Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana
Game 9: Wildcats home again Saturday to take on No. 3 Montana
10/28/2025 4:23:00 PM | Football
Weber State and Montana kickoff Saturday at 1 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
• Weber State is home for the second-straight week as the Wildcats host nationally ranked Montana this Saturday at Stewart Stadium.
• The Wildcats are 3-5 overall and 1-3 in Big Sky play and are coming off a 23-20 home loss to Eastern Washington last week.
• Montana is 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Sky play and is ranked third in the country in the national polls.
• The Grizzlies are one of six undefeated teams in FCS football.
• The last four games is rivalry stretch for Weber State as the Wildcats will play their top four rivals in the final four games of the season.
• This will be the 59th all-time meeting between the two schools with Montana holding a 40-18 series lead.
• Weber State has won the last three games and five of the last six against the Grizzlies.
• The Big Sky has announced the 2026 football schedule.
• Saturday is Military Appreciation Day.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. at Stewart Stadium in Ogden. The game will be televised on Scripps Sports and shown in Utah on The Spot Utah 16 with Trey Bender, Jordan Tripp, and Kyle Hansen calling the action. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
The Weber State radio broadcast will be on 103.1 FM with Carl Arky and former WSU head coach and athletic director Jerry Graybeal on the call.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
'Cats drop home game to Eastern Washington
Weber State dropped a home game 23-20 to Eastern Washington on Saturday at Stewart Stadium. The 'Cats scored on the first possession of the game but gave up 23 points to the Eagles in the first half. However, the WSU defense, held the Eagles scoreless in the second half but WSU couldn't erase the lead.
The Wildcats held the Eagles to just 30 yards rushing, the fewest team rushing yards allowed by Weber State against a Division I opponent in four years.
WSU totaled 345 yards, compared to 199 for the Eagles, but the Wildcats had three turnovers in the game with two interceptions and one fumble.
Defense holds Eagles scoreless in second half
The Wildcat defense did not allow the Eagles to score in the second half. The 'Cats also gave up a season-low 199 yards of total offense, including just 23 total yards by the Eagles in the second half.
As a group, the defense had 12 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Junior linebacker Sione Hala led the way with a season-high 12 tackles. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack, along with one pass breakup.
Mayson Hitchens added 10 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss. Matt Herron had two tackles for loss and Zion Finau had 1.5 sacks.
Two more field goals for Sloan Calder
Wildcat senior Sloan Calder knocked down two more field goals in Saturday's game, giving him 14 on the season. He made a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 37-yarder in the fourth quarter, the only scoring by either team in the second half.
On the season, Calder is 14 of 17 on field goal attempts. He is currently second in the country in field goals per game at 1.75. The 14 field goals made is also the second-most of any player in the country. He needs two more field goals to get into the WSU single-season top 10 for field goals in a season.
He is also second in the Big Sky and 18th in the nation in field goal percentage at 82.4 percent.
Rankings
The Wildcats are seventh in the country in punt return defense at 2.6 per return. WSU is also 12th in the country in tackles for loss at 7.0 per game. Weber State is second in the Big Sky and 15th in the nation in fewest penalties, averaging 4.6 per game. WSU is also 23rd in the nation in sacks allowed.
Rivalry stretch
The final four games of the season will be rivalry stretch for Weber State. The Wildcats will close the season home to Montana, at Montana State, at Idaho State, and home to Northern Arizona. Those four schools are the four Weber State has faced the most in its history. This is only the third time ever Weber State has played those four teams in consecutive weeks and the first ever to end the season.
Military Appreciation Day
In Saturday's game, Weber State will honor all military personnel with Military Day. The Wildcats will wear all black uniforms and have a Go W logo with the American flag on the helmet.
The first 500 Wildcat fans will receive a Military Appreciation t-shirt.
Big Sky announces 2026 schedule
The Big Sky Conference has announced the 2026 football schedule, which includes an increase to nine conference games. Weber State's 2026 schedule will feature six home games and two matchups with in-state opponents.
With the addition of Southern Utah and Utah Tech to the Big Sky in 2026, the league will move to nine conference games annually, with one team playing eight games due to the odd number of schools. The 2026 schedule will also feature 12 teams in conference action during Week 0 to open the season, a first for the league. Playing conference games in Week 0 also gives flexibility for league teams to honor non-conference game contracts throughout the season.
The Wildcats will open the 2026 season at Northern Colorado on August 29, then face non-conference games at Southern Utah and Colorado, and the home opener against Northwestern State.
The 'Cats will resume Big Sky Conference play on September 26 at home against Portland State and also play home games against Idaho (October 10), Idaho State (October 17), UC Davis (October 31), and Utah Tech (November 21). It will be the first-ever conference matchup against Utah Tech.
In addition to the opener at Northern Colorado, the 'Cats will also play conference games on the road at Cal Poly (October 3), Montana State (October 24), at Northern Arizona (November 14).
Team captains
As selected by their teammates, Weber State has named four captains for the 2025 season. Wildcat senior fullback Colter May, senior offensive lineman Gavin Ortega, senior wide receiver Jayleen Record, and junior defensive tackle Keahnist Thompson will be the team captains for the 2025 season. Record is a captain for the second-straight season. May and Ortega were both selected as preseason All-Big Sky selections.
About No. 3 Montana
Montana enters Saturday's game at 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Sky play and the Grizzlies are ranked third in the nation in this week's coaches and media polls, the highest ranked Big Sky team.
Montana is one of six undefeated teams in FCS football this season. The Grizzlies have beaten two nationally ranked teams and have Big Sky wins over Idaho, Idaho State, Cal Poly, and Sacramento State. This will be just the third road game of the season for Montana.
This year, Montana ranks high nationally in several statistical categories. The Grizzlies are fifth in the nation in passing offense at 294.1 yards per game. They are also seventh in the country in red zone offense, eighth in scoring offense, ninth in first downs, 10th in total offense, and 11th in third down conversion percentage. The Grizzlies lead the Big Sky in total offense, scoring offense, red zone offense and red zone defense, interceptions, and fourth down percentage.
Individually, wide receiver Michael Wortham was named this week's Stats Perform National Player of the Week for his performance in the win at Sacramento State. He leads the nation in all-purpose yards at 178.8 per game. Quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat is third in the country in passing at 279.8 yards per game and Eli Gillman is ninth in the nation in rushing yards per game at 105.4.
The Grizzlies are coached by Bobby Hauck who is in his second stint as head coach at Montana and is UM's and the Big Sky's all-time leader in wins.
He was the head coach of the Grizzlies for seven years from 2003-09 and won the Big Sky title all seven seasons. He then went to UNLV for five seasons before returning to Montana since 2018.
All total in 15 seasons with the Grizzlies, Hauck is 146-41 overall and 83-22 in Big Sky games. He is the winningest coach in Montana and Big Sky history.
Series history
This will be the 59th meeting all-time between the two schools who are both charter members of the Big Sky Conference. The Wildcats and Grizzlies have played nearly every year since 1962, when Weber State became a Division I school.
Montana holds a 40-18 all-time series edge over the Wildcats but Weber State has controlled the series over the last few years. The Wildcats have won three straight and five of the last six games against Montana. The three-game winning streak is the longest ever for Weber State against Montana.
The Wildcats won a thrilling 55-48 overtime game last October in Missoula. WSU also defeated the Grizzlies 24-21 in 2022, Montana's last visit to Ogden. Prior to that, the 'Cats won a thrilling 17-10 game in Ogden in December 2019 in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs.
In games in Ogden, Montana is 18-10 all-time but the Wildcats have won three straight and five of the last six.
Looking ahead
After Saturday, it's back on the road for another rivalry game as the Wildcats head to Montana State on Saturday, November 8 in Bozeman.
WSU will close out the season on November 15 at Idaho State and at home on November 22 against Northern Arizona.
