In a much-anticipated Big Sky Conference showdown, Weber State University’s football team clashed with their rivals, Montana State University, on Sept 23. The Wildcats were eager to rebound after a tough 31–7 loss to the University of Utah on Sept. 16.
After an intense four quarters of play, Montana State emerged victorious, delivering a decisive 40–0 defeat to the Wildcats. This win marked Montana State’s first shutout victory in the Big Sky Conference since 2006. For Weber State, the last time they endured a shutout loss was in 2015, when they fell 44–0 to Southern Utah.
The game started off with a scoreless first quarter, but Montana State quickly seized control in the second quarter, with back-to-back touchdowns, establishing a commanding 13–0 lead. Montana State then capitalized on a Wildcat fumble, converting it into another touchdown to conclude the first half with a 20–0 advantage.
“The defense was on the field too much in the first half,” Weber State head coach Mickey Mental said. “We’ve got to be better offensively to keep those guys off the field in the first half so they can play fresh throughout the game.”
Neither team managed to score in the third quarter, but the Bobcats effectively sealed the game with three additional touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Weber State quarterback, Kylan Weisser went 14 of 29 passing for 101 yards and was sacked a total of four times. On the rushing side of the ball, Weber State running back Damon Bankston rushed for a total of 36 yards and Kris Jackson had a total of 31 completed yards.
Montana State had a total of 346 rushing yards and had a total of 172 yards in the air with a grand total of 518 yards during this game. The Bobcats held the Wildcats to only 208 total yards the entire game.
“We run 70 plays for 208 yards, we don’t have many explosive plays in there,” Mental said. “We’ve got to do a better job in the passing game of completions and yards after contact once we make those completions. So, we’ll work tirelessly next week in trying to get that accomplished.”
The Wildcats will hit the road for their next challenge facing off against Colorado State in Greeley, Colorado, on Sept. 30. This marks Weber State’s first visit to Northern Colorado since 2015. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
