Coming off a two-game winning streak, Weber State University football will host Portland State University (1-3) for the annual Homecoming Football Game on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Stewart Stadium.
“Portland State was one of the top teams in the Big Sky Conference last year,” senior linebacker Tre’von Johnson said. “We want to show everyone that we are also a top team, and in order to do that, we have to win. We are excited to have the opportunity to compete against a good team.”
Weber State holds the series record, beating Portland State 20 out of the 34 times that the two teams have met.
Portland State currently has a two-game winning streak over WSU, beating them in the 2014-15 season at the Stewart Stadium, 30-17, and during the 2013-14 season in Oregon, 45-24.
Weber State is hoping to end that winning streak and get another series win and another conference win under their belts before taking on Montana State on Oct. 15.
“We are back in front of our crowd,” Johnson said. “Being on the road last week — it feels good to be back home and play in front of Wildcat nation.”
For the 18 seniors on the team, this will be the last homecoming in which they’ll participate.
“This game means a lot to me — it’s my last homecoming,” senior running back Cory Thomson said, adding that he’s “happy to play in front of our home crowd and a great atmosphere.”
The Wildcats head into the game with a 1-0 Big Sky Conference record after beating UC Davis in California, 38-35, on Sept 24.
The Wildcats have an overall record of 2-2.
“It’s nice getting wins, and it builds our confidence heading into this game,” Thomson said. “We just have to keep improving on what we are doing and keep winning.”
The last two wins for the Wildcats have come in the fourth quarter where they barely topped their opponents on the scoreboard, despite statistical domination.
“These wins show that we can pull out the tough games — good teams always find a way to win,” Johnson said. “In the last few games, we have outgained our opponents in statistics, and we just need to learn how to finish.”
According to the players, head coach Jay Hill has stressed that practicing as if they were in a real-game situation is a key factor in fixing those mistakes.
“If we don’t correct the mistakes on the practice field, we won’t correct them in the game,” Johnson said.
In order to pack the stadium with purple and white, students may use their student identification cards to get into the game for free and may be accompanied by four additional guests.
Media coverage of the game will be broadcast by KJZZ TV.
“I think our team has pretty good momentum going right now,” Thomson said. “This should be a fun one.“
