OGDEN, Utah-Saturday, No. 4 Weber State  (in the FCS STATS poll, No. 5 in the AFCA coaches poll)(3-2, 1-0) in Big Sky Conference play hosts in-state conference rival Southern Utah (1-5, 0-2 in Big Sky action) at Stewart Stadium for Homecoming.

The Wildcats are coming off of consecutive wins over Northern Iowa (29-17) and Idaho (41-35).

The Weber State offense scores 24.8 points per game thus far on the season.

Junior quarterback Jake Constantine (58-90, 419 yards, 2 TD’s/2 INT’s on the season) returned back to action against the Vandals and was 20-36 for 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the win.

Weber State has a consistent running game, spearheaded by sophomore rising star tailback Josh Davis (47 car, 243 yards, 3 TD’s, 5.2 yards per carry) and junior back Kevin Smith Jr. (58 car, 236 yards, TD).

The Wildcats also boast a pair of stellar receivers in sophomore wide-out Devon Cooley (21 rec, 246 yards, TD) and junior receiver Rashid Shaheed (15 rec, 191 yards, 3 TD’s).

Junior kicker Trey Tuttle has made 8 of 9 field goals on the season, including a perfect 6 of 6 on field goals of 40 yards or longer.

The Wildcats’ scoring defense is 23rd nationally as it surrenders only 20.2 points per game.

Weber State has posted 12 sacks on the season as senior defensive end Jonah Williams and sophomore defensive end McKade Mitton have three sacks apiece. Senior defensive end Adam Rodriguez has added 2.5 more sacks on the season to further bolster the Wildcats’ potent pass rush.

Redshirt sophomore defensive end George Tarlas leads the squad with two forced fumbles. Junior safety Preston Smith, sophomore safety Brody Burke and freshman cornerback Maxwell Anderson all have an interception on the season for the Wildcats.

The Thunderbirds come into Saturday’s game on a three-game losing streak, following a 45-38 win over Stephen F. Austin September 14.

This includes losses at South Dakota State (7-43), a home game against Cal Poly (21-24) and last Saturday at Portland State (31-52).

The Thunderbirds score 23.5 points per game and are led by redshirt sophomore signal-caller Chris Helbig. Helbig completes 64.7 percent of his passes (141-218) for 1,398 yards, 7 TD’s and 4 INT’s.

Helbig also leads SUU with five rushing touchdowns, most of which occur in goal line situations.

The Thunderbirds’  running game is bolstered by redshirt junior tailback James Felila (69 car, 225 yards, 2 TD’s) and sophomore back Thomas Duckett (37 car, 140 yards, TD).

Sophomore tailback Lance Lawson (52 rec, 482 yards, 3 TD’s) is SUU’s leading receiver in yardage and receptions and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns with freshman receiver Zach Nelson (13 rec, 200 yards, 3 TD’s).

Redshirt junior kicker Kekoa Sasaoka has made only one of eight field goals on the season, but has successfully converted 17-18 PAT’s in 2019.

Defensively, the Thunderbirds really struggle as they surrender 41.2 points per game. The only time the Thunderbirds have surrendered less than 30 points on the season was in the September 28 loss to Cal Poly when the Mustangs scored 24 points.

SUU is led defensively by sophomore defensive lineman Aaron Romero who has three sacks on the season.

Redshirt senior safety Nathaniel Vaughn, redshirt freshman cornerback Carlton Johnson and junior cornerback Khalid Taylor have an interception apiece for the Thunderbirds. Furthermore, redshirt sophomore linebacker Quaid Murray, sophomore defensive end Francis Bemiy, Romero and redshirt senior safety Kyle Hannemann have each forced a fumble for SUU.

The Wildcats and Thunderbirds meet for the 27th time Saturday in what is dubbed the “Beehive Bowl.”

Weber State leads SUU 18-8 all-time and the series is tied 4-4 all-time since the Thunderbirds joined the Big Sky in 2012.

The road team has won eight of the last nine in the series, including the last five and the Thunderbirds have won their last four games at Stewart Stadium.