Idaho (1-4) vs. Weber State (3-3)
MOSCOW, Idaho - Coming off the momentum of one of the greatest wins in program history, Idaho Football is turning the page to game six, hitting the road for the first time since Week 2, making the trip to Ogden for a Saturday afternoon contest with Weber State.
In the first road conference contest since the season opener at Cal Poly, UI is looking to build on the momentum of a huge win and make it two in a row against a high-scoring team led by a first-year head coach known as one of the most accomplished prep coaches in state history.
A LOOK AT WEBER STATE
Weber State features a roster largely new to the Big Sky Conference alongside a revamped staff. The Wildcats have gotten off to an even 3-3 start in 2026, including 2-1 in league games. They opened the year with a narrow 30-29 win over Northern Colorado in Greeley and, following back-to-back road losses at Southern Utah and Colorado, handled Northwestern State, 49-20, in the home opener. WSU is notably coming off of a double-overtime win over Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.
Weber State is led by first-year head coach Eric Kjar, making his debut at the collegiate level. Kjar, most recently the head coach of Corner Canyon HS in Draper, UT, posted a 112-10 record in nine seasons leading the Chargers, including six state titles from 2018-20 and 2023-25 and two runner-up finishes in that span. In 17 seasons as a prep coach, Kjar has earned a career record of 181-39.
Three different quarterbacks have seen time under center for the Wildcats. Former Ohio State and Cal gunslinger Devin Brown, who played for his head coach at Corner Canyon, started the season opener at UNC, but true freshman Nate Dahle has since taken over and played in all six games, starting ever since and tossing 14 TDs to eight picks.
WSU has been accustomed to high-scoring shootouts, both scoring and giving up north of 37 points a game, but the defense has its share of stars. Sophomore defensive end Porter Small earned Big Sky Defensive POTW honors for his efforts vs. Cal Poly, in which he tallied five total tackles and a trio of sacks, the latter of which shot him up to the team lead in the category with four.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR
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Saturday's contest will mark the first of just three regular-season games for Idaho NOT to be broadcast on a linear ESPN network. UI opened the year at Cal Poly on ESPN and at Utah on ESPNU.
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Idaho's offense has put up strong numbers, especially against FCS competition. In the season opener vs. Cal Poly, the Vandals put up 482 yards of total offense in Ian Shoemaker's OC debut, more than any game last season and the most since a 38-28 win over Eastern Washington in 2024 (487).
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Saturday will feature just the fourth time the Vandals and Wildcats have faced off since UI returned to the Big Sky Conference in 2018. The Black and Gold won the last matchup in 2024 (31-24) but have not won in Ogden since 1993 (56-0).
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Joshua Wood needs just 18 yards on the ground to eclipse 1,000 career rushing yards gained in a Vandal uniform. The senior QB is at 972 before adjusting for sacks.
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The Vandal defense has been stout in crunch time, holding two top-ten teams in Lamar and Montana State to a combined 13 points in the second half.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
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1: To kick off October, Idaho secured its first-ever win over the #1 team in the country, knocking off defending national champions Montana State in Moscow. The win not only gave UI the first of the season, but ended the Bobcats' 19-game winning streak dating back to September of 2025.
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3: Idaho is one of three FCS teams to record multiple wins over FBS programs since 2023 (Idaho beat Nevada 33-6 in 2023, Idaho beat Wyoming 17-13 in 2024)
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17: This past offseason, the Vandals celebrated the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history and the second-best '25 class in the FCS, bringing in a total of 17 three-star prospects.
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8: Number of FBS, Preseason Top 25 FCS, and teams that received ranked votes that Idaho plays this year.
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3: Idaho's strength of schedule rating per Massey, out of 128 FCS teams.
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9: Nine of Idaho's twelve regular-season contests have received a regional or national broadcast assignment. The Vandals will face Cal Poly and Montana State on ESPN and Utah on ESPNU, while Lamar, Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Eastern Washington, and UC Davis have all been picked up by SWX, and the Battle of the Little Brown Stein with Montana will be broadcast on Scripps Sports.
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34: Idaho scored 34 points against Cal Poly in Week 1, the third-highest total in a season opener since 2015.
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83: The Vandals boast a veteran offensive line with four of five 2025 starters returning, each of whom has started games prior as well. Layton Vining, Charlie Vliem, Kiegan Henson, and Leon Evans have combined for 83 career starts coming into 2026.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow the Vandals on Facebook, Instagram, and X for the latest updates.
TICKETS: Season tickets, mini plans, and single-game tickets are available here or by calling the Idaho Ticket Office at (208) 885-6466.
