Of the many universities Weber State University has played against in football, no school has appeared on the schedule more than Idaho State University.
Since Weber State became a four-year college and joined the NCAA in 1962, the Wildcats and Bengals have played 65 times, playing every year since 1962, including playing twice in the spring 2021 season. In which the Wildcats have won 49 compared to the Bengals’ 16 wins.
Even before the two schools were four-year colleges, they played. The two schools first met on Oct. 20, 1923, when Idaho Technical Institute defeated Weber College 25–20.
One major feature of the rivalry during the first few years of their Big Sky Conference battles was the use of trains to transport students to the games.
From 1963 to 1969, about 500 to 1,000 fans rode the “game train” each year to the opposite college for the annual football game between the two schools.
Then, in 1964, some Weber students acquired an old train bell, which became the rivalry trophy. The winner of the game kept the trophy for the following year, and the game score was engraved on the front plaque.
However, in 1973, the bell was no longer up for grabs, and it sat dormant in Stewart Library until 2024.
After years of fans calling for the trophy to be brought back out, the two teams agreed, and the 2024 edition of the rivalry game became a battle for the bell.
Prior to the game, Weber State had dominated the rivalry. The Wildcats had won 19 of the previous 20 matchups, with the Bengals’ sole win in 2014. The Wildcats had also not lost at home against the Bengals since Nov. 3, 1984.
However, on Nov. 9, 2024, 40 years after their last win in Ogden, the Bengals shocked the Wildcats and won 43–35, to bring the train bell back to Pocatello for the first time since 1972.
Last season, Idaho State chartered buses to transport students to Ogden to cheer on the Bengals, which resulted in ISU fans outnumbering WSU fans in Stewart Stadium.
This season, the Wildcats are doing the same, chartering the “Rivalry Ride” bus for 100 students to travel to Pocatello to cheer on the Wildcats, a nod to the train rides of the past.
The teams both enter the game with no chance of making it to the playoffs. Weber comes in with an overall record of three wins and seven losses and a Big Sky Conference record of one win and five losses. The Bengals come in with a slightly better record of four wins and six losses overall, and three wins and three losses in Big Sky Conference play.
The Bengals are coming off two straight wins, first upsetting the sixth-ranked University of California, Davis 38–36 on Nov. 1, then defeating California Polytechnic State University 27–17 on Nov. 8.
This game will also see a major change on the sideline for the Wildcats, as on Nov. 10, Head Coach Mickey Mental was fired, marking the first time in program history that a head coach has been fired during the season.
Associate Head Coach Brent Myers will take charge of the team this weekend as the Wildcats seek to beat their rivals at 4 p.m. on Nov. 15.
