Football returns to Weber State in a Top 25 showdown

Emily Miller

March 12, 2021

The No. 2 Weber State Wildcats take on No. 23 UC Davis on March 13, at Stewart Stadium.

The FCS Top 25 showdown will be the first Wildcats home game of the season.

Football is back at Stewart Stadium 🏈

Game 2️⃣
Limited tickets available!https://t.co/1RUPNw88xR pic.twitter.com/D3eTAGTDRz

— Weber State Football 🏈 (@weberstatefb) March 12, 2021

Weber State had a bye week after defeating Idaho State 49-21 in Pocatello, Idaho on Feb. 27.

Going into the game against the Aggies freshman Bronson Barron’s at quarterback. In his debut game for the Wildcats Barron had 312 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Wildcat quarterback Bronson Barron stands during practice at Stewart Stadium. Photo credit: Weber State Athletics

“His swagger [Barron], he carries it with that QB1 swag,” said Heckard. “He does his job, he’s not cocky, and he always brings that positive energy.”

Both teams currently sit at 1-0. UC Davis caused an upset when beating then ranked No. 19 Idaho with a score of 27-17. The Aggies will be coming into this game with a veteran offense. In the game against Idaho, quarterback Hunter Rodrigues was 23 of 29 for passing and had three touchdowns. Running back Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. rushed for 145 yards and wide receiver Carson Crawford had 120 yards, eight catches and two touchdowns.

“Their [UCD] offense is very similar, it’s what they were doing before,” Jay Hill, Wildcats head coach, said. “I think head coach Dan Hawkins does a great job, he’s very creative and does a great job of putting your players in conflict.”

The two schools have played each other a total of seven times and Weber State is 5-2 overall and on a four game winning streak against the Aggies. WSU is 3-1 at home and 2-1 away. The last time UC Davis traveled up to Ogden was on Sept. 23, 2017 and they faced their largest margin of a loss with a score of 41-3.

Wildcat wide receiver Rashid Shaheed lines up in practice at Stewart Stadium. Photo credit: Weber State Athletics

The last match up took place in Davis, CA on Oct. 26, 2019 where the Wildcats handed the Aggies a 36-20 loss.

On offense, the Wildcats totaled 450 yards and kept the Aggies at a total of 204 yards. Standout players during the game included: quarterback Jake Constantine who threw for 275 yards and was 25 of 39 for passing with one touch down, Devon Cooley and David Ames had seven catches each.

Wildcat running back Dontae McMillan catches a pass out of the backfield in practice at Stewart Stadium. Photo credit: Weber State Athletics

Josh Davis led in rushing with 16 carries and one touchdown. During the game Davis totaled 70 yards and made history by becoming the 11th player in Weber State history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards.

Prior to the fall 2020 season being postponed, the Big Sky Conference released their preseason poll in July and Weber State was picked for the top seed meanwhile UC Davis was picked for sixth place.

WSU O-lineman running drills during practice at Stewart Stadium. Photo credit: Weber State Athletics

“Last year we were undefeated at home and we want to continue this streak,” said Eddie Heckard, WSU cornerback. “This is our biggest game for the Big Sky this spring. We know we’re playing a top dog in the conference.”

Weber State has been permitted to allow fans to attend in person. This will be the first time in over 400 days that Weber State has hosted a football game.