Weber State football is playing for history Saturday as it visits Hillsboro Stadium to take on the Portland State Vikings. The Wildcats can move their season record to 6-0 with a win, which would set a new mark for the best start to a season in program history.

WSU is also entering a rematch against the team that gave the Wildcats their most sour loss in 2021, a 30-18 decision in Ogden that was the death knell to Weber’s playoff hopes.

In both cases, there’s still a singular focus.

“I definitely keep that chip on my shoulder and I know a lot of the guys feel the same way but, at the same time,” sophomore quarterback Bronson Barron said, “it’s a new season, another game, and we’re just trying to go 1-0 this week.”

Weber State has never played at Hillsboro Stadium, which is part of a municipal sports complex west of Portland. The last time the Wildcats visited PSU was in 2017, a contest held at Providence Park.

Portland State is 2-3 this season, with a 1-1 mark in Big Sky play. That 1-1 record constitutes all of PSU’s games against FCS opponents so far. The Vikings opened with two FBS games, giving up a late lead at San Jose State and losing 21-17, then taking a 52-6 loss at Washington.

After a 53-16 beatdown at Montana, PSU hosted Northern Arizona and went up 35-13 before holding on for a 35-27 win. Last week, in what could serve as a confidence-builder, the Vikings beat non-Division I opponent Lincoln University 48-6. The game against Weber State is PSU’s third straight at home.

MEET THE VIKINGS

The name to know for the 2022 Vikings is Dante Chachere. The sophomore QB wearing No. 15 was lightly used last season behind longtime starter Davis Alexander but has exploded for some big games this season.

Against Northern Arizona, Chachere threw 22 of 28 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 128 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Against SJSU, NAU and Lincoln, he averaged 275 passing yards and three touchdowns per game.

Against Montana and Washington, however, Chachere was a combined 15 of 30 for 112 yards. He also only completed 14 of 29 passes against Lincoln.

“The quarterback’s a great athlete so he can beat you with his arm and his feet. He makes big plays,” WSU head coach Jay Hill said. “They’ve got weapons. A bunch of their O-line I think are very good players. And they’re doing a good job of executing right now.”

In Hill’s eyes, PSU has veteran receivers for Chachere to throw to, makes you be “gap sound” in the run game, and spreads the field enough that “you’ve got to be sound in how you cover them.”

Senior receiver Beau Kelly (22 catches, 303 yards, two touchdowns) and sophomore Nate Bennett (23 catches, 278 yards) are Chachere’s top targets. But senior local Mataio Talalemotu of Beaverton is a big-play threat; his eight receptions have gone for 194 yards and five touchdowns.

Chachere is also the leading rusher, running 48 times for 294 yards (58.8 per game). Jalynnee McGee and Andrew Van Buren each get about seven carries per game for 28 yards per game each.

Hill said the key to playing an offense like the one Chachere leads is defenders winning one-on-one battles and making plays, and forcing PSU into third-and-long situations. Weber State did that against Alexander last season, but Alexander “did a phenomenal job extending plays and continuing drives. This game will be no different.”

Portland State runs something like a 4-2-5 defense with sophomore defensive back Tyreese Shakir leading the defense at a hybrid “rover” position; he leads the team with 26 tackles and two of the team’s four interceptions, adding two sacks. Strong safety Xavier Bell is definitely a player to watch; the senior is in his second year after transferring from Arizona and has 22 tackles, with 2.5 going for loss.

The Vikings have talent on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the secondary. Barron said the key for WSU offensively will continue to be efficiency and “staying on schedule,” which means avoiding second- and third-and-long situations.

ODDS & PREDICTIONS

Jeff Sagarin, longtime college football computer ratings guru, ranks all of FBS and FCS together. His system ranks Weber State No. 90 out of 261 Division I teams. Portland State is No. 170 overall, close to where last week’s opponent, Eastern Washington, ranks. Using his predictive element and accounting for home-field advantage, Sagarin favors Weber State by 15 points.

Bill Connelly, another longtime CFB statistician now at ESPN, publishes weekly predictions using his SP+ system. SP+ ranks Weber State No. 5 in FCS (up from No. 9 last week) and Portland State is No. 51. The system predicts a Weber State win at 34-21.

DRatings predicts a similar margin, favoring Weber State 35-21 at 83.7% probability.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Weber State leads the all-time series 22-15. Portland State won the last matchup, a 30-18 triumph in Ogden in 2021. The series is tied 9-9 for games played in Portland; WSU won the last time the teams played in Portland, a 63-17 romp in 2017.

WEATHER

Kickoff at Hillsboro Stadium is at 2 p.m. PDT Saturday (3 p.m. MDT) and the weather will be unseasonably hot. The forecast calls for a high of 86 with 42% humidity. It will be 83 at kickoff and temperatures will increase to the day’s high during the game.

TV & RADIO

The game will stream on the ESPN+ subscription service with Matt Richert and Scott Hermo on the call.

Steve Klauke and Jerry Graybeal will have the Weber State radio call locally on 103.1 FM and streaming online at www.1031thewave.com.

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