Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
Game 8: Wildcats take on Bobcats Saturday in Bozeman
10/20/2026 4:26:00 PM | Football
Weber State is tied for first in the Big Sky at 3-1. Montana State is the defending FCS national champions
• With a three-game winning streak and a spot in the national rankings, the Weber State football team hits the road for a tough test against the defending national champions this week when the Wildcats play at Montana State in Bozeman.
• Weber State is 5-3 on the season and currently tied for first place in the Big Sky standings at 4-1. The Wildcats won their third straight game with a 27-20 win over Idaho State last Saturday in Ogden.
• Weber State is now ranked 22nd in the nation in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll, the first time the 'Cats have been nationally ranked in two years.
• Montana State is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big Sky play. The Bobcats are ranked third in the nation in this week's polls.
• Robert Young was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week after a punt return for a touchdown in Saturday's win.
• 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 Noah Kjar leads the country with 10 touchdown receptions this season.
• Montana State won the FCS National Championship last season.
• MSU is ranked first in this week's FCS committee rankings. The Bobcats lead the Big Sky in scoring offense, scoring defense, and total defense.
• This will be the 60th all-time meeting between the two schools, both charter members of the Big Sky. It's the second straight year the Wildcats will play in Bozeman.
• Montana State has won 12 straight home games.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. from Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
The game will be televised by Scripps Sports throughout the west. It will be broadcast in Utah on The Spot channel 16 and will also be televised by Scripps stations throughout Montana as well as parts of Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona.
The game will also be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Ben Creighton, Ty Gregorak, and Toni Wetmore 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 rally to beat Bengals in rivalry showdown
Weber State rallied from a second half deficit to beat Idaho State in a rivalry showdown last Saturday in Ogden.
The Wildcats trailed 14-6 at halftime and trailed 20-19 in the final minutes before a go-ahead touchdown with 1:10 put WSU on top. The Wildcat defense stopped the Bengals on their final drive to secure the win.
Weber State moves into the FCS Top 25
A three-game winning streak and a tie for first place in the Big Sky standings have put Weber State football back in the national rankings.
The Wildcats are ranked 22nd in the nation in this week's Stats Perform FCS Top 25 media poll.
The Wildcats have won three straight games and are tied with Northern Arizona atop the Big Sky standings.
This marks the first time WSU has been nationally ranked since October 2024.
Weber State's next three opponents are all nationally ranked. Montana State is ranked third in this week's poll. UC Davis is 20th and NAU is seventh in this week's poll.
Robert Young named Big Sky Player of the Week
For the third straight week, Weber State has a Big Sky Player of the Week. WSU sophomore wide receiver and punt returner Robert Young was named the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in Saturday's win.
Young returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to help lead the Wildcats to their third straight win.
With Weber State trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, Young returned an Idaho State punt 68 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds remaining in the quarter to put the Wildcats on the scoreboard.
Young finished the game with four punt returns for 78 yards. He also had a 38-yard reception on the first play of Weber State's game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter and totaled 116 all-purpose yards.
It marks the third straight week a Weber State player has earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors. Defensive end Porter Small was named Defensive Player of the Week following the Oct. 3 win at Cal Poly, and safety Trevian Tribble earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors following the Oct. 10 win over Idaho.
Young is now fifth in the Big Sky in punt returns with an average of 11.9 per return.
Another touchdown for Noah Kjar who continues to lead the nation
Wildcat team captain Noah Kjar had his 10th receiving touchdown of the season in Saturday's win. He finished with four receptions for 40 yards and had a 14-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.
Kjar is first in the country in touchdown receptions with 10 this season. The WSU school record for touchdown receptions in a season is 12 set by Alfred Pupunu in 1991.
On the season, Kjar has 47 receptions for 711 yards. He ranks ninth in the country in receiving yards at 88.9 per game and is 17th in receptions per game at 5.9. He has at least one touchdown reception in six of the eight games and has two touchdowns in four games.
In three seasons at Weber State, Kjar has 66 receptions for 959 yards and 11 touchdowns. He needs 41 more receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career.
Spencer Ferguson again leads Wildcat rushing attack
Wildcat junior Spencer Ferguson finished with 16 carries for 133 yards and one touchdown in Saturday's win. It's the second-highest total of his career as he rushed for 153 yards in the win over Idaho the week before.
On the season, he leads the Wildcats and is sixth in the Big Sky in rushing with 72 carries for 543 yards and seven touchdowns in six games played. He is averaging 90.5 yards per game. He has had at least one rushing touchdown in five straight games he has played.
The Wildcats are third in the Big Sky and 22nd in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 189.9 yards per game.
Offensive rankings
Weber State ranks near the top of the Big Sky and FCS in several offensive categories. The Wildcats lead the Big Sky in passing yards per completion at 13.9. WSU is third in the conference and 16th in the country in scoring offense, averaging 36.3 points per game. WSU is also third in the Big Sky and 22nd nationally in rushing yards at 189.9 per game. Weber State is 19th in the country in total offense.
Freshman quarterback Nate Dahle ranks ninth in the Big Sky in total offense and ninth in passing at 198.9 yards per game. He has thrown for 1,591 yards and 16 touchdowns in eight games this season.
Defense standouts
Several players on defense had big performances in helping the Wildcats to the win.
Teni Worthen may have had his best game as a Wildcat as he finished with a season-high 13 tackles, including one sack and two tackles for loss. He leads Weber State in tackles and also has 5.5 tackles for loss with two sacks.
Raimoana Tinirauarii had an interception and a tackle for loss in the win. He is fourth in the Big Sky in tackles for loss with 6.5. Jayden Mayberry and Da'Veon Ross each recorded 10 tackles in the win.
Weber State leads the Big Sky with 18 sacks this season. Porter Small is tied for second in the conference with five.
Season trends
Weber State is 5-0 this year when holding opponents under 40 points and is 0-3 when the opponent scored 40 or more. The 'Cats have scored 30 or more points in six of eight games and have reached 40 or more four times. WSU is 4-1 when leading at halftime but 1-2 when trailing. WSU is also 3-0 when scoring the first points of the game. The 'Cats have not won the turnover margin in any game this season and have trailed in six of the eight games. The 'Cats are -9 in turnover margin on the season.
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.
Quick hits
The Wildcats have 80 new players on 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.
About No. 3 Montana State
Montana State is 6-1 and 3-1 in Big Sky play and the Bobcats are ranked third in the nation in this week's national polls. They are first in this week's FCS Football committee rankings.
MSU started the season 5-0, including a win at Nevada, before a one-point loss at Idaho. They are coming off a 56-20 win at Eastern Washington.
The Bobcats lead the Big Sky in scoring offense and scoring defense. They are also first in total defense and rushing defense, third down conversions, and third down conversion defense. MSU also is first in the country in kickoff returns at 34.8 yards per return.
Montana State has won 12 straight home games, the second longest active streak in the country.
Montana State was 14-2 overall and 8-0 in Big Sky play last season and won the FCS National Championship. They have advanced to the championship game in two straight seasons.
The Bobcats are coached by Brent Vigen who is in his sixth season in Bozeman and has a 67-13 overall record at Montana State. He is also 40-4 in Big Sky Conference play and has guided MSU to four Big Sky Championships. The Bobcats are 43-2 in home games under Vigen.
MSU was once again picked first in the Big Sky preseason polls.
Series history
This will be the 60th all-time meeting between the Bobcats and the Wildcats, as both schools are charter members of the Big Sky Conference.
Montana State holds a 34-23-1 series lead and has won the last five meetings against Weber State.
It's the second straight year the two teams will meet in Bozeman. MSU won 66-14 last November at Bobcat Stadium.
Montana State is 17-10-1 all-time in Bozeman against Weber State. The Bobcats have won the last three and five of the last six against the Wildcats.
Looking ahead
Weber State will be back home on Halloween to host UC Davis, before a bye on November 7. The 'Cats close out the regular season on November 14 at Northern Arizona and November 21 hosting Utah Tech.
