After three weeks of traveling from Virginia to Arizona to Louisiana, the Weber State University football team finally returned home to Stewart Stadium to take on the Butler University Bulldogs.
The Wildcats entered the game with one win against McNeese State University on Sept. 13, two losses against James Madison University on Aug. 30 and the University of Arizona on Sept. 6.
Butler entered the game with two wins against Division II school Truman State University and Division III school Hanover College, and one loss against the University of Northern Iowa.
Butler is a member of the Big East Conference in all sports except football, which the Big East does not sanction. In football, Butler is in the Pioneer Football League, where teams in the conference do not give athletic scholarships to football players.
The Wildcats expected to see Butler’s starting quarterback, Reagan Andrew, on the field but before the game, he was in street clothes and out of action, so sophomore quarterback Jarrin Alley got the nod.
Weber also had a myriad of injuries. Sophomore wide receiver Noah Kjar tore his ACL and meniscus against McNeese and was ruled out for the season; junior guard Vae Soifua is out indefinitely with a calf injury; and senior defensive end Keahnist Thompson was out for an unknown injury.
The game started well for the Wildcats, who drove down the field 75 yards, finished off with a 15-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Davion Godley.
The Wildcats forced a Butler three-and-out and then drove down to the Butler 3-yard line. However, on fourth down, sophomore quarterback Jackson Gilkey’s pass to senior fullback Colter May fell incomplete, turning the ball over on downs.
After the Wildcat defense forced another three-and-out, the Wildcats drove to the Butler 13 yard-line, but were stopped on third and three. Senior kicker Sloan Calder made a 29-yard field goal to make it a 10–0 game.
The same occurred on the following drives, with another Butler three-and-out and another Calder field goal, this time from 26 yards, giving the Wildcats a 13–0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
By this point, Butler put in their third-string quarterback, freshman Gabe Passini. On his first drive, helped by Wildcat penalties, Butler drove 75 yards, finished off by a 2-yard run by redshirt-junior wide receiver Ethan Loss.
The Wildcats responded with a 75-yard drive capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass from Gilkey to sophomore wide receiver AJ Jayroe, which was not only his first career touchdown but also his first career reception.
Butler drove down the field again with Passini breaking free for a 43-yard run to make it to the Weber State 32-yard line, and on the next play, he found redshirt-junior tight end Brady Preston for a touchdown.
On the following drive, Gilkey was intercepted by redshirt-senior defensive lineman Danny Orgler, giving the Bulldogs the ball on the Wildcat 13-yard line. Weber’s defense held firm, however, holding the Bulldogs to a field goal, which made it a 27–17 game in favor of the Wildcats.
Senior running back Bird Butler fumbled the ball on the following kickoff, and the Bulldogs recovered it on the Weber State 27-yard line. However, the Wildcats got the ball back four plays later after an Ishaan Daniels interception in the endzone to end the half.
At halftime, the inductees to the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame were honored. Taron Johnson, who played for the football team from 2014 to 2017; Carla Taylor, the women’s basketball coach from 1989 to 2011; Linsey McFarland, who played on the women’s soccer team from 2003 to 2006; Kelsey Chugg, who played for the women’s golf team from 2011 to 2013; and Rico Washington, who played for the men’s basketball team from 1987 to 1989.
Also at halftime, the new “Flaming W” on the side of Mount Ogden was finally lit after more than a year of construction.
The third quarter saw the teams trading punts throughout, save for another Calder field goal, this time from 36 yards. The game was 30–17 in favor of the Wildcats at the start of the fourth.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Passini ran 12 yards for a touchdown to make it a one-score game, 30–24. The teams traded punts until the Wildcats stopped Butler on fourth down with nine minutes remaining. However, two plays later, Gilkey threw his second interception of the game.
After forcing a Butler three-and-out, the Wildcats drove down the field and finished the drive with a Chauncey Sylvester rushing touchdown, the first of his career. On the two-point conversion, Gilkey found junior receiver Marvin Session to make it 38–24. After forcing a turnover on downs, the Wildcats knelt the ball to give them the 38–24 win.
Davion Godley had a career game, rushing for a career-high of 193 yards.
Coach Mickey Mental is aware of some improvements that must be made, including capitalizing on good field position on offense.
“We got to capitalize,” Mental said. “I got to do a better job putting our guys in better situations to be successful. And then we got to collectively execute at a higher level when we do get put in those situations.”
The Wildcats travel to Davis, California, to take on the University of California, Davis Aggies on Sept. 27, before going into the bye week. Following the bye week, the Wildcats return home to take on the California State University, Sacramento Hornets for the homecoming game on Oct. 11.
