Homecoming has come and gone, and Weber State’s football finished the week strong at 5–0, beating Eastern Washington University 45–21.

The Wildcats are 5–0 for the second time ever in program history and accomplished this in front of over 10,000 fans at Stewart Stadium.

In the true fashion of Weber State’s new offense, Bronson Barron was quick to add points on the board after launching a 65-yard touchdown to receiver Ty MacPherson only 14 seconds into the game. Eastern Washington then responded in an 11-play drive to tie the game 7–7.

The Wildcats took to the field again, capping off a 10-play 76-yard possession ending with running back Dontae McMillan scoring on a 22-yard rush.

Later in the quarter, cornerback Maxwell Anderson collected their fifth interception of the season, but the Wildcat offense failed to capitalize on it, getting stopped at the 1-yard line.

Going into the second quarter, Eastern Washington started with the ball and scored on a 27-yard pass to tie the game 14–14. On the kickoff, Wildcat returner and Big Sky Player of the Week Abraham Williams returned a 100-yard touchdown putting the Wildcats back up 21–14.

The Wildcats ended the half up by a touchdown, 21–14.

When asked about how the team makes adjustments during half time, Anderson said that the coaching staff is great at making them on the fly. Head coach Jay Hill explained that on the defensive side of the ball, they added a couple of zones and different pressures to throw Eastern Washington’s quarterback off.

Going into the third quarter, Barron dropped a snap, leading Eastern Washington to score on the recovery, making the score 21–21.

Late in the third quarter, Kyle Thompson kicked a season-high 49-yard field goal and took back the Wildcats’ lead by three, bringing the score to 24–21.

With a momentum shift following Thompson’s field goal, Kalisi Moli forced a fumble that was recovered by the ‘Cats and brought the Wildcat offense back on the field. McMillan collected their second touchdown of the night off of a 7-yard rush, the ‘Cats were up 31–21.

With tensions high and comeback hopes slowly dwindling, EWU’s Jakobie James let their anger get the best of them after shoving Maxwell Anderson, resulting in a flagrant foul that ejected them from the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Cats’ defense stepped up, not allowing Eastern Washington to score on offense. The Wildcats scored two more touchdowns capping off the win, both coming from running backs Damon Bankston and Kris Jackson.

“We battled it out; we had a good game,” MacPherson said. “We made some plays, made some mistakes, but overall, a win is a win.”

The Wildcats’ offense had a total of 460 yards, with 223 rushing and 237 passing.

Barron threw 16 for 22 with one touchdown for the game. Bankston rushed 96 yards with one touchdown and Mcmillian rushed 93 yards with two touchdowns. MacPherson led the receivers with nine receptions of 128 yards and one touchdown.

“We just got to get better at being us, and that will continue to be our focus,” Hill said. “I like where the offense is at. I like where the defense is at. Both sides of the ball are showing they can be dominant.”

The Wildcats have now won their third home game of the season and improve to fourth in the Big Sky. The ‘Cats take on Portland State on Oct. 15, looking to make history by scoring 6–0 for the first time.