The Vikings are 0-4, but inside that zero is a different analysis than what Northwestern State brought last week. PSU has hosted two top-10 FCS teams in Portland, putting now-No. 10 UC Davis on the ropes before losing 31-24, and falling 47-23 to now-No. 7 North Dakota.

Its road trips were against FBS teams in San Diego State (53-20) and an 84-0 drubbing at No. 20 Oregon.

“So they’ve run the gauntlet and have really played hard and weathered it really well, when you watch the film,” WSU head coach Eric Kjar said. “They have a good offense, pretty explosive, so we’re expecting a dogfight with them. They play physical and play hard, so we’re expecting a challenge, for sure.”

INJURIES

A sprained MCL will again hold starting running back Spencer Ferguson out of action, but Omar Shah returns after missing last week to join newly minted 100-yard rusher Seth Rigtrup and company in the backfield. Shah is a player WSU hopes to get going; after a strong spring, an injury put him back. He rushed for 65 yards on 12 carries at Colorado, but sat against NSU with foot pain.

“I was like, ‘Dang it, we finally got him going,” Kjar said about Shah missing time. “We felt really good about him … he was lights out early in spring. So hopefully now we can maintain him and keep him back.”

As for quarterback, freshman Nate Dahle is slated to start his fourth straight game but Kjar says fifth-year QB Devin Brown is close to returning. Either way, Kjar is looking for his offense to reach top gear soon.

“Devin has looked good. … I don’t think he’s 100% yet, but he’s getting there,” Kjar said. “He just has a good presence. Nate’s done a good job, too; he’s kind of rebounded and practiced well.

“I think both of those two are probably thinking too much in the offense at times, instead of just reacting like you’d like them to be comfortable with at this point.”

Linebacker Da’Veon Ross and receiver Tate Kjar both returned to the field last week and should see increased reps.

MEET THE VIKINGS

Portland State moved on from elder statesman Bruce Barnum and hired Central Washington head coach Chris Fisk this offseason. He went 48-22 with three conference championships in six seasons at the Division II program.

At quarterback, PSU started sophomore Tyrese Smith (No. 14) against UC Davis and he threw for 268 yards, but junior Gabe Downing (No. 5) has started the last three weeks, throwing for 205 yards per game on 55.9% completion with four touchdowns and five interceptions.

Delon Thompson (No. 24) is back in PSU’s backfield; he leads the Vikings with 49.5 yards per game on 3.4 per carry.

PSU has a trio of main targets: Terence Loville (No. 3) averages four catches for 68 yards per game, Tanner Beaman (No. 10) averages four catches for 45 yards per game, and Cru Newman (No. 6) catches short passes, averaging five catches for 32 yards per game. Each has one touchdown reception.

Defensively, linebacker Jaxton Helmstetler (No. 6) leads PSU with 30 tackles. Safety Isaac Redford (No. 4) has two interceptions, and safety Lono Solomon (No. 30) has 3.5 tackles for loss.

Punter Emiliano Rodriguez Montanez (No. 88) averages 42.4 yards per punt. Kicker Joshua Hossmann Lees (No. 37) is 3 of 5 on field goals with a long of 35. In the return game, Newman has a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown while Zui Shelton (No. 8) averages 20.4 yards per kick return.

TEAM VS. TEAM METRICS

Through four games, Weber State averages 35.5 points per game on 412 yards, including 5.9 yards per play. Defensively, WSU has allowed 37 points per game on 492 yards, including 6.4 yards per play.

The Wildcats are minus-three in the turnover margin, losing seven giveaways (five interceptions, two fumbles) while gaining four (one interception, three fumbles). WSU has also blocked five kicks this season: three PATs, one field goal, one punt, with the latter two both returned for touchdowns.

Weber has recorded nine sacks defensively while allowing seven.

WSU averages 4.75 penalties per game for 40 yards.

Also in four games, Portland State scores 16.75 points per game on 295 yards, including 4.5 yards per play. Defensively, PSU has allowed 53.75 points per game on 534 yards, including 7.4 yards per play.

The Vikings are minus-four in turnover margin, losing nine turnovers (six interceptions, three fumbles) while gaining five takeaways (three interceptions, two fumbles).

PSU has recorded five sacks defensively while allowing seven.

The Vikings average 6.5 penalties per game for 46 yards.

ODDS & PREDICTIONS

Jeff Sagarin ranks Weber State at No. 181 in all of Division I (FBS and FCS, 266 total teams). Portland State is No. 222. Including home-field advantage, his formula favors Weber State by 11.5 points.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranks Weber State at No. 47 in FCS (128 teams) and PSU at No. 110. His formula favors Weber State by 20, predicting a 45-25 victory.

D Ratings favors Weber State by 12, predicting a WSU win of 38-26 at 80% probability.

WEATHER

Saturday is set for sunny skies and a high of 79 degrees in Ogden. The forecast calls for temperatures of 77 with sun and a slight breeze at 6 p.m. kickoff, with the sun setting likely just before halftime at 7:18 p.m. Temperatures fall to about 69 at game’s end.

TV & RADIO

The game will stream on the ESPN+ subscription service, available on the ESPN app or WatchESPN.com. Tony Parks will have the play-by-play, and former Utah State quarterback Riley Jensen is on color commentary.

Weber State’s radio call, with Carl Arky and former WSU player Dave Stireman, airs in Utah on 103.1 FM and online at coast103.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Weber State leads the all-time series 25-15 and is 14-6 at home. WSU has won three straight against the Vikings, including a 43-27 road win in 2025 and a 2024 win of 43-16 the last time the teams met in Ogden.