Weber State football is looking for answers on offense after a 27-10 home loss to Northern Arizona that leaves the Wildcats 3-3 overall and 1-2 to begin Big Sky play.

While there’s time this week to find out what solutions may be in store, with the Wildcats hosting UC Davis for homecoming on Saturday, a look at how WSU’s offense has fared in the first three games of its Big Sky schedule over the last 10 seasons reveals some context for the rough start in 2023.

Such a three-game sample for each season doesn’t account for quality of opponent — though on its face, each season has a similar mix of good, average and below-average teams in those first three weeks.

When considering points scored, this rundown also does not hash out points actually produced by the offense as opposed to special teams or defense. But for overall team health and complementary football, it still paints a digestible picture.

Fans online have been quick to pile on first-year head coach Mickey Mental for the recent offensive performances, but the offense he led in 2022 was one of WSU’s two best Big Sky starts of the last 10 years.

Record-wise, four teams in the last 10 seasons began Big Sky play at 3-0, including last year’s team. Three were 2-1, two began 1-2 (including this season), and one began 0-3.

When it comes to scoring points and gaining yards, this season is easily the lowest production of the last 10 years. Weber State averages 12.7 points and 255.3 yards per game in the three Big Sky games so far.

That’s a stark contrast to last season, when Mental’s offense debuted in the Big Sky at 34.6 points (second-best in the last 10 years) and 457 yards (best in the last 10 years) per game.

Quarterback play and experience, and skill-player experience, are among factors so far that help account for the difference. Junior Kylan Weisser has not been able to reproduce the success of Bronson Barron last season, and the team lost Ty MacPherson, Josh Davis and Dontae McMillan, among others, to graduation or transfer.

The second-lowest scoring output of the last 10 years belongs to 2021’s offense, called by Matt Hammer, who faced two top-15 teams in the early going. That team scored 19.7 points per game through the first three contests.

To go with Mental’s debut in 2022, the best scoring and yardage output through the first three Big Sky games was Dave Schramm’s final year calling the offense in 2019. That team came out of the gate scoring 40.3 points (best of the last 10 years) and gaining 444 yards (second-best to Mental in 2022), later slowing down somewhat as the schedule wore on.

In Saturday’s loss to Northern Arizona, Weber State totaled 180 yards of offense. That appears to be the second-lowest offensive output of the last 10 years in Big Sky play, coming behind 173 total yards gained in a 2018 turnover fest at Northern Arizona.

‘CATS STILL RANKED

Despite a historically poor performance, Weber State remains ranked in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 released Monday, voted on by media members, and school and conference staffers, from around the country.

Weber State fell nine spots to No. 22. This week’s opponent, UC Davis, dropped out of the Top 25 after losing 31-23 to now-No. 16 Montana.

Outside of the Big Sky’s top-10 mainstays, Eastern Washington is ranked No. 21.

Below is the latest top 10:

1. South Dakota State

2. Montana State

3. Idaho

4. Sacramento State

5. Furman

6. North Dakota State

7. Incarnate Word

8. Delaware

9. Western Carolina

10. South Dakota

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