Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
Game 8: 'Cats host Bengals in Big Sky battle Saturday
10/13/2026 4:06:00 PM | Football
Weber State and Idaho State meet for the Train Bell Trophy on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Homecoming game.
• Riding a two-game winning streak, it's another home game for Weber State as the Wildcats host longtime rival Idaho State on Saturday at Stewart Stadium.
• Weber State is 4-3 on the season and 3-1 in Big Sky play.
• The Wildcats are coming off a 38-27 win over Idaho on Saturday.
• Idaho State is 4-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Bengals started the season 4-0, including a win at Utah State, but have lost their last two games. Idaho State is ranked 21st in the nation in this week's FCS polls.
• Trevian Tribble was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after recording two interceptions in helping the Wildcats to Saturday's win.
• Weber State is second in the conference in scoring offense and rushing offense.
• WSU is in the first season with Eric Kjar as the new head coach of the Wildcat football team.
• The Wildcats have 80 new players on this year's squad.
• Weber State's next four opponents are all nationally ranked.
• Saturday's game will be the annual Homecoming game at Weber State.
• It's also the battle for the Train Bell trophy.
• This will be the 67th meeting between the two schools with Weber State holding a 49-17 series lead, but the Bengals have won the last two games played.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. from Stewart Stadium.
The game will be televised across Utah on KJZZ TV and KMYU TV and will also be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Dave Fox, Alema Harrington, and Frank Dolce will call the action.
The Weber State radio broadcast will be on 103.1 FM with Carl Arky and former Wildcat quarterback Dave Stireman on the call.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
Wildcats beat Vandals for second straight win
Despite two lightning delays, Weber State beat Idaho 38-27 on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats totaled 406 yards of offense, including a season-high 307 rushing yards. WSU scored on a 75-yard run on the first play from scrimmage.
The 'Cats also forced two Idaho interceptions and had five tackles for loss.
Trevian Tribble named Co-Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week
Weber State safety Trevian Tribble has been named the Big Sky Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in Saturday's win. Tribble recorded two interceptions and five tackles to help lead the Wildcats to their second straight win. He returned the two interceptions for a combined 50 yards, including a 31-yard return. Weber State scored touchdowns on its next drive after both interceptions.
The two picks were Tribble's first interceptions of his career in his 41st game at Weber State. He also finished with three solo tackles and two assisted tackles.
Tribble, a native of Fontana, California, is a team captain this season. He is third on the Wildcat team in tackles this season.
It marks the second straight week a Weber State player has earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors. Defensive end Porter Small earned the award last week after his three sacks in WSU's double-overtime win at Cal Poly.
Wildcats run for season-high 307 yards
WSU ran for a season-high 307 yards in Saturday's win, led by two running backs who each surpassed 100 yards rushing and each had two touchdowns.
Spencer Ferguson had 14 carries for a career-high 153 yards and two touchdowns and Seth Rigtrup had 14 carries for a career-high 129 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time with two players over 100 yards in four years.
Ferguson had a 75-yard rushing touchdown on Weber State's first play from scrimmage. It was the longest running play for the Wildcats this season and was the first time WSU had scored a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage since 2019. Ferguson also added a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.
On the season, he leads the Wildcats and is sixth in the Big Sky in rushing with 56 carries for 410 yards and six touchdowns in five games played.
Rigtrup has 58 carries for 389 yards and six touchdowns and is 13th in the Big Sky in rushing yards per game at 55.6.
The Wildcats are second in the Big Sky and 19th in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 190.6 yards per game.
Another touchdown for Noah Kjar
Wildcat junior and team captain Noah Kjar had his ninth receiving touchdown of the season in Saturday's win. He finished with five receptions for 50 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Kjar is tied for first in the nation with nine receiving touchdowns. The WSU school record for touchdown receptions in a season is 12 set by Alfred Pupunu in 1991.
On the season, Kjar has 43 receptions for 671 yards. He ranks second in the country in receiving yards, seventh in yards per game at 95.9 and 12th in receptions per game at 6.1.
Offensive rankings
After seven games, Weber State is one of the top offensive teams in the Big Sky and FCS football. The 'Cats are second in the Big Sky in scoring offense at 37.6 points per game. WSU is also second in the league in rushing offense, averaging 190.6 yards a game.
Weber State is also third in the conference and 15th in the nation in total offense, averaging 445.9 yards per game. WSU is first in the conference and eighth in the nation in passing yards per completion at 14.5
Freshman quarterback Nate Dahle ranks ninth in the Big Sky in total offense and 10th in passing at 202.6 yards per game. He has thrown for 1,418 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven games this season.
Defense performances
In addition to Trevian Tribble, the Wildcat defense had multiple other strong performances in the win.
Raimona Tinirauarii had 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Tommy Romano also added 10 tackles and Zion Finau had a sack.
Tinirauarii is averaging 6.8 tackles per game and ranks fourth in the Big Sky in tackles for loss. He is also second in the league in fumbles recovered with two. Porter Small has six tackles for loss and four sacks, sixth in the Big Sky.
Weber State leads the Big Sky with 17 sacks this season.
Season trends
Weber State is 4-0 this season when holding its opponent under 40 points and 0-3 when the opponent scores 40 or more. The 'Cats are also 3-0 when scoring first in a game, and 1-3 when the opponent scores first. Weber State is 4-1 when leading at halftime and 0-2 when trailing at the break.
Battle for the Train Bell Trophy
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 the 2024 game.
Welcome to the Eric Kjar era
The Eric Kjar era is underway. Weber State named Kjar as the 13th head coach in its Division I history on December 16, 2025. He joined the Wildcat program after unprecedented success as a Utah high school coach.
Kjar (pronounced: Care) posted a 112-10 record with six state championships over the last nine seasons as the head coach at Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah. He guided the Chargers to three consecutive state titles in 2018, 2019, and 2020, followed by three more championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025, along with two state runner-up finishes. His teams were nationally ranked multiple times, including as high as No. 8 in the nation. Corner Canyon also set a Utah state record with 48 consecutive wins from 2018 to 2021 and advanced to the national championship game in 2025.
Kjar coached multiple state MVPs and All-Americans, along with numerous Division I college players and NFL Draft picks, including quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Zach Wilson.
Before Corner Canyon, Kjar spent eight seasons as the head coach at Jordan High School, where he posted a 69-29 record that included a state championship in 2012. He also served as an assistant coach for five years at Jordan before becoming head coach.
In 17 years as a high school head coach, Kjar compiled a career record of 181-39.
In addition to his head coaching responsibilities, Kjar will also be the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats.
New coaching staff
Kjar has also added several new members to the Wildcat coaching staff. Tanner Jacobson was named the Associate Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator. Gavin Fowler is the new Defensive Coordinator.
Other new coaches are Isaac Asiata (offensive line), BJ Cavender (tight ends), former WSU player Kam Garrett (cornerbacks), former WSU player Isiah Jackson (wide receivers), Dustin Long, Ono Tafisi (defensive tackles), and Tana Vea (running backs).
Returning assistant coaches are Jace Campbell (outside linebackers), James Cowser (defensive ends), and Zach Larson (quarterbacks).
Quick hits
The Wildcats welcome 80 new players to this year's squad, including 35 transfers, with 11 Division I transfers...This year's roster is comprised of 53 players from the state of Utah, followed by 23 from California, and 13 from Texas...WSU's next four opponents are all currently nationally ranked...WSU has scored at least 30 points in all six games against FCS opponents and has scored 40 or more four times, the first time the Wildcats have scored 40 or more in the first seven games since 2022.
About No. 21 Idaho State
Idaho State enters Saturday's game ranked 21st in the nation in this week's FCS polls. The Bengals started the season 4-0, including a 29-17 win at Utah State. Since then, they have lost their last two games, falling 38-31 to Northern Arizona and 25-24 to Cal Poly last week.
Idaho State leads the Big Sky in passing offense and passing defense. The Bengals are fifth in the nation in passing offense at 301 yards per game and rank 19th nationally in defense at 175.7 per game.
Jordan Cooke is fourth in the Big Sky and 13th in the country in passing yards, averaging 272.3 per game. Mason Lindberg leads the nation in field goals at 2.17 per game. He is 13 of 18 on field goal attempts on the season.
There are three former Wildcats on the Idaho State roster in defensive linemen Bronson Childs and Jagger Childs, and offensive lineman Zoom Esplin.
Coaches
Idaho State is coached by Cody Hawkins who is in his fourth season at Idaho State. He has a record of 18-23 with the Bengals and is 12-15 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. Duff 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 prior to the 2025 season.
Series history
This will be the 67th 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 are charter members of the Big Sky Conference. The two teams have played every season since 1962. Weber State holds a 49-17 all-time series lead, the most wins for WSU against any opponent.
But the Bengals have won the last two games, winning 43-35 in 2024 in Ogden and 31-3 last year in Pocatello. It's the first time Idaho State has won back-to-back games in the series since 1983 and 1984 and ISU has not won three straight against the Wildcats since 1962-64.
In games in Ogden, Weber State is 25-6 all-time. ISU's win in 2024 snapped a 10-game WSU winning streak in Ogden and was Idaho State's first win in Stewart Stadium since 1984.
