return nine starters but have just one player that earned All-Big Sky honors last year returning, in junior defensive end Brayden Wilson. Junior running back Damon Bankston earned all-conference honors in 2022 and is also back for the Wildcats.
Head coach Mickey Mental returns for second season as head coach
Mickey Mental returns for 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.
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.
Preseason honors for Brayden Wilson
Weber State junior defensive end Brayden Wilson has received multiple preseason honors. Wilson was named as a preseason All-American by Stats Perform and was named to the preseason All-Big Sky team.
Wilson is the only Wildcat to earn All-Big Sky honors last year that is returning for the 2024 season. He earned second-team all-conference honors last season after leading the Big Sky in tackles for loss last season. He was 11th overall last year and led the conference at 16.5 tackles for loss throughout the season. The 16.5 tackles for loss ranks as the 10th most in a season in WSU history.
Wilson was also sixth in the Big Sky and 27th in the nation in sacks with 7.5 last season. He had season-highs of eight tackles against Utah and Cal Poly last season and had two sacks against Montana State.
A native of Kaysville, Utah, and a graduate of Farmington High School, Wilson has been a part of the Wildcat program since the spring 2021 season and enters the 204 season having played in 25 career games. He has 81 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 career sacks.
Kyle Thompson named to preseason watch list
Senior kicker Kyle Thompson has been named to the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award preseason watch list, which is presented annually to the nation's top place-kicker in FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and NJCAA for excellence on the football field and in the community.
Thompson, a native of American Fork, Utah, is one of 12 kickers in FCS football named to the preseason watch list and is the only player from the Big Sky Conference on the list.
He returns for his senior season at Weber State and has been a part of the Wildcat program for the last four seasons. He enters the 2024 season having played in 41 career games and has 48 career field goals, which ranks as the third most in school history. He needs 20 more field goals to become WSU's all-time leader. He is 48 of 66 on field goal attempts in his career.
Thompson also enters the season with 284 career points, which is fourth in career scoring in school history. Thompson is a perfect 140 for 140 on career extra point attempts. He needs 42 more points to become Weber State's all-time leader.
Richie Muñoz back as quarterback
Richie Muñoz returns as the starting quarterback for the Wildcats after starring the final five games of the season as a true freshman last year and leading the Wildcats to wins in the final three games.
In the five games he played last year, Muñoz threw for 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception. He also rushed for 93 yards and two more touchdowns. In the final three wins, Muñoz threw for 703 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 329 yards and five touchdowns and another rushing touchdown in the season-ending win at Cal Poly and was named the Big Sky Player of the Week.
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.
2024 schedule
Weber State has seven road games and five home games in 2024. After the opener at Washington, the Wildcats will have the Big Sky and home opener on September 7 against Portland State. WSU then plays three-straight games against teams from the Southland Conference, playing at Lamar (Sept. 14), and Northwestern State (Sept. 21), then hosting McNeese (Sept. 28).
About Washington
Washington opens its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference Saturday night against Weber State. The Huskies are coming off a 14-1 season last year and lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
This year is a season of change for the Huskies, including a new coaching staff and a roster turnover. Washington has just two returning starters back from last season.
Jedd Fisch is in his first season as head coach of the Huskies after coaching the last three seasons at Arizona. Steve Belichick, son of legendary coach Bill Belichick is the defensive coordinator for the Huskies, and Brennan Carroll, the son of legendary college and NFL coach Pete Carroll, is the offensive coordinator.
Jason Kaufusi is the Run Game Coordinator and Defensive Line coach at Washington and came with Fisch from Arizona. Kaufusi was an assistant coach at Weber State for two stints. He coached the defensive ends at WSU under coach Ron McBride in 2010 and 2011, then returned for three seasons under coach Jay Hill from 2014-16, including serving as the defensive coordinator in 2016 where he helped lead the Wildcats to the FCS Playoffs and led the Big Sky in passing defense. Kaufusi played and coached at BYU.
Series history
This will be the first ever game between the two schools. It's also Weber State's first-ever game against a team from the Big Ten Conference. WSU played six games in its history against teams from the Pac-12 Conference (Utah three times, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Cal). Weber State's last win against an FBS program came in 2022, a 35-7 win at Utah State.
Quick hits
Weber State was selected sixth in the Big Sky preseason poll, released in July...The Wildcats have five players on this year's roster from the state of Washington, including two starters on the depth chart in Gavin Ortega and Ishaan Daniels...Weber State Associate Head Coach and offensive line coach Brent Myers was an assistant coach at Washington under Rick Nehueisel from 2000-02...WSU has 34 players on the roster from the state of Utah, followed by 25 from California, 15 from Texas, and seven from Idaho...Weber State is starting the season with three of the first four games on the road...With a capacity of 70,138 fans, Husky Stadium will be the second largest stadium Weber State has ever played in. WSU played at Arkansas in 2001, which had a capacity of 72,000. The largest attendance of a game WSU has ever played in was 60,314 at BYU in 2012.
Weber State football history
This marks the 63rd season of football at Weber State, since the school became a four-year institution. The Wildcats are charter members of the Big Sky Conference and have won eight Big Sky titles and advanced to the FCS Playoffs 10 times, including six of the last eight seasons. WSU won four Big Sky titles and advanced to the FCS Playoffs six times under Jay Hill who was the head coach from 2014-22, now the offensive coordinator at BYU. Veteran college football coaches Mike Price (1981-89) and Ron McBride (2005-11) were also head coaches at Weber State and led the Wildcats to Big Sky titles.
• Weber State opens the 2024 season at the University of Washington Saturday at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. Pacific time (9 p.m. MT).
• Weber State is coming off a 6-5 season last year and won the final three games of the season, including a win over No. 4 Idaho. WSU has had nine-straight winning seasons.
• Head coach Mickey Mental returns for his second season as the head coach at Weber State.
• The Wildcats return nine starters off last year's team but have just seven seniors on this year's roster.
• Weber State is ranked 22nd in the Stats FCS preseason poll, the eighth-straight season the Wildcats have been nationally ranked in a preseason poll.
• Washington was 14-1 record last season and lost in the championship game of the College Football Playoff. Saturday's game is the first game for new Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.
• The Huskies are in their first year as members of the Big Ten Conference and Saturday's game will be Weber State's first-ever game against a team from the Big Ten.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network with Jeff Levering, Jake Butt, and Lincoln Kennedy calling the action, with Brooke Fletcher on the sideline.
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 is nationally ranked again to start a season
For the eighth-straight year, Weber State will begin the season nationally ranked. The Wildcats are ranked 22nd in the nation in the Stats Perform FCS preseason Top 25. It's the eighth-straight year the Wildcats have been nationally ranked in a preseason poll. The Wildcats have recorded nine-straight winning seasons.
The Big Sky has six teams in the Stats Perform preseason poll, including four in the top eight with Montana is ranked third, Montana State fourth, Idaho seventh and Sacramento State is eighth.
Wildcats open 2024 after winning final three games of 2023
Weber State finished the 2023 season with a 6-5 overall record and won the final three games of the season, including a win over fourth-ranked Idaho. It was the ninth-straight winning season for Weber State, the longest streak in school history.
The Wildcats lost four All-Americans and 10 players that earned All-Big Sky Conference honors and off last year's team, including senior linebacker Winston Reid who is now a member of the Cleveland Browns.
The 'Cats return nine starters but have just one player that earned All-Big Sky honors last year returning, in junior defensive end Brayden Wilson. Junior running back Damon Bankston earned all-conference honors in 2022 and is also back for the Wildcats.
Head coach Mickey Mental returns for second season as head coach
Mickey Mental returns for 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.
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.
Preseason honors for Brayden Wilson
Weber State junior defensive end Brayden Wilson has received multiple preseason honors. Wilson was named as a preseason All-American by Stats Perform and was named to the preseason All-Big Sky team.
Wilson is the only Wildcat to earn All-Big Sky honors last year that is returning for the 2024 season. He earned second-team all-conference honors last season after leading the Big Sky in tackles for loss last season. He was 11th overall last year and led the conference at 16.5 tackles for loss throughout the season. The 16.5 tackles for loss ranks as the 10th most in a season in WSU history.
Wilson was also sixth in the Big Sky and 27th in the nation in sacks with 7.5 last season. He had season-highs of eight tackles against Utah and Cal Poly last season and had two sacks against Montana State.
A native of Kaysville, Utah, and a graduate of Farmington High School, Wilson has been a part of the Wildcat program since the spring 2021 season and enters the 204 season having played in 25 career games. He has 81 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 career sacks.
Kyle Thompson named to preseason watch list
Senior kicker Kyle Thompson has been named to the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award preseason watch list, which is presented annually to the nation's top place-kicker in FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and NJCAA for excellence on the football field and in the community.
Thompson, a native of American Fork, Utah, is one of 12 kickers in FCS football named to the preseason watch list and is the only player from the Big Sky Conference on the list.
He returns for his senior season at Weber State and has been a part of the Wildcat program for the last four seasons. He enters the 2024 season having played in 41 career games and has 48 career field goals, which ranks as the third most in school history. He needs 20 more field goals to become WSU's all-time leader. He is 48 of 66 on field goal attempts in his career.
Thompson also enters the season with 284 career points, which is fourth in career scoring in school history. Thompson is a perfect 140 for 140 on career extra point attempts. He needs 42 more points to become Weber State's all-time leader.
Richie Muñoz back as quarterback
Richie Muñoz returns as the starting quarterback for the Wildcats after starring the final five games of the season as a true freshman last year and leading the Wildcats to wins in the final three games.
In the five games he played last year, Muñoz threw for 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception. He also rushed for 93 yards and two more touchdowns. In the final three wins, Muñoz threw for 703 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 329 yards and five touchdowns and another rushing touchdown in the season-ending win at Cal Poly and was named the Big Sky Player of the Week.
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.
2024 schedule
Weber State has seven road games and five home games in 2024. After the opener at Washington, the Wildcats will have the Big Sky and home opener on September 7 against Portland State. WSU then plays three-straight games against teams from the Southland Conference, playing at Lamar (Sept. 14), and Northwestern State (Sept. 21), then hosting McNeese (Sept. 28).
About Washington
Washington opens its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference Saturday night against Weber State. The Huskies are coming off a 14-1 season last year and lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
This year is a season of change for the Huskies, including a new coaching staff and a roster turnover. Washington has just two returning starters back from last season.
Jedd Fisch is in his first season as head coach of the Huskies after coaching the last three seasons at Arizona. Steve Belichick, son of legendary coach Bill Belichick is the defensive coordinator for the Huskies, and Brennan Carroll, the son of legendary college and NFL coach Pete Carroll, is the offensive coordinator.
Jason Kaufusi is the Run Game Coordinator and Defensive Line coach at Washington and came with Fisch from Arizona. Kaufusi was an assistant coach at Weber State for two stints. He coached the defensive ends at WSU under coach Ron McBride in 2010 and 2011, then returned for three seasons under coach Jay Hill from 2014-16, including serving as the defensive coordinator in 2016 where he helped lead the Wildcats to the FCS Playoffs and led the Big Sky in passing defense. Kaufusi played and coached at BYU.
Series history
This will be the first ever game between the two schools. It's also Weber State's first-ever game against a team from the Big Ten Conference. WSU played six games in its history against teams from the Pac-12 Conference (Utah three times, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Cal). Weber State's last win against an FBS program came in 2022, a 35-7 win at Utah State.
Quick hits
Weber State was selected sixth in the Big Sky preseason poll, released in July...The Wildcats have five players on this year's roster from the state of Washington, including two starters on the depth chart in Gavin Ortega and Ishaan Daniels...Weber State Associate Head Coach and offensive line coach Brent Myers was an assistant coach at Washington under Rick Nehueisel from 2000-02...WSU has 34 players on the roster from the state of Utah, followed by 25 from California, 15 from Texas, and seven from Idaho...Weber State is starting the season with three of the first four games on the road...With a capacity of 70,138 fans, Husky Stadium will be the second largest stadium Weber State has ever played in. WSU played at Arkansas in 2001, which had a capacity of 72,000. The largest attendance of a game WSU has ever played in was 60,314 at BYU in 2012.
Weber State football history
This marks the 63rd season of football at Weber State, since the school became a four-year institution. The Wildcats are charter members of the Big Sky Conference and have won eight Big Sky titles and advanced to the FCS Playoffs 10 times, including six of the last eight seasons. WSU won four Big Sky titles and advanced to the FCS Playoffs six times under Jay Hill who was the head coach from 2014-22, now the offensive coordinator at BYU. Veteran college football coaches Mike Price (1981-89) and Ron McBride (2005-11) were also head coaches at Weber State and led the Wildcats to Big Sky titles.
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