Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northwestern State
Game 4: Wildcat football home opener Saturday night
9/15/2026 3:27:00 PM | Football
Weber State hosts Northwestern State on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
• After opening the season with three straight road games, the Weber State football team will finally play in front of its home crowd.
• The Wildcats will play the home opener for the 2026 season this Saturday night against Northwestern State. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
• Weber State is 1-2 on the season, after opening the year with games at Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, and Colorado.
• WSU is in the first season with Eric Kjar as the new head coach of the Wildcat football team.
• Junior wide receiver Noah Kjar leads the nation with six receiving touchdowns this season and is second in the country in receiving yards per game.
• The Wildcats have 80 new players on this year's squad.
• Northwestern State, located in Natchitoches, Louisiana, is 0-3 on the season.
• This is the second meeting between the two schools. Weber State defeated the Demons 39-0 in Natchitoches in 2024.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 6:00 p.m. from Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Stadium.
The game will be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Mike Folta and Riley Jensen calling the action.
The Weber State radio broadcast will be on 103.1 FM with Carl Arky and former Weber State quarterback Dave Stireman on the call.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
Wildcats are 1-2 after loss at Colorado
Weber State is coming off a 52-21 loss at Colorado on Saturday afternoon in Boulder. The Wildcats managed three touchdown passes but gave up 578 yards to the Buffaloes, including 398 yards passing. The 21 points are tied for the most points the 'Cats have scored against a Power 4 opponent.
Weber State opened the season and the Eric Kjar era with a thrilling 30-29 win at Northern Colorado on August 28.
WSU followed that up with a 47-42 loss at Southern Utah on September 5.
After three straight road games, the 'Cats will play the first home game of the Kjar era on Saturday against Northwestern State.
Noah Kjar near tops of FCS in receiving
After three games, Noah Kjar, the oldest son of head coach Eric Kjar, is near the top of the nation in receiving.
Kjar has 22 receptions for 385 yards and six touchdowns in the first three games of the season. He has at least 100 receiving yards in each of the first three games, including six catches for 122 yards at Colorado. He has also had two touchdown receptions in each of the first three gams.
Kjar leads all of FCS football with six receiving touchdowns this season. He is also second in the nation in receiving yards per game at 128.3. He ranks third in the country in scoring with 36 total points scored. He is also fifth in the nation in receptions per game at 7.3 and fifth in all-purpose yards.
Kjar was selected as a team captain this year. He is in his third year in the Wildcat program and has played in 17 career games after missing most of last year with an injury.
Nate Dahle throws for season-high and three touchdowns
WSU freshman Nate Dahle started for the second straight game on Saturday at Colorado and threw for a season-high 244 yards and three touchdowns. He was 20 of 48 passing for 244 yards and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Robert Young in the first quarter, a six-yard pass to Noah Kjar in the second quarter and a 12-yard touchdown to Kjar in the fourth quarter. He also had six rushing attempts for 16 yards.
Through three games, Dahle is 47 of 100 passing for 580 yards and has thrown five touchdowns. He has also rushed for 104 yards.
Dahle, a native of Millville, Utah, was the Utah 4A Player of the Year at Ridgeline High School last season and led his team to a 14-0 record and a state title. He also finished his career second in Utah high school career passing yards with 12,467 yards and passed for 127 touchdowns.
Teni Worthen leads Wildcat defense
WSU sophomore Teni Worthen led the Wildcat defense with eight tackles, and had a strip sack in the game at Colorado. He had five solo tackles and three assisted tackles and sacked the CU quarterback and forced a fumble.
Through three games, Worthen leads the Wildcat defense with 25 tackle, including 19 solo tackles. He also has three tackles for loss and one sack.
Worthen leads the Big Sky and is fifth in the nation in solo tackles with 19. Worthen transferred to WSU after playing at Snow College last 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.
New coaching staff
Kjar has also added several new members to the Wildcat coaching staff. Tanner Jacobsen 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).
80 new players
In addition to a new coaching staff, the Wildcats also welcome 80 new players to this year's squad. The team is made up of 35 transfers, including 11 Division I transfers.
Weber State returns 35 players off last year's squad that posted a 4-8 overall record and a 2-6 record in Big Sky play. Only 16 players return that played in at least six games last season.
Home sweet home
After starting the season with three straight road games for the second straight year, it's finally home for the Wildcats who will play four of their next five and six of the final nine regular season games at Stewart Stadium.
Weber State has won 10 of the last 11 home openers, including a home win over Butler last season.
Ticket offer and post-game drone show
For Saturday's home opener and the first home game of the Eric Kjar era, Weber State is offering a discount of $5 off for all tickets.
In addition, a drone show will follow immediately after the game.
Injury report
Weber State fifth-year quarterback Devin Brown missed his second-straight game due to a broken bone in his hand, suffered at Northern Colorado. The 'Cats were without sophomore running back Spencer Ferguson on Saturday who missed the game with an MCL injury. WSU also played without sophomore wide receiver Tate Kjar for the second-straight game with an ankle injury.
Team captains
As selected by their teammates, Weber State has named four teammates for the 2026 season. 5th year quarterback Devin Brown, junior wide receiver and kick returner Noah Kjar, 5th year cornerback Trevian Tribble, and 5th year linebacker Raimoana Tinirauarii will be the captains for this season.
Brown is a transfer to WSU after spending three seasons at Ohio State and one season at Cal. Kjar is in his third season at Weber State.
Tribble and Tinirauarii are both in their fifth years at Weber State, having joined WSU in 2022.
Quick hits
This year's roster is comprised of 53 players from the state of Utah, followed by 23 from California, and 13 from Texas...WSU junior punter Henry Way ranks eighth in the nation in punting with an average of 45.4 yards per punt.
About Northwestern State
Northwestern State is located in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
The Demons of Northwestern State enter Saturday's game with an 0-3 record. They started the season with a 42-37 home loss to Louisiana Christian, then lost 80-6 at Louisiana Tech. They are coming off a 38-14 loss at East Texas A&M last Saturday.
Northwestern State was 1-11 overall last season and lost their final 11 games of the season. They were 0-8 in Southland Conference action.
The Demons are coached by Blaine McCorkle who is in his third season at Northwestern State. He was previously the head coach at Belhaven University for six seasons.
Series history
This is just the second meeting ever between Weber State and Northwestern State. The two teams met on September 21, 2024 in Natchitoches, Louisiana with the Wildcats dominating the Demons 39-0.
Weber State totaled 433 yards of offense and held Northwestern State to 157 yards. WSU also had four sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Kemari Munier-Bailey had eight tackles, including six tackles for loss and three sacks and was honored as the National Defensive Player of the Week.
Richie Muñoz threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns, Jacob Sharp had eight receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown and Damon Bankston rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Wildcats in the NFL
As the NFL is underway, Weber State has four former players on NFL 53-man rosters and two more on practice squads.
Four-time All-American Rashid Shaheed won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks last year. Another former Wildcat is Taron Johnson, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders after eight years with the Buffalo Bills. Former Wildcat Winston Reid is now in his third season with the Cleveland Browns.
Former Wildcat Jack Kelly was drafted in the 2026 draft by the New York Giants. Kelly spent three seasons at Weber State before transferring to BYU.
Two former Wildcats are also on NFL practice squads. All-American Gavin Ortega, who just finished his career last year, was added to the practice squad with the Denver Broncos and Jonah Williams is on the practice squad with the New Orleans Saints.
Looking ahead
After Saturday it's back to Big Sky play for the Wildcats who will host Portland State on September 26 at 6 p.m. The 'Cats will then play at Cal Poly on October 3 before two more home games.
