The last meeting: Nov. 11, 2017, when PSU kicked a field goal to go up 3-0 and then WSU scored 56 unanswered points on the way to a 63-17 win. The last meeting in Ogden was Oct. 8, 2016, a 14-10 win for WSU.

Weber State has some players still playing who starred in the 2017 game that featured all kinds of explosive plays: Rashid Shaheed had a 90-yard kickoff return for a TD and scored on a 60-yard pass and Dave Jones ripped a couple big runs (his score was from 1 yard out, however).

There’s a big holdover for Portland State, too: quarterback Davis Alexander. The Vikings actually gained 430 yards in that game because the freshman Alexander was 24 of 44 for 370 yards and a touchdown while being sacked three times.

“This is a really good team,” WSU head coach Jay Hill said. “The quarterback’s kind of the leader of it. He runs around, makes a lot of plays, he knows when to throw it on time and he knows when to scramble and try to make a play.

“That kid was extremely frustrating that game. He would run around — I thought we had 10 times where we had him sacked and he’d get out of it and complete a ball downfield. He made a lot of plays … he’s a feisty little competitive dude that I like. He’s a good player.”

Now, Alexander is a senior. He’s 180 for 302 (59.6%) for 2,206 yards (276 per game) for 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight games. He’s thrown for 400 or more yards twice this season, against Hawaii and Idaho.

He’s a flat-out playmaker, but WSU is hoping to help Alexander remember how that last game went, how he was on the run for all 60 minutes, earning every yard — similar to what Weber did with Eric Barriere at Eastern Washington this season.

Defensively, Shaheed says Portland State is “stout” and “sound” with a skilled secondary.

“They just line up and just do their job. They do what they’re coached to do,” he said

Defensive backs Anthony Adams (31 tackles, three interceptions) and Xavier Bell (34 tackles, one interception) lead that effort.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

Both teams are 4-4 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky play, so both are staring at the likelihood of winning their final three games as a ticket to the FCS Playoffs — although PSU’s path is complicated by one of those wins coming against a non-Division I team. But that consideration would come later, because winning out for the Vikings would mean wins over Weber State and Eastern Washington in the final three weeks, which would give a huge boost to a currently bland resume.

Weber State’s top-level schedule is done: the Wildcats lost tough home games to UC Davis and Montana State, and lost touch with JMU at home, before beating Eastern Washington on the road. All four of those teams are currently ranked in the top 10. WSU is also looking to finish 7-4, but with a tougher schedule and no non-Division I opponents. It still seems like a near-lock that such a finish would mean a playoff bid.

Now comes the business-end of the path ahead: can Weber State handle itself against teams it has, 2016 to present, generally defeated? It’s one thing to blow out bad teams like Cal Poly, Dixie State and Idaho State, but another to handle the middle-of-the-pack talents that ultimately make the difference between rising to the top or settling in the middle with them. That, and ending a four-game home losing streak, is what’s ahead of the Wildcats this week.

ODDS & PREDICTIONS

Jeff Sagarin, longtime college football computer ratings guru, ranks all of FBS and FCS together. His system ranks Weber State 117th nationally and Portland State 162nd.

Using his prediction formula and accounting for home-field advantage, Weber State is favored by 13.5 points.

WEATHER

It should be a beautiful, if not a bit overcast, fall day at Stewart Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The forecast calls for cloudy skies and temperatures of 60-62 degrees throughout the game.

TV & RADIO

Video broadcast of the game will stream on the ESPN+ subscription service, available on the ESPN app through streaming devices or on a computer browser, with Tony Parks and Riley Jensen on the call. For radio, Steve Klauke and Jerry Graybeal will call the contest on 103.1 FM in Utah and online at 1031thewave.com.