Weber State football is 2-0 to start a full fall season for the first time since 2003 after defeating Utah State 35-7.

The next test for the No. 16 Wildcats is another in-state foe in the Utah Tech Trailblazers (1-1), who bring a new, pass-happy offense to Ogden that they hope will help them fare better than the 41-3 loss they took against WSU last year in St. George.

Not only does Utah Tech like to throw the ball, they’ve been good at it so far with an infusion of the June Jones run-and-shoot offense under Hawaii native and new offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann. He was offensive coordinator at Washington State for two seasons after four seasons in the same role at his alma mater, Hawaii.

The Trailblazers unofficially lead the country — all four NCAA divisions/subdivisions — at 452 passing yards per game. It’s unofficial because UTU is still in its transitional period to full Division I membership, so those team stats don’t qualify for NCAA leaderboards.

“They make you cover the entire field. They create great throw lanes with their splits up front and make the pass rush lanes difficult, and ways for the quarterback to escape,” said Joe Dale, WSU’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. “The way they make you defend the entire field is the most dangerous thing they do.”

That attack is led by Idaho native and sophomore Kobe Tracy. The 6-foot-4 signal-caller got his feet wet last season and has been the primary QB this season. He’s been the most efficient, too, going 48 of 84 (57.1%) for 727 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions in two games.

“He’s spreading the ball around to multiple receivers, he’s extending plays and buying himself time. He’s throwing the ball with confidence and looks like he’s having fun doing it,” Dale said. “Teams run similar offenses and it’s all about the trigger man and lately, he’s doing a good job, he’s putting up numbers and they’re putting up points.”

The Trailblazers lost 56-33 to Sacramento State, then won 56-10 against Division II Chadron State.

Though four players are averaging at least three catches per game, sophomore Joey Hobert has been the primary target. He has 17 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns in just two games.

Despite the heavy passing emphasis, Quali Conley has run for 93.5 yards per game so far.

“Just watching film of their first two games, they’re improved. And we’re improved from last year, too,” WSU head coach Jay Hill said.

That offense will have to contend with Weber State’s defense. Through its two games, Weber State leads Division I (FCS and FBS) in defensive interceptions with seven, two more than any other FCS team this season. The Wildcats are also tops in the FCS (third in all Division I) in third-down conversion defense, holding opponents to a conversion rate of 13.8%.

The defense is yet to allow a touchdown against the opposing team’s offense and gets a boost as senior cornerback Marque Collins rejoins the fray after missing the first two games due to injury.

On the flip side, UTU gave up 589 yards of offense on 7.8 yards per play to Sacramento State before holding Chadron State to 288 yards. Defensive back Tyrell Grayson leads the team with 17 tackles and an interception. Defensive lineman Syrus Webster leads with 2.5 tackles for loss, including the team’s lone sack.

Weber State’s offense took big strides in the win at Utah State, essentially turning in an even 200/200 split between passing and rushing yards. Where the Wildcats fall compared to Sac State and Chadron State may be significantly instructive.

“I think that was very close to kind of the expectation — getting closer, minus the interceptions,” Hill said about his offense. “The reality is, we all know we left a bunch of points out there with some short fields that we could’ve done more with. Like the Jalon Rock interception, we get to the 9, we need to score a touchdown there. So there were points left out there. I think the offense is going to get better at getting those.

“And I hope we get more towards doing 250 rushing and 250 passing, because we have the ability to be that team.”

At Utah Tech, head coach Paul Peterson said his team can build on a strong second half against Chadron State for confidence when considering last year’s matchup with Weber State, which was 14-3 at halftime and ended 41-3.

“I think we just kind of ran out of gas, I guess. But our guys were in there a majority of that game … We’ve just got to put a whole game together with the opponent we’re playing,” Peterson said. “We’re going to scratch and claw, and kick and punch, until the last whistle.”

NORTHERN UTAH TIES

Each team has a list of players from the Weber, Davis, Morgan and Box Elder county areas. Below are those players, with their high schools listed in parentheses.

Weber State: Ty Metcalfe (Syracuse), Hudson Schenck (Weber), Alema Tupuola and Jordan Strate (Davis), Breckin Gunter (Box Elder), Nuuletau Sellesin (Woods Cross), Easton Payne (Bear River), Ethan Atagi and Noah Atagi (Bonneville), Cormac Boyer (Roy), Sloan Calder (Morgan), Haze Hadley (Fremont), Brayden Wilson (Farmington), Hayden Meacham (Layton).

Utah Tech: Trace Tupe, Justin Kirkland, Cannon Panfiloff and Nathan Anderson (Roy), Baylor Payan (Fremont), Micah Vuki and Mason Clark (Layton), Stryker Rashid (Weber).

ODDS & PREDICTIONS

Jeff Sagarin, longtime college football computer ratings guru, ranks all of FBS and FCS together. His system ranks Weber State No. 83 out of 261 Division I teams, and No. 4 among FCS teams. Utah Tech is at No. 216 overall. Using his predictive element and accounting for home-field advantage, Sagarin favors Weber State by 32 points.

Bill Connelly, another longtime CFB statistician now at ESPN, publishes weekly predictions using his SP+ system. SP+ ranks Weber State No. 11 in FCS and Utah Tech at No. 112. His formula predicts a 40-6 win for WSU.

DRatings predicts Weber State winning 40-15 at 97% probability.

WEATHER

The forecast calls for partly cloudy weather and a high of 75 degrees Saturday in Ogden. It predicts 73 degrees at 6 p.m. kickoff, with cloudy skies as the sun sets at 7:33 p.m. and a temperature in the mid-60s by game’s end.

TV & RADIO

The game will air on KJZZ TV in Utah, and simultaneously stream on ESPN+, with Dave Fox, Alema Harrington and Tony Parks on the call.

Former, longtime Utah State radio voice Al Lewis will fill in for Steve Klauke on Weber State’s radio call, joined by Jerry Graybeal on the call. That goes out on 103.1 FM and online at www.1031thewave.com.

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