Weber State football wears down Portland State; defense strong in 43-16 win
Wildcats pick up Big Sky win early in season
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- Weber State linebacker Aizik Mahuka (33) celebrates with Zeke Birch (91) after he shared a sack with Keahnist Thompson, not pictured, against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State running back Damon Bankston rushes the football against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State lineman Steven Bryant (50) tracks down Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere (15) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State quarterback Richie Muñoz (10) avoids a tackle from Portland State’s Jordon Tagaloa (92) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State’s Keahnist Thompson (90) brings down Portland State’s Dante Chachere on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State running back Damon Bankston (1) punches in a second-quarter touchdown against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State linebacker Raimoana Tinirauarii (40) tackles Portland State’s Quincy Craig (17) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State running back Clarence Butler (15) breaks free for a 61-yard run as Portland State’s Zach Wusstig (3) gives chase on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State offensive lineman Gavin Ortega (71) battles with Portland State’s Fredrick Lujan III (94) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State’s Damon Bankston (1) runs the football against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State’s Damon Bankston, left, celebrates his touchdown with Keayen Nead (45) and Colter May on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State running back Damon Bankston (1) fights through a tackle from Portland State’s Isaiah Green (4) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State receiver Jacob Sharp, left, spins out of a Portland State tackle on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State receiver Jacob Sharp (14) tries to run past a tackle and Portland State’s Peyton Wing (7) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State receiver Jacob Sharp (14) battles a Portland State tackler on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State quarterback Richie Muñoz surveys the field against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State offensive lineman Lavaka Taukeiaho (75) battles Portland State’s Sosefo Moeaki (91) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State linebacker Aizik Mahuka (33) grabs Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State defensive end Keahnist Thompson (90) sacks Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere, right, on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State quarterback Richie Muñoz (10) runs against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State quarterback Richie Muñoz (10) runs against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State quarterback Richie Muñoz (10) scrambles for a gain against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State quarterback Richie Muñoz lets the ball fly against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State defensive end Kemari Munier-Bailey (35) tackles Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State linebacker Jayden Ah You (42) trips up Portland State’s Jaylen Lynch (0) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State running back Damon Bankston (1) carries the football against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State defensive linemen Steven Bryant (50) and Keahnist Thompson (90) celebrate a play against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State defensive end Keahnist Thompson (90) celebrates a stop against Portland State on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
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- Weber State linebacker Raimoana Tinirauarii (40) closes in on Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere (15) on Saturday, Sept 7, 2024, at Stewart Stadium in Ogden.
OGDEN — A game that spent three quarters as a low-scoring affair, one that Weber State controlled but hadn’t put away, turned into a convincing, blowout win for the Wildcats.
No. 24 Weber State outscored Portland State 24-6 in the fourth quarter to punctuate what became a 43-16 romp in the Big Sky opener for both teams Saturday at Stewart Stadium.
“Really proud of my team, how they responded from last week,” WSU head coach Mickey Mental said. “They played complementary football in all three phases … just really excited about how we played today and can’t wait to get going on next week.”
When Kyle Thompson booted through his third field goal of the game to open the fourth quarter, Weber State had outgained Portland State 350-128 but the scoreboard didn’t quite match, showing a 22-10 WSU lead. The Wildcats had PSU and fleet-footed quarterback Dante Chachere locked down but the offense hadn’t quite converted its opportunities.
But the Wildcats (1-1, 1-0 Big Sky) soon had the ball back and Adrian Cormier got things started with a 17-yard run. Richie Muñoz peppered the field, including 30 yards to Jacob Sharp and a 12-yard screen to Jayleen Record, and the Vikings helped out with a late hit on a Muñoz incompletion.
That had WSU at the PSU 9 and, on first down, Muñoz rushed right, dove for the pylon and scored a rushing TD. That made the score 29-10 with 10:41 left in the game and, at that point, the Wildcats had outgained the visitors 202-11 in the second half.
Cachere, the sixth-year senior, single-handedly broke through his team’s drought on the ground with runs of 16, 12 and 11 yards. The last two converted third-and-longs, but the final one also resulted in Chachere leaving the field in pain.
Backup William Haskell went 3 for 3 for 23 yards through the air in Chachere’s stead, finishing with a 6-yard score to Branden Alvarez and appearing to keep the game interesting at 29-16 with 5:38 left.
Somehow, there were two touchdowns, two turnovers and one missed field goal on the docket in the next three minutes, and it started with WSU star back Damon Bankston calling game.
On WSU’s first play following the PSU touchdown, Bankston bounced an inside zone run to the outside, beat a defensive back around the edge and up the sideline, and raced for a 75-yard touchdown, making it 36-16 with 5:25 left.
Bankston finished with 15 carries for 133 yards and two scores — starting his second consecutive season with two 100-plus rushing performances and showing balance and speed in his attempts after returning from the injury that ended his 2023 campaign.
“Any time I get the ball, I’m looking to score,” Bankston said. “When it’s there, I’m going to take advantage of it.”
The next sequence put a spotlight on the unique defensive plan Weber State used to control much of the game.
On the very next play from scrimmage after the Bankston touchdown, Haskell fumbled a shotgun snap and WSU junior safety Angel King was quickly there to beat him to the recovery — the first turnover in a Weber State game this season.
Four plays later, Thompson missed a 34-yard field goal attempt.
Two plays after that, King picked off a Haskell throw over the middle to give Weber a 29-yard field.
“An amazing feeling. These were my first turnovers since I’ve been in college,” said King, a junior who previously played at Nevada and Colorado State. “To get those is real special.”
King’s turnovers don’t make sense when put together, but Weber State’s game plan included lining the safety up as an edge rusher on the defensive line. He was first to the fumble, and tricked Haskell into the pick with a fake-rush and drop coverage underneath the route over the middle.
“I’m playing D-end out there, that was the package, and I feel like they didn’t really have an answer for it,” King explained. “Somebody more athletic coming off the edge to keep him honest.”
That’s part of how the Wildcats contained Chachere, who finished with 61 yards on 10-of-22 passing, was sacked three times, and rushed 15 times for 57 yards.
Weber State converted the short field on the legs of true freshman Davion Godley, who made his debut with consecutive runs of 8, 7 and 14 yards, the last of which included breaking tackles in the middle and bursting to the end zone. That capped the scoring at 43-16 with 2:26 left.
In the end, WSU outgained PSU 535-240, including 316 rushing yards on 7.4 yards per carry. The Vikings (0-2, 0-1) managed 146 rushing yards on 3.7 yards per carry.
“Almost 500 yards rushing in two games. That’s a big-time statement by those guys up front,” Mental said, referring to his offensive line.
Muñoz passed 19 of 30 for 219 yards. He tallied Weber State’s first touchdown of the season with a beautiful throw to the senior Sharp, going over the top for 28 yards and a 7-0 lead at the 5:15 mark of the first quarter.
Portland State had an answer, sparked by a 37-yard Quincy Craig rush. An eight-play, 71-yard drive ended with Chachere pulling down the ball and running right on first-and-goal from the 5 and then, when the only WSU defender on that side committed to stopping his rush, Chachere quickly pitched a pass over his head to Craig for a touchdown (7-7, 11:09 second quarter).
That began a string of four straight possessions with points. The teams traded field goals (46 yards from Thompson, 42 yards from Mathias Uribe) to make it 10-10 with 3:50 left in the half.
Running back Clarence Butler wheeled around the left side for 61 yards to set up Weber State’s next touchdown, which Bankston punched in from 1 yard out and a 16-10 halftime lead.
Weber State held PSU to four straight three-and-out possessions, starting before halftime and encompassing all three times the Vikings had the ball in the third quarter. (PSU’s total yards in the third: negative-4.)
Thompson booted a 41-yard field goal midway through the third, then his final make to open what became a blowout fourth quarter.
Jayden Ah You, Kemari Bailey and Raimoana Tinirauarii each had five tackles for Weber State. Bailey and Garrett Beck each had one sack, and freshman Aizik Mahuka shared a sack with Keahnist Thompson.
Weber State next prepares for three straight games against teams from the Southland Conference, beginning with a trip to Beaumont, Texas, to face the Lamar Cardinals.
