Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Portland State
Game 5: 'Cats return to Big Sky play and host Vikings Saturday
9/22/2026 4:51:00 PM | Football
Weber State takes on Portland State Saturday at 6 p.m. in a Blackout Game.
• Coming off a win in the home opener, Weber State is back home again and returns to Big Sky play as the 'Cats host Portland State this Saturday night.
• Weber State is 2-2 on the season and coming off a 49-20 over Northwestern State last Saturday in the home opener.
• Seth Rigtrup had a career-high rushing yards and Weber State blocked two kicks in the win.
• The Wildcats are first in the nation with five blocked kicks in four games this season.
• WSU is in the first season with Eric Kjar as the new head coach of the Wildcat football team.
• Noah Kjar leads the nation with six receiving touchdowns this season.
• The Wildcats have 80 new players on this year's squad.
• After playing three straight road games to start the season, WSU is playing six of its final nine games at home.
• Saturday's game is a Blackout and all Wildcat fans are encouraged to wear black.
• Portland State is 0-4 on the season and has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. The Vikings are coming off an 84-0 loss at #21 Oregon last week.
• Weber State holds a 25-15 series lead over Portland State and has won five of the last six.
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 Tony Parks 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 open home schedule with win over Demons
Weber State played its first home game last Saturday and rolled to a 49-20 win over Northwestern State. The 'Cats jumped out to a 21-0 lead just over five minutes into the game.
WSU totaled 441 yards of offense in the win with a season-high 229 rushing yards and 212 yards passing.
The Wildcats also had two blocked kicks, including a blocked field goal that was returned 67 yards for a touchdown. The 'Cats also had a fumble recovery that led to a first quarter touchdown.
Welcome to the block
Through the first four games of the season, Weber State has five total blocked kicks, which is tied for first in the country. The 'Cats have had three blocked extra point attempts, a blocked field goal, and a blocked punt.
In Saturday's win, WSU had two blocked kicks. Teni Worthen blocked a Northwestern State field goal attempt and Tre Turner recovered it and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown.
Later in the game, Zion Finau blocked an extra point attempt. WSU beat Northern Colorado in the first game of the season on a blocked extra point and in the Southern Utah game, had a blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown.
Seth Rigtrup runs for career high and two touchdowns
Weber State sophomore running back Seth Rigtrup led the Wildcat offense in Saturday's win as he rushed for a career-high 105 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
He scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give the Wildcats a 28-6 halftime lead. He added a 6-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that extended Weber State's lead to 35-6.
Rigtrup averaged 8.8 yards per carry and had a career-long 34-yard run. He also had two kickoff returns for 100 yards, including a 55-yard return, and finished with 205 all-purpose yards.
In the first four games, he has 23 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Rigtrup is a native of Springville, Utah. He spent last season as a freshman at Snow College where he ran for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Noah Kjar near tops of FCS in receiving
Noah Kjar had two receptions for 20 yards in Saturday's win. It was the first game this season when he didn't reach 100 yards receiving.
Through the first four games, Kjar leads the nation with six touchdown receptions. He has 24 receptions for 405 yards. He is sixth in the country in total receiving yards and 11th in yards per game at 101.3.
Kjar was selected as a team captain this year. He is in his third year in the Wildcat program and has played in 18 career games after missing most of last year with an injury.
Big Sky rankings
Weber State leads the Big Sky in sacks with nine this season in the first four games for a loss of 44 yards. The 'Cats are second in fewest penalties per game at 4.8...WSU is second in the conference in rushing offense at 167.5 yards per game, and also second in third down conversions at 49.1 percent. Weber State is second in red zone offense, going 14 of 16 on red zone attempts with 12 touchdowns and two field goals in the red zone.
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.
Blackout on Saturday
Saturday's home game with Portland State will be a Blackout. The Wildcats will wear all black and fans are encouraged to also wear black for the game. A post-game movie, How to Paint Your Dragon, will also be played on the video board on the field immediately after the game.
Injury report
Weber State fifth-year quarterback Devin Brown missed his third-straight game due to a broken bone in his hand, suffered at Northern Colorado. Spencer Ferguson returned to Saturday's game after missing the Colorado game with an injury but left the game with an MCL injury. Linebacker Zach Smith missed last Saturday's game with a concussion.
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...Through four games, WSU is 2-0 when scoring first, and 0-2 when the opponent scores first...The 'Cats have trailed in turnover margin in three of the four games.
About Portland State
Portland State comes into Saturday's game at 0-4 and 0-1 in Big Sky play. They opened the season with a 31-24 home loss to #6 UC Davis, then had a 53-20 loss at San Diego State, a 47-23 loss to #7 North Dakota, and are coming off an 84-0 loss at Oregon last Friday.
The Vikings have played one of the toughest schedules in the country so far this season with two games against FCS teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation, and two games against FBS opponents, including a game against nationally ranked Oregon. According to the Massey Ratings, Portland State has played the fourth toughest schedule in all of FCS so far this season.
The Vikings were 1-11 overall last season and 1-7 in Big Sky play.
PSU is under the direction of first year head coach Chris Fisk, who was hired last December as head coach. He came to Portland State after a highly-successful tenure at Central Washington where he posted a 48-22 record in seven seasons and led the Wildcats to the Division II playoffs in four of the last five years. Fisk was the head coach at Central Washington when they played at Weber State in the season opener of the 2023 season.
Series history
This will be the 41st meeting all-time between Weber State and Portland State with the Wildcats holding a 25-15 series lead. Weber State has won the last three and five of the last six over the Vikings, including a 43-27 win in Portland last October.
In games in Ogden, Weber State is 14-6 all-time against the Vikings. WSU beat Portland State 43-16 in September 2024 at Stewart Stadium.
Looking ahead
Weber State returns to the road next week at Cal Poly, but will then be back for two straight home games as they host Idaho on October 10 and Idaho State on October 17.
