Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Cal Poly
Game 6: Back on the road at Cal Poly Saturday
9/29/2026 4:41:00 PM | Football
The Wildcats and Mustangs will meet at 6 p.m. MT on Saturday in San Luis Obispo.
• It's back on the road for Weber State this Saturday as the Wildcats take on Cal Poly Saturday night in San Luis Obispo.
• Weber State is 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in Big Sky play after Saturday's 44-41 home loss to Portland State.
• Cal Poly is 3-2 overall and 2-0 in Big Sky action.
• Saturday's game against Portland State saw an offensive showcase for Weber State as the 'Cats totaled 703 yards of offense and had five passing touchdowns and twice rallied from three score deficits, but committed six turnovers.
• Weber State now leads the Big Sky and is 11th in the nation in total offense.
• Marvin Session had 175 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
• 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.
• Saturday's game will mark the midway point of the season.
• Weber State holds a 12-6 series lead over Cal Poly and has won seven straight games.
Media coverage
Saturday's game will kickoff at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time (6 p.m. MT) from Mustang Memorial Field presented by Dignity Health French Hospital at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
The game will be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Max Kelton and John Kane 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.
WSU comeback falls short against Portland State
Weber State is coming off a 44-41 loss to Portland State on Saturday at Stewart Stadium. The 'Cats twice rallied from three score deficits but PSU made a field goal as time expired to seal the win.
The Wildcats totaled 703 yards of total offense, the sixth most in school history, but also committed six turnovers. WSU was also just 2 of 14 on third down conversions.
Marvin Session had 175 receiving yards and three touchdowns and Noah Kjar had 137 yards and two touchdowns. It's the first time the Wildcats have had two receivers reach at least 100 yards in a game since 2024 at Montana.
Offensive output
Though the Wildcats came up short in the end, Saturday's game against Portland State will go down as one of the top offensive outputs in many years at Weber State.
The 'Cats ran 84 plays and totaled 703 yards of total offense, which ranks as the sixth most in a game in Weber State history. It's the most yards of total offense in a game since 1995.
The 703 yards of offense are the second most by any team in all of FCS football this season and the most by a team against another FCS opponent.
The 'Cats had 488 yards passing, which are the second most in a game in FCS football this season and the most against another FCS opponent.
WSU had six plays of at least 30 yards in the game.
Career day for Nate Dahle
Freshman Nate Dahle came in at quarterback in the second quarter and produced a career-high day against the Vikings.
Dahle finished the game 15 of 27 passing for a career-high 338 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes. He also had 10 carries for 72 yards rushing, giving him 410 yards of total offense, which is the most in a game by a player in the Big Sky this season.
He is the first Wildcat to throw for at least five touchdown passes in a game since Richie Muñoz in 2024 at Montana. His 338 passing yards are the most since Muñoz in 2024.
Through five games, Dahle ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 20th in the nation in total offense at 259.8 yards per game. He is also eighth in the conference in passing yards at 219.2 per game.
He has thrown for 1,096 yards and 12 touchdowns in five games. The 12 touchdowns are the second-most in the Big Sky this season.
What a Session
Weber State fifth-year senior Marvin Session had a career performance against the Vikings and was a big part of the offensive output.
Session finished with five receptions for a career-high 175 yards and had a career-high three touchdown catches. He had touchdown receptions of 31, 80, and 27 yards. The 80-yard reception is WSU's longest passing play since 2017.
He became the first Wildcat with three touchdown receptions since Jacob Sharp in 2023 at Cal Poly. The 175 receiving yards are the most by a Wildcat in a game since Cameron Livingston in 2014.
The 175 receiving yards are the sixth most in a game in the nation this season.
Session is in his fifth year in the Weber State program. He has played in 32 games and has 59 career receptions for 823 yards and six touchdowns.
Another 100-yard game for Noah Kjar
Another Wildcat receiver also had a strong performance as Noah Kjar reached at least 100 receiving yards for the fourth time in five games this season. Kjar tied his career-high with nine receptions and finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings. Both of his touchdowns came in the second half as he had a 16-yard catch in the third quarter and a 30-yard reception late in the fourth quarter.
Kjar now has 33 receptions for 542 yards and eight touchdowns in five games this season.
He is first in the nation with eight touchdown catches this season. He has had two touchdowns in four of the five games.
He is also third in the Big Sky and fifth in the country in receiving yards per game at 108.4 and ranks third in the league and ninth in the nation in scoring. He is 11th nationally in receptions per game at 6.6 and is averaging 16.4 yards per reception.
Kjar, the oldest son of head coach Eric Kjar, is a team captain this season and has played in 19 games over the last three seasons at Weber State. He has 52 catches for 790 yards and nine touchdowns.
Offensive rankings
Weber State leads the Big Sky and is 11th in the country in total offense, averaging 470 yards per game. The 'Cats are also second in passing offense at 293 per game and fourth in scoring offense at 36.6 points per game.
This marks the first season since 1995 that Weber State has scored 40 or more points three times in the first five games.
Defense
The Wildcat defense forced two turnovers in Saturday's game with an interception by Tamal Johnson and a fumble, forced by Zion Finau and recovered by Raimoana Tinirauarii.
Da'Veon Ross led the WSU defense with a career-high 13 tackles and Kevin Johnson had 10 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss.
As a team Weber State leads the Big Sky in sacks with 12.
Tinirauarii is tied for first in the nation with two fumble recoveries this year.
Block party
Weber State did not block a kick in Saturday's game against Portland State, but through the first five games, the 'Cats still lead the nation with five blocked kicks. WSU has had three blocked extra point attempts, a blocked field goal, and a blocked punt.
The five blocked kicks are already the most in a season since 2011.
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).
About Cal Poly
Cal Poly enters Saturday's game at 3-2 overall and 2-0 in Big Sky play. They opened the season with a home win over Idaho and are coming off a road win at Eastern Washington for the 2-0 Big Sky start. They also beat Central Washington and lost to San Diego and San Jose State.
The Mustangs are second in the Big Sky in sacks and third in third down conversions. They rank fourth in rushing offense at 181.2 per game.
The Mustangs are coached by new head coach Tim Skipper who was hired in December. Skipper has over 25 years of coaching experience and was the acting and interim head coach at Fresno State in 2023 and 2024 and was the interim head coach at UCLA for the final nine games of last season.
Series history
This will be the 19th all-time meeting with Weber State holding a 12-6 lead over Cal Poly. The Wildcats have won the last seven games against the Mustangs, with Cal Poly's last win coming in 2014.
In games in San Luis Obispo, WSU is 6-3 all-time and has won the last four.
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...Weber State has trailed in the turnover margin in four of the five games....The 'Cats have been tied or trailed after the first quarter in all five games...This is the first time since 2001 that Weber State has two losses scoring 40 or more points in the same season...Saturday's game will be the last night game of the season for Weber State. The final six games will all be in the afternoon.
Looking ahead
After Saturday, Weber State is back home for two more games as the 'Cats host Idaho on October 10 and Idaho State on October 17. Both games will start at 1 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
After this week, Weber State will have four of the final six games at home.
