Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
Game 11: Wildcats head to Idaho State for rivalry game
11/12/2025 10:05:00 AM | Football
Weber State and Idaho State play Saturday at 4 p.m. in Pocatello in the annual Train Bell Trophy rivalry game.
• Under new leadership, Weber State football hits the road against a longtime rival with a trophy on the line as the Wildcats take on the Idaho State Bengals Saturday in Pocatello.
• The Wildcats are 3-7 overall and 1-5 in Big Sky play and are coming off a 66-14 loss at third-ranked Montana State on Saturday.
• Weber State has announced a change in coaching leadership and has parted ways with head coach Mickey Mental after three seasons.
• Brent Myers has been named the interim head coach at Weber State for the final two games of the season.
• Idaho State is 4-6 overall and 3-3 in Big Sky play heading into Saturday's game.
• Saturday's game is the Train Bell Trophy rivalry game
• 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 66th all-time meeting between the two schools, both charter members of the Big Sky. Weber State has played Idaho State more than any opponent in its history.
• Idaho State beat the Wildcats in Ogden last season. Weber State has won five straight and 10 of the last 11 games in Pocatello.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. from the ICCU Dome in Pocatello. The game will 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.
Weber State announces football leadership change
On Monday, Weber State announced a leadership change in its football program as the school parted ways with head coach Mickey Mental.
Mental was the head coach of Weber State and offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, and spent one season as the offensive coordinator before becoming head coach. In his three seasons as head coach, he posted a record of 13-20 overall and was 8-14 in Big Sky Conference games.
Brent Myers named interim head coach for remainder of the 2025 season
Weber State has named Brent Myers as the interim head coach for the final two games of the 2025 season. Myers has been the associate head coach at Weber State since 2014. He has been a part of 140 games as a coach in his 12 seasons at Weber State and has coached over 500 career games in 42 years of college coaching. Myers has also been the offensive line coach for the Wildcats. He has been a part of four Big Sky Championship teams, as well as six appearances in the FCS Playoffs during his time at Weber State.
Robert Conley will serve as the offensive coordinator for the final two games. Conley is in his sixth season on the Weber State staff and has spent the last two seasons as the Run Game Coordinator and tight ends coach. He has also coached the running backs at Weber State.
Train Bell Trophy on the line Saturday
The Train Bell Trophy is on the line in Saturday's matchup between the two longtime rivals. When the Big Sky Conference was formed in 1963, Idaho State and Weber State became natural rivals and were also connected by a railroad that ran through Pocatello and Ogden. For the first six years of the rivalry, students from each school would take turns riding a game train to the other campus for the annual game. An old locomotive train bell was secured for the rivalry between the two teams.
The trophy was discontinued in 1973, but the two schools renewed the trophy prior to last season's game.
Career day for Spencer Ferguson
Weber State redshirt freshman Spencer Ferguson had 22 carries for a career-high 88 rushing yards in the game at Montana State. Ferguson had only eight total career carries prior to Saturday's game. He also had a four-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for Weber State's first points of the day.
The Kaysville, Utah native now has 30 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns over the last three games.
Two quarterbacks see action
Weber State played two quarterbacks at Montana State. Freshman Kingston Tisdell started the game for the first time in his career. He was 5 of 11 passing for 22 yards before leaving the game. Junior Dijon Jennings was 12 of 18 for 85 yards and a touchdown.
On the season, Jennings has thrown for 639 yards and four touchdowns in six games. Tisdell has thrown for 165 yards and a touchdown in three games.
Weber State's starting quarterback at the start of the season, Jackson Gilkey, played in five games before a season-ending injury.
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.
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 Idaho State
The Bengals of Idaho State enter Saturday's game at 4-6 overall and 3-3 in Big Sky play and have won their last two games. Like Weber State, Idaho State started with the first three games on the road, including two at FBS opponents. ISU lost at UNLV, Southern Utah, and New Mexico to start the season, before a 90-0 win over Lincoln.
In Big Sky play, they won at Northern Colorado and also won 38-36 at #6 UC Davis. They have played four conference games against nationally-ranked teams. ISU is coming off a 27-17 win over Cal Poly last week.
This season, the Bengals lead the Big Sky and rank fourth in the country in passing offense, averaging 306 passing yards per game. ISU is also third in the nation in first downs.
The Bengals lead the country in net punting and are second in the nation in sacks allowed. ISU has only allowed three sacks this season.
Jordan Cooke is fourth in the nation in passing at 275.2 yards per game and fourth in completions per game at 21.7.
Coaches
Idaho State is coached by Cody Hawkins who is in his third season at Idaho State. He has a record of 12-21 with the Bengals and is 9-13 in Big Sky play. Hawkins is the son of longtime college coach Dan Hawkins.
The defensive coordinator at Idaho State is Grant Duff, who was a longtime assistant coach at Weber State. Duft spent 11 seasons on the staff at Weber State from 2014-24 and was the Co-Defensive Coordinator for four seasons before joining Idaho State last year.
Series history
This will be the 66th meeting all-time between the two schools, since Weber State became a Division I school. WSU has played ISU more than any opponent in its history and both schools charter members of the Big Sky Conference. The two teams have played every season since 1962.
Weber State holds a 49-16 all-time series lead, the most wins for WSU against any opponent. The Bengals won 43-35 last season in Ogden, which snapped WSU's 10-game winning streak in the series and was Idaho State's first win in Stewart Stadium since 1984.
The last time Idaho State beat Weber State in back-to-back years was 1983 and 1984.
In games in Pocatello, Weber State is 24-10 all-time and has won the last five games and 10 of the last 11 games. Idaho State's last win in Pocatello came in 2014.
Looking ahead
After Saturday, the 'Cats will face their final road game of the season next Saturday, November 15 at Idaho State.
WSU will close out the season with a home game against Northern Arizona on November 22.
