As purple smoke rose into the sky, the Weber State University football team ran onto Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle to face the University of Washington Huskies in their first game of the 2024 season.
The Wildcats were in for a challenge, as Washington was coming off a legendary 14–1 season, falling only in the national championship game to the University of Michigan Wolverines 34–13.
Wildcat Damon Bankston, coming off a season-ending leg injury, started the first drive, leading the team down to Washington’s 31-yard line. After two incomplete passes from quarterback Richie Munoz, the Wildcats elected to kick a field goal. However, senior kicker Kyle Thompson’s 48-yard attempt sailed slightly to the right, giving the Huskies the ball.
The Huskies gave the ball to their running back, Jonah Coleman, who transferred from the University of Arizona. Coleman broke away with a 33-yard touchdown run but was called back due to a penalty. The Wildcats stopped the Huskies on fourth down and got the ball back. However, both teams remained scoreless at the end of the first quarter.
On their first drive of the second quarter, Washington finally broke the standstill, with Coleman running in a 5-yard touchdown. After three straight punts by both teams, Washington quarterback Will Rogers found tight end Decker DeGraff for a 33-yard touchdown pass, ending the half with a 14-point lead.
In the third quarter, Washington rattled off two straight touchdown drives scored by Coleman, who ended his day with 127 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. At the end of the third quarter, the Wildcats were finally able to get on the board when Thompson hit a 28-yard field goal.
In the fourth quarter, Washington put in their true freshman backup quarterback, Demond Williams Jr., who ended his first drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Denzel Boston. The Wildcats couldn’t get anything else going, and the game ended with a 35–3 Washington victory.
“Our goal is to win football games, and we didn’t do that today, so we have to find ways to get better and come out better on the other end,” head coach Mickey Mental said.
Bankston, in his first game in a year, rushed for 105 yards. He credits the new NCAA rules for allowing tablets to be used on the sidelines for film.
The Wildcats look to bounce back on Sept. 7 against Big Sky opponent Portland State in the first home game of the season at 6 p.m. Admission is free for all students.
