For the fifth straight season, 10th if you don’t count the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, Arizona’s nonconference schedule includes an opponent from the FCS ranks. The previous two years that was in-state foe NAU, who this season instead served as ASU’s opening sacrifice last week.
Instead, this season’s FCS opponent is Weber State, which comes to Arizona Stadium on Saturday night. It will be the first meeting between the Wildcats and the … Wildcats, who play in the Big Sky Conference and went 4-8
a year ago.
Weber opened this season with a 45-10 loss at James Madison, a beating it was paid $300,000 to take. Arizona is paying Weber $625,000 for this one-time contest, per the Ogden Standard-Examiner.
To better understand those other Wildcats we reached out to Jared Miller of SB Nation sister site Underdog Dynasty. Below are his accomplished answers to our incompetent questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: What, if any, positive developments came out of Weber’s season-opening loss?
Jared Miller: “It was a tough game for the Wildcats against JMU last weekend but if there was one thing Weber State fans can take away from that loss it’s that new quarterback Jackson Gilkey got some very valuable time on the field as did a bunch of other fresh faces. Being a transfer that’s expected to take over the offense this year, Gilkey needs time to get a feel for the offense and, at the very least, he played a lot against an FBS defense. Now, it wasn’t a good showing by any means but there’s film to work with now. The same can be said for running back Zach Hrbacek, another transfer. There’s nothing like on-field experience. Sometimes that’s all there is to be taken from games like that and it certainly was the case for WSU in that one. For a team still trying to figure itself out, though, that’s invaluable.”
Who are the Wildcats’ top offensive weapons and what do they excel most at?
“Besides the aforementioned Gilkey and Hrbacek, one name to keep an eye on is running back Davion Godley. He ran for over 600 yards last year despite not being the team’s feature back. The sophomore has a lot of potential coming out of the backfield. He’s strong and does a great job keeping his eyes downfield. He also has no problem catching passes when he needs to. Last week against JMU he got five carries and hauled in two catches. No. 25 will surely make some plays in this game.
“Receiver Jayleen Record is also one to watch. He also played in a reserve role last year but is Weber’s leading returner as far as receiving yards goes and the Wildcats didn’t bring any wideouts in through the portal this year so Record is being thrust into more significant role now as a senior. He’s a solid route runner and is speedy. Just his veteran presence on the field is going to be helpful to his young QB so expect Gilkey to look his way fairly often.
“And lastly is standout offensive lineman Gavin Ortega. No, he’s maybe not what you would call a ‘weapon’ but he is one of the better big men in the entire FCS. Last year Ortega allowed no sacks in 888 snaps. He’s an all-conference caliber player and is as important as any piece on that Weber State offense right now.”
Arizona had its best rushing performance in almost a year against Hawaii and now faces a team that just allowed 300-plus yards on the ground. Is this a major concern for the defense?
“In short, yes. The Wildcats were okay against the run last year but a lot of big names from that defense are gone and last week it showed. James Madison was able to scorch them for 313 on the ground and four of their six touchdowns came by way of the run. Arizona has some dudes that can pound the rock and Quincy Craig is one that WSU knows all too well as he came over from Big Sky rival Portland State. This doesn’t seem like it’s going to end well for the D this weekend.”
Facing a single FBS opponent is tough enough, but starting the season with two in a row is really daunting. How important are these games to Weber compared to Big Sky Conference play?
“These two contests were certainly a brutal way to start the season but what games like this will do to serve Weber well down the line is that they will tune them up for Big Sky play. The top few teams in the conference that the Wildcats will play this year are not that far removed from the likes of a JMU. They will have to see Montana State, last year’s national runner-up, as well as UC Davis and Montana. All three of those teams could hang on the same field with several lower-tier FBS teams so the Wildcats players will not be daunted by seeing those teams later on because of these two games here at the start.
“Fortunately for WSU, too, is that the JMU and Arizona contests will not really hurt them in terms of competing for a Big Sky championship or making a playoff push. While a win over an FBS team would be huge for the resume, a loss won’t really hurt them in the eyes of the selection committee if it comes down to it in November. These games are truly only important for two reasons: experience and a paycheck.”
Prediction time. Does Arizona get off to a 2-0 start or does Weber State pull off a shocker and beat its first FBS team since 2022? Give us a score pick.
“I don’t see a world in which Weber State goes into Arizona and comes out with a win on Saturday. I love it when FCS teams pull these upsets off over their FBS counterparts and I’ve seen it done plenty of times. This version of the Wildcats, though, does not have what it takes to stay with a team like Arizona for four quarters. They are too young, too inexperienced and have simply not had enough time yet to gel together as a team. There is certainly some individual talent on the roster but it hasn’t come together nearly enough yet for them to win a game like this. Give me Arizona by a comfortable 49-17.”
