Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Portland State
Wildcats host Vikings in home and Big Sky opener Saturday
9/3/2024 3:42:00 PM | Football
Weber State and Portland State kickoff at 6 p.m. Saturday night at Stewart Stadium in the home and Big Sky opener.
• Weber State football returns to Stewart Stadium for the home and Big Sky Conference opener Saturday night when the Wildcats host Portland State.
• Weber State is nationally ranked heading into Saturday's game. The Wildcats are ranked 24th in this week's Stats Perform FCS poll.
• Both Weber State and Portland State opened the season with losses at FBS opponents in the state of Washington. The Wildcats lost 35-3 at Washington in Seattle on Saturday and Portland State lost 70-30 at Washington State in Pullman.
• Saturday's game will be the earliest Big Sky game for Weber State since 2010.
• 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.
• WSU is 23-15 all-time against the Vikings but Portland State has won three of the last four games against the Wildcats.
• Bruce Barnum is in his 10th season as head coach of the Vikings.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Dave Fox and Riley Jensen calling the action.
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 nationally ranked heading into home opener
Weber State is ranked 24th in the nation in this week's Stats Perform FCS poll. WSU started the season ranked 22nd in the poll, marking 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 poll, including four in the top eighth. Montana State is ranked third, Montana fourth, Idaho seventh and Sacramento State is eighth. UC Davis is ranked 18th.
Wildcats open season with loss at Washington
Weber State opened the 2024 season with a 35-3 loss at the University of Washington late Saturday night in Seattle. The Huskies totaled 482 yards, compared to 253 yards for the Wildcats. WSU had 155 yards rushing and 98 yards passing.
Damon Bankston surpasses 100 yards in return to field
Wildcat junior and team captain Damon Bankston had a strong game in his first game in nearly a year. Bankston had 16 carries for 105 yards in the game at Washington, an average of 6.6 yards per carry. He also had a long rush of 35 yards.
It was Bankston's first game since September 30 of last year when he missed the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
In the game at Washington he moved up the record lists and now is 26th in Weber State history in career rushing yards with 1,325 yards and 16 carries in 28 career games with the Wildcats.
Defense records five TFL's in game with Huskies
The Weber State defense recorded five tackles for loss and two sacks in the game at Washington. Transfer Kemari Munier-Bailey had two tackles for loss, including a sack and finished with five total tackles. Brayden Wilson, Ishaan Daniels, and Angel King also each recorded a tackle for loss with King's counting as a sack for a loss of 10 yards.
Wilson led the Big Sky in tackles for loss last season with 16.5, which is the 10th most in a season in WSU history. He was also sixth in the conference in sacks last season.
He earned All-Big Sky honors last year and is the only returning player to earn all-conference honors last season. Wilson was named as a preseason All-American by Stats Perform and was named to the preseason All-Big Sky team.
Kyle Thompson named to preseason watch list
Senior kicker Kyle Thompson added to his career numbers as he connected on a 28-yard field goal late in the third quarter for the only points in the game at Washington. It was his 49th career field goal made, which is the third most in a career at Weber State. Thompson needs 19 more field goals to become WSU's all-time leader.
Prior to the season, he was 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 also has 287 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 39 more points to become Weber State'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 the current depth chart on offense.
Seven seniors is the fewest of any school in the Big Sky Conference.
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.
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 Portland State
The Vikings of Portland State opened the 2024 season with a 70-30 loss at Washington State Saturday afternoon in Pullman, Washington. The Vikings totaled 449 yards of total offense but gave up 637 yards to the Cougars, including 413 yards passing with six passing touchdowns.
Dante Chachere threw for 175 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more touchdowns. Delon Thompson rushed for 96 yards. Linebacker Michael Montgomery was named to the Big Sky preseason all-conference team.
The Vikings were 5-6 overall last season and 4-4 in conference played, tied with Weber State for sixth in the Big Sky standings.
Portland State has 14 starters returning from last seasons team with six of offense and eight on defense. The Vikings were picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll and 10th in the media poll.
Bruce Barnum is back for his 10th season as head coach of the Vikings.
Series history
This will be the 39th all-time meeting between the two schools with Weber State holding a 23-15 series lead and the Wildcats have won three of the last four games played.
The two teams last played in 2022, a 42-7 Weber State win in Hillsboro.
This will be Portland State's first game in Ogden since 2021. The Wildcats are 13-6 all-time against the Vikings in games at Stewart Stadium but Portland State has won two of the last three games in Ogden, including a 30-18 win in 2021.
Earliest conference game in 14 years
A week two conference game is not a common occurrence. This will be the earliest Big Sky game for Weber State since 2010, when the 'Cats played Northern Colorado in week two. It's also just the second time for the Wildcats playing a conference opponent in week two in the last 30 years.
Quick hits
The Wildcats have won seven of their last nine Big Sky openers...Saturday's game at Washington had a reported crowd of 66,984 fans, which is the highest attendance ever for a game involving Weber State...Sophomore punter Oscar Doyle, a native of Brisbane, Australia, had a strong debut for the 'Cats as he had six punts for an average of 43.7 yards, with a long punt of 51 yards, in his first collegiate game...WSU was selected sixth in the Big Sky preseason poll, released in July...Weber State has 34 players on the roster from the state of Utah, followed by 25 from California, 15 from Texas, and seven from Idaho.
Looking ahead
After Saturday's home opener its on the road for two games for the Wildcats. WSU will play at Lamar in Beaumont, Texas on September 14 and at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana on September 21.
The next home games is on September 28 against McNeese, meaning the next three games for the Wildcats will be against teams from the Southland Conference.
