Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
1-1 , 1-0
Southern Utah
1-1 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weber St. | 7 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 42 |
| Southern Utah | 7 | 13 | 21 | 6 | 47 |
Wildcats fall in shootout at Southern Utah
9/5/2026 10:17:00 PM | Football
The Wildcats led 29-20 at halftime and regained the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Southern Utah answered with the final touchdown and held off Weber State in the closing minutes.
Weber State finished with 464 yards of total offense, including 282 passing and 182 rushing. Southern Utah totaled 514 yards, with 368 coming on the ground.
Freshman quarterback Nate Dahle got his first collegiate start and finished the game 21 of 44 passing for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
Noah Kjar had nine catches for a career-high 150 yards and two touchdown receptions. Spencer Ferguson rushed for 91 yards and also had two touchdowns.
After an opening touchdown by the Thunderbirds, Weber State answered with a 14-play, 95-yard drive, capped by Mapa Vaenuku's 1-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds left in the quarter to tie the game 7-7.
The Wildcats took their first lead early in the second quarter on a special teams touchdown. Porter Hadley blocked a Southern Utah punt, and Zach Smith recovered the ball and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. David Dellenbach then ran in the two-point conversion to give Weber State a 15-7 lead.
Southern Utah responded just 12 seconds later when Will Burns broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run that cut the Weber State lead to 15-13.
Weber State answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, with Spencer Ferguson scoring on a 28-yard run with 10:24 remaining in the half. Southern Utah again responded with a touchdown to make it 22-20.
The Wildcats closed the half with another long scoring drive. Starting at their own 7-yard line with 1:55 remaining, Weber State went 93 yards in eight plays, with Dahle connecting with Kjar for a 16-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 29-20 halftime lead.
Southern Utah scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second half. Chalk scored on a 39-yard run before Burns connected with Joshua Acord for a 16-yard touchdown, giving the Thunderbirds a 34-29 lead with 10:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Weber State answered immediately. The Wildcats drove 75 yards in five plays, with Ferguson scoring his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run to put Weber State back in front 36-34 with nine minutes remaining.
Southern Utah regained the lead late in the third quarter with a touchdown that put SUU up 41-36.
Then Zach Smith came up with another big play early in the fourth quarter. With Southern Utah at the Weber State 10-yard line, Smith intercepted a pass at the 1 and returned the ball 91 yards. It's the third-longest interception return in Weber State history.
On the next play, Dahle connected with Kjar for a 24-yard touchdown with 13:53 remaining, putting Weber State back in front 42-41.
Southern Utah responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 22-yard touchdown run with 9:13 remaining to take a 47-42 lead.
Weber State had three possessions after Southern Utah took the lead. The Wildcats reached the Southern Utah 37 on one drive but turned the ball over on downs with 2:35 remaining. After forcing a three-and-out, Weber State got the ball back at its own 25 with 1:52 to play, but Southern Utah intercepted Dahle with 1:13 remaining and ran out the clock.
Smith finished with an interception and the touchdown on the blocked punt, while Teni Worthen led the Weber State defense with 11 tackles and two tackles for loss. Trevian Tribble and Will Cornelson each had nine tackles.
The Wildcats played without quarterback Devin Brown, wide receiver Tate Kjar, and linebacker Raimoana Tinirauarii, who all missed the game with injuries.
Weber State continues its season-opening three-game road stretch next Saturday at Colorado.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
WSU 0, SUU 7
SUU - Burns,Will 11 yd run (Rogers,Jayden kick), 4 plays, 50 yards, TOP 01:47
WSU 7, SUU 7
WSU - Vaenuku,Mapa 1 yd run (Dellenbach,David kick), 14 plays, 95 yards, TOP 06:36
WSU 15, SUU 7
WSU - Smith,Zach 25 yd punt return (Dellenbach,David rush)
WSU 15, SUU 13
SUU - Burns,Will 75 yd run (), 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:12
WSU 22, SUU 13
WSU - Ferguson,Spencer 28 yd run (Dellenbach,David kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:54
WSU 22, SUU 20
SUU - Chalk,Floyd 4 yd run (Rogers,Jayden kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:06
WSU 29, SUU 20
WSU - Kjar,Noah 16 yd pass from Dahle,Nate (Dellenbach,David kick) 8 plays, 93 yards, TOP 01:35
WSU 29, SUU 27
SUU - Chalk,Floyd 39 yd run (Rogers,Jayden kick), 4 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:46
WSU 29, SUU 34
SUU - Acord,Joshua 16 yd pass from Burns,Will (Rogers,Jayden kick) 3 plays, 40 yards, TOP 01:19
WSU 36, SUU 34
WSU - Ferguson,Spencer 1 yd run (Dellenbach,David kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:55
WSU 36, SUU 41
SUU - Downing,Devin 16 yd pass from Burns,Will (Rogers,Jayden kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:11
WSU 42, SUU 41
WSU - Kjar,Noah 24 yd pass from Dahle,Nate () 1 plays, 24 yards, TOP 00:05
WSU 42, SUU 47
SUU - Chalk,Floyd 22 yd run (), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:40