Weber State University Athletics
Saturday, September 6
Tucson, AZ
8:00 p.m. MT
Weber State University
at
Arizona
Game 2: Weber State Wildcats take on Arizona Wildcats Saturday in Tucson
9/2/2025 4:10:00 PM | Football
Saturday's game will be the first meeting ever between the two schools.
• It will be a battle of Wildcats in game two of the 2025 season as the Weber State Wildcats head south to take on the Arizona Wildcats Saturday night in Tucson.
• Weber State opened the season with a 45-10 loss last Saturday at James Madison.
• Arizona opened the season at home with a 40-6 win over Hawaii.
• Weber State is coming off a 4-8 season in 2024. The Wildcats return 12 starters off last year's team and welcome several new players, including 10 Division I transfers.
• Arizona was 4-8 last season and finished 2-7 in the Big 12.
• Mickey Mental is back for his third season as head coach of the Wildcats. WSU also welcomes four new assistant coaches to the staff.
• This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard time, which is 8 p.m. Mountain Daylight time in Utah, from Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Ted Emrich and Jeff Woody 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 on the call.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
'Cats open the season at James Madison
In the season opener, Weber State fell 45-10 at James Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Dukes totaled 458 yards of offense, compared to 148 for Weber State. JMU had 313 yards rushing and held the Wildcats to just 64 yards on the ground.
The Dukes also forced three Wildcat interceptions and held WSU to 10 first downs.
On offense, Weber State transfer Jackson Gilkey played his first collegiate game and threw for 84 yards and a touchdown. Senior transfer Zach Hrbacek led the rushing game with 12 carries for 39 yards and Marcus Chretien had two catches for 22 yards.
Defensively, senior Angel King had a game-high 11 tackles and had an interception. Mayson Hitches and Kao Hansen each added seven tackles. The Wildcats had eight tackles for loss and Aizik Mahuka forced a fumble.
On special teams, senior Sloan Calder knocked down a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter, which was a career-long and also tied the longest field goal made by any player in FCS football in Week 1.
Henry Way had six punts for an average of 39.7 yards per punt and Noah Kjar had six kickoff returns for 99 yards.
A look at the 2025 Wildcats
A new year means several returning faces and several new additions to the Wildcat roster. The 'Cats return 67 players that were on the roster last season. The 'Cats have 12 starters returning from the end of last season.
Several players joined Weber State in the transfer portal, including 10 FBS or FCS transfers. The Wildcats have two new quarterbacks who are both FBS transfers. Jackson Gilkey, a sophomore transfer from UTSA is listed first on the week one depth chart. Cash McCollum, a redshirt sophomore transfer from North Texas, is listed second.
Other new Wildcat transfers include linebacker Sione Hala (Boston College), defensive end Josh Hardy (North Carolina A&T), running back Zach Hrbacek (Sam Houston), and BYU transfer Porter Small.
WSU was picked eighth in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll.
Two Wildcats earn preseason honors
Weber State senior offensive lineman Gavin Ortega was selected as a preseason All-American prior to the 2025 season. He was named to the preseason All-America second team by Stats Perform.
Ortega earned All-Big Sky second team honors in 2024 after starting all 12 games for the Wildcats. He is the only returning Wildcat who earned All-Big Sky honors last season.
The native of Bellingham, Washington, enters his senior season having played in 29 career games at Weber State. He also earned Academic All-District honors in 2024.
Ortega also earned preseason All-Big Sky honors, as did WSU senior fullback Colter May. May enters his senior season at Weber State having played in 31 career games. He has been part of the Wildcat program since the spring 2021 season, one of three players from that season still on the roster.
May, a native of Heyburn, Idaho, played in all 12 games in 2024.
Other returners
Other returners include running back Davion Godley who rushed for 630 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman last season. Multiple wide receivers return, including Marcus Chretien, Jayleen Record, and Noah Kjar who were all in the top five of receiving yards last season.
All 10 players listed on the depth chart on the offensive line were part of the roster last season.
On defense, the 'Cats have five returning starters on defense, along with multiple players that saw significant action. Keahnist Thompson, Matt Herron, and Easton Payne all return on the defensive line, along with linebackers Mayson Hitchens and Aizik Mahuka. Hitchens was second on the Wildcat team in tackles last season.
Trevian Tribble was fifth in tackles and returns along with other secondary returners including Angel King, BJ Carey, Montae Pate, and Kao Hansen.
On special teams, kick returners Kjar, Record, and Bird Butler are all returning, and kicker Sloan Calder.
'Cats begin three game road stretch to start the season
Weber State is starting the season with three straight road games and will play four of the first five games on the road. In addition, the first four road games will be played in four different time zones.
The Wildcats are one of 11 schools in FCS football to start the season with four of the first five games on the road, and one of 10 to start the season with four of the first five games on the road.
Weber State is the only school in all of Division I football to have the first four road games played in four different time zones (not including games in Hawaii).
This season, Weber State will travel nearly 13,000 miles for the seven road games, with nearly 9,000 miles in the first three games.
This is the first time since 2012 when Weber State has started a season with back-to-back games against FBS opponents. In 2012, WSU opened the season at Fresno State and BYU. This marks the first season ever that the Wildcats open against two FBS opponents, including one from a Power 4 conference.
A look back at 2024
Weber State was 4-8 in 2024 and had multiple close losses. The Wildcats lost six games by a total of 25 points in 2024, all one possession losses, including four losses by a total of 10 points. WSU lost by one point at Lamar, two points to McNeese, three points in double overtime to Sacramento State, four points to Northern Colorado, seven points to Idaho, and eight points to Idaho State.
After a loss at Washington, Weber State began Big Sky play with a win over Portland State, followed by the loss at Lamar. The Wildcats shutout Northwestern State 39-0 on September 21.
The highlight of the season was a thrilling 55-48 overtime win at No. 8 ranked Montana on October 5 in Missoula. The 'Cats had six touchdown passes in the game and passed for 364 yards.
Weber State closed out the season with a 28-17 home win over Cal Poly, as the 'Cats posted 456 yards of total offense.
Weber State lost only seven seniors off last year's team, but also lost multiple players to the transfer portal.
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.
Head coach Mickey Mental returns for third season as head coach
Mickey Mental is in his third season as head coach and his fourth overall season at Weber State. He is also the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats.
Mental came to Weber State as the offensive coordinator under Jay Hill for the 2022 season and helped lead the Wildcats to the second round of the FCS Playoffs. He was named the 12th head coach in Weber State history in December 2022. In his third season as head coach, he has a 10-14 overall record and a 7-9 Big Sky record at Weber State.
Prior to coming to Weber State, 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. He is a native of Olmstead Falls, Ohio.
Four new assistant coaches join the Wildcats
Weber State welcomed four new coaches to the staff this season, including two former Wildcat football players. Keilan Benjamin (cornerbacks), Brady Daigh (defensive tackles), Justin "Ace" Mullgrav (linebackers), and Daniel Wright Jr. (running backs), are all new to the Wildcat staff this season. Benjamin and Wright are former Wildcat players. Benjamin was a standout cornerback with the Wildcats in 2017 and 2018 and earned first-team All-Big Sky honors, while helping the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Sky titles. Wright was a running back at Weber State from 2019 to the spring 2021 season. He was also part of two Big Sky Championship teams.
Former Wildcat all-time great joins the coaching staff
Coach Mental also added one more Wildcat great to the coaching staff as Weber State Hall of Famer Jamie Martin was added as an Offensive Analyst. Martin is one of the best players in Weber State and Big Sky Conference history. He played quarterback at Weber State from 1989-92 and was a two-time All-American and a two-time Big Sky MVP. He won the Walter Payton Award in 1991 as the top player in the country, the only Wildcat to ever do so. He is a member of the Weber State Hall of Fame and the Big Sky Hall of Fame and he is the only player in WSU history to have his jersey retired. Following his Weber State career, Martin played 16 years in the NFL and was a part of seven different teams.
About Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats opened the season with a 40-6 home win over Hawaii last Saturday night. Arizona totaled 344 yards of offense, with 183 rushing and 163 passing. The Wildcat defense also had three interceptions and 10 tackles for loss with five sacks.
Arizona was 4-8 last season and finished 2-7 in Big 12 play.
The Wildcats are coached by Brent Brennan who is in his second season in Tucson. He was previously the head coach at San Jose State for seven seasons from 2017-23 where he posted a 34-48 record and guided the Spartans to two Mountain West titles and three bowl game appearances.
Series history
This will be the first ever meeting between Weber State and Arizona.
Quick hits
Weber State has two players from Arizona on the roster in safety Donavon Aidoo from Gilbert and sophomore offensive lineman Will Way who is a native of Tucson and returning to his hometown. Way attended Pusch Ridge Academy in Tucson....According to the Massey Ratings, Weber State has the second most difficult strength of schedule in FCS this season...Weber State has 32 players from the state of Utah, followed by 28 from California, and 16 from Texas.
Weber State football history
This marks the 64th 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. 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 defensive 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.
Looking ahead
After Saturday's game in Tucson, the Wildcats wrap up the three game road trip next Saturday at McNeese in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
• Weber State opened the season with a 45-10 loss last Saturday at James Madison.
• Arizona opened the season at home with a 40-6 win over Hawaii.
• Weber State is coming off a 4-8 season in 2024. The Wildcats return 12 starters off last year's team and welcome several new players, including 10 Division I transfers.
• Arizona was 4-8 last season and finished 2-7 in the Big 12.
• Mickey Mental is back for his third season as head coach of the Wildcats. WSU also welcomes four new assistant coaches to the staff.
• This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard time, which is 8 p.m. Mountain Daylight time in Utah, from Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Ted Emrich and Jeff Woody 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 on the call.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
'Cats open the season at James Madison
In the season opener, Weber State fell 45-10 at James Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Dukes totaled 458 yards of offense, compared to 148 for Weber State. JMU had 313 yards rushing and held the Wildcats to just 64 yards on the ground.
The Dukes also forced three Wildcat interceptions and held WSU to 10 first downs.
On offense, Weber State transfer Jackson Gilkey played his first collegiate game and threw for 84 yards and a touchdown. Senior transfer Zach Hrbacek led the rushing game with 12 carries for 39 yards and Marcus Chretien had two catches for 22 yards.
Defensively, senior Angel King had a game-high 11 tackles and had an interception. Mayson Hitches and Kao Hansen each added seven tackles. The Wildcats had eight tackles for loss and Aizik Mahuka forced a fumble.
On special teams, senior Sloan Calder knocked down a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter, which was a career-long and also tied the longest field goal made by any player in FCS football in Week 1.
Henry Way had six punts for an average of 39.7 yards per punt and Noah Kjar had six kickoff returns for 99 yards.
A look at the 2025 Wildcats
A new year means several returning faces and several new additions to the Wildcat roster. The 'Cats return 67 players that were on the roster last season. The 'Cats have 12 starters returning from the end of last season.
Several players joined Weber State in the transfer portal, including 10 FBS or FCS transfers. The Wildcats have two new quarterbacks who are both FBS transfers. Jackson Gilkey, a sophomore transfer from UTSA is listed first on the week one depth chart. Cash McCollum, a redshirt sophomore transfer from North Texas, is listed second.
Other new Wildcat transfers include linebacker Sione Hala (Boston College), defensive end Josh Hardy (North Carolina A&T), running back Zach Hrbacek (Sam Houston), and BYU transfer Porter Small.
WSU was picked eighth in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll.
Two Wildcats earn preseason honors
Weber State senior offensive lineman Gavin Ortega was selected as a preseason All-American prior to the 2025 season. He was named to the preseason All-America second team by Stats Perform.
Ortega earned All-Big Sky second team honors in 2024 after starting all 12 games for the Wildcats. He is the only returning Wildcat who earned All-Big Sky honors last season.
The native of Bellingham, Washington, enters his senior season having played in 29 career games at Weber State. He also earned Academic All-District honors in 2024.
Ortega also earned preseason All-Big Sky honors, as did WSU senior fullback Colter May. May enters his senior season at Weber State having played in 31 career games. He has been part of the Wildcat program since the spring 2021 season, one of three players from that season still on the roster.
May, a native of Heyburn, Idaho, played in all 12 games in 2024.
Other returners
Other returners include running back Davion Godley who rushed for 630 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman last season. Multiple wide receivers return, including Marcus Chretien, Jayleen Record, and Noah Kjar who were all in the top five of receiving yards last season.
All 10 players listed on the depth chart on the offensive line were part of the roster last season.
On defense, the 'Cats have five returning starters on defense, along with multiple players that saw significant action. Keahnist Thompson, Matt Herron, and Easton Payne all return on the defensive line, along with linebackers Mayson Hitchens and Aizik Mahuka. Hitchens was second on the Wildcat team in tackles last season.
Trevian Tribble was fifth in tackles and returns along with other secondary returners including Angel King, BJ Carey, Montae Pate, and Kao Hansen.
On special teams, kick returners Kjar, Record, and Bird Butler are all returning, and kicker Sloan Calder.
'Cats begin three game road stretch to start the season
Weber State is starting the season with three straight road games and will play four of the first five games on the road. In addition, the first four road games will be played in four different time zones.
The Wildcats are one of 11 schools in FCS football to start the season with four of the first five games on the road, and one of 10 to start the season with four of the first five games on the road.
Weber State is the only school in all of Division I football to have the first four road games played in four different time zones (not including games in Hawaii).
This season, Weber State will travel nearly 13,000 miles for the seven road games, with nearly 9,000 miles in the first three games.
This is the first time since 2012 when Weber State has started a season with back-to-back games against FBS opponents. In 2012, WSU opened the season at Fresno State and BYU. This marks the first season ever that the Wildcats open against two FBS opponents, including one from a Power 4 conference.
A look back at 2024
Weber State was 4-8 in 2024 and had multiple close losses. The Wildcats lost six games by a total of 25 points in 2024, all one possession losses, including four losses by a total of 10 points. WSU lost by one point at Lamar, two points to McNeese, three points in double overtime to Sacramento State, four points to Northern Colorado, seven points to Idaho, and eight points to Idaho State.
After a loss at Washington, Weber State began Big Sky play with a win over Portland State, followed by the loss at Lamar. The Wildcats shutout Northwestern State 39-0 on September 21.
The highlight of the season was a thrilling 55-48 overtime win at No. 8 ranked Montana on October 5 in Missoula. The 'Cats had six touchdown passes in the game and passed for 364 yards.
Weber State closed out the season with a 28-17 home win over Cal Poly, as the 'Cats posted 456 yards of total offense.
Weber State lost only seven seniors off last year's team, but also lost multiple players to the transfer portal.
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.
Head coach Mickey Mental returns for third season as head coach
Mickey Mental is in his third season as head coach and his fourth overall season at Weber State. He is also the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats.
Mental came to Weber State as the offensive coordinator under Jay Hill for the 2022 season and helped lead the Wildcats to the second round of the FCS Playoffs. He was named the 12th head coach in Weber State history in December 2022. In his third season as head coach, he has a 10-14 overall record and a 7-9 Big Sky record at Weber State.
Prior to coming to Weber State, 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. He is a native of Olmstead Falls, Ohio.
Four new assistant coaches join the Wildcats
Weber State welcomed four new coaches to the staff this season, including two former Wildcat football players. Keilan Benjamin (cornerbacks), Brady Daigh (defensive tackles), Justin "Ace" Mullgrav (linebackers), and Daniel Wright Jr. (running backs), are all new to the Wildcat staff this season. Benjamin and Wright are former Wildcat players. Benjamin was a standout cornerback with the Wildcats in 2017 and 2018 and earned first-team All-Big Sky honors, while helping the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Sky titles. Wright was a running back at Weber State from 2019 to the spring 2021 season. He was also part of two Big Sky Championship teams.
Former Wildcat all-time great joins the coaching staff
Coach Mental also added one more Wildcat great to the coaching staff as Weber State Hall of Famer Jamie Martin was added as an Offensive Analyst. Martin is one of the best players in Weber State and Big Sky Conference history. He played quarterback at Weber State from 1989-92 and was a two-time All-American and a two-time Big Sky MVP. He won the Walter Payton Award in 1991 as the top player in the country, the only Wildcat to ever do so. He is a member of the Weber State Hall of Fame and the Big Sky Hall of Fame and he is the only player in WSU history to have his jersey retired. Following his Weber State career, Martin played 16 years in the NFL and was a part of seven different teams.
About Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats opened the season with a 40-6 home win over Hawaii last Saturday night. Arizona totaled 344 yards of offense, with 183 rushing and 163 passing. The Wildcat defense also had three interceptions and 10 tackles for loss with five sacks.
Arizona was 4-8 last season and finished 2-7 in Big 12 play.
The Wildcats are coached by Brent Brennan who is in his second season in Tucson. He was previously the head coach at San Jose State for seven seasons from 2017-23 where he posted a 34-48 record and guided the Spartans to two Mountain West titles and three bowl game appearances.
Series history
This will be the first ever meeting between Weber State and Arizona.
Quick hits
Weber State has two players from Arizona on the roster in safety Donavon Aidoo from Gilbert and sophomore offensive lineman Will Way who is a native of Tucson and returning to his hometown. Way attended Pusch Ridge Academy in Tucson....According to the Massey Ratings, Weber State has the second most difficult strength of schedule in FCS this season...Weber State has 32 players from the state of Utah, followed by 28 from California, and 16 from Texas.
Weber State football history
This marks the 64th 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. 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 defensive 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.
Looking ahead
After Saturday's game in Tucson, the Wildcats wrap up the three game road trip next Saturday at McNeese in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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Weber State football Mic'd Up - Angel King
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Mic'd Up - Angel King
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