Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
UC Davis
10/27/2026 4:11:00 PM | Football
Weber State hosts UC Davis Saturday at 1 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
• Weber State football returns home for a nationally ranked Halloween matchup as the Wildcats host UC Davis this Saturday at Stewart Stadium.
• Weber State is 5-4 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky play. The 'Cats are coming off a 38-33 loss at No. 3 Montana State last Saturday that snapped a three-game winning streak.
• Weber State is ranked 22nd in the nation in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll for the second straight week.
• UC Davis is 5-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Aggies are ranked 20th in the nation in this week's Stats Perform poll.
• Dyson Parker returned a kickoff 100 yards in Saturday's game at Montana State.
• 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.
• This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two schools with Weber State leading 7-5. The Aggies have won the last two games.
• This is the ninth all-time game for Weber State on Halloween and will be the first home game on October 31 since 1998.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. at Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Stadium.
The game will be televised throughout Utah on KMYU TV and will also be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Dave Fox 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 will be available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
Wildcats fall to Bobcats in nationally ranked matchup in Bozeman
Weber State led the defending national champions at halftime on Saturday in Bozeman, but the Bobcats rallied with a big second half to beat the Wildcats 38-33.
WSU jumped out to a 27-17 lead at halftime, but Montana State outscored the Wildcats 21-6 in the second half.
MSU totaled 510 yards of offense, compared to 364 for Weber State. WSU ran for 124 yards, the lowest of the season against an FCS team, and also committed two turnovers.
Weber State remains in FCS Top 25 poll
Despite Saturday's loss, Weber State maintained its spot at 22nd in this week's Stats Perform FCS Top 25 media poll. WSU was nationally ranked last week after the win over Idaho State, marking the first time in two years the 'Cats have appeared in the top 25 poll.
WSU is in the midst of playing four straight games against nationally ranked opponents, Idaho State, Montana State, UC Davis, and Northern Arizona.
Dyson Parker records 100-yard kickoff return
Wildcat freshman Dyson Parker returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in Saturday's game at Montana State.
With Weber State trailing 14-10 in the second quarter, Parker returned the kickoff following an MSU touchdown 100 yards for a score with 9:38 remaining in the half that gave the Wildcats a 17-14 lead.
It was the 17th 100-yard kickoff return in WSU history and the first in three years. It's also one of six 100-yard returns in the nation so far this season.
He finished the game with three kickoff returns for 144 yards, averaging 48 yards per return.
He now ranks fourth in the Big Sky in kickoff return average at 31.7 per return. He has nine returns for 285 yards.
Parker signed with Weber State in February out of Weber High School.
Really special special teams play
This season, Weber State has made some special plays on special teams. The Wildcats have had a kickoff return for a touchdown, a punt return touchdown, a blocked punt return for a touchdown, and six total blocked kicks, including one against Montana State by Ashden Oberg on Saturday. The six blocked kicks are the third most in the nation this season.
After Parker's touchdown, WSU now ranks fourth in the nation in kickoff returns with an average of 29.7 yards per return.
Noah Kjar surpasses 1,000 career receiving yards
Wildcat team captain Noah Kjar had eight catches for 124 yards in Saturday's game, the fifth time in nine games he has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a game.
Kjar did not have a touchdown, but he still leads all of FCS football with 10 receiving touchdowns on the season. The WSU school record for touchdown receptions in a season is 12 set by Alfred Pupunu in 1991.
Kjar also is third in the nation in total receiving yards and ranks seventh in yards per game and 16th in receptions per game. He has 55 catches for 835 yards through nine games this season.
With his performance on Saturday, he also surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards. In three seasons he has 74 catches for 1,083 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Defense standouts
Several players had standout performances in Weber State's game at Montana State on Saturday.
Fifth-year senior captain Trevian Tribble recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo tackles. He also had two tackles for loss totaling seven yards, including a six-yard sack. He led the Wildcat defense in tackles against a Montana State offense that ran 84 plays.
Tribble is fourth on the Wildcat team in tackles and leads the 'Cats with two interceptions this season.
Tommy Romano recorded a season-high 12 tackles, including six solo tackles, and also had a forced fumble.
On the season, Weber State leads the Big Sky with 19 sacks.
Halloween games
This will be the ninth time Weber State has ever played a game on Halloween and the first since 2015. WSU is 3-5 all-time in Halloween games.
It will be the first home game on October 31 since 1998 when the Wildcats hosted Cal State Northridge on Halloween.
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 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...Weber State is last in the Big Sky in turnover margin at -9. The 'Cats have had at least two turnovers in all but one game this season. WSU has not led its opponent in turnover margin in any game this year...Weber State is 3-0 this season when leading its opponent in rushing yards and 2-4 when trailing.
About No. 20 UC Davis
UC Davis is ranked 20th in this week's Stats Perform poll and enters Saturday's game at 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky play. The Aggies started the season with wins at Portland State and San Diego. They also have a win over Stetson. They lost at Montana, beat Eastern Washington, lost at Southern Utah, and beat Northern Colorado last week.
UC Davis ranks 14th in the nation in passing offense at 275 yards per game, and ranks 15th in the country in total offense. The Aggies also lead the Big Sky and are third in the country in punt returns. Samuel Gbatu, Jr. is third in the country in receiving yards per game and fourth in receptions per game.
The Aggies were 9-4 overall and third in the Big Sky at 6-2 last season. They advanced to the FCS Playoffs and lost to Illinois State in the second round.
UC Davis was picked to finish third in the Big Sky preseason polls.
The Aggies are coached by Tim Plough who is in his third season at UC Davis and has an overall record of 25-10 and is 16-5 in conference play.
Series history
This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two schools with Weber State holding a 7-5 series lead. The Aggies have won the last two and two of the last three games played. UC Davis beat Weber State 34-12 in Davis last season and won 17-16 in 2023 in Ogden.
In games at Stewart Stadium, the Wildcats are 4-3 all-time against the Aggies.
Looking ahead
Weber State will have a bye week next week before the final two games of the regular season. The 'Cats play at Northern Arizona on Nov. 14 in the Red Rock Rivalry game, then close the regular season hosting Utah Tech on Nov. 21.
