Weber State gets its shot at the Train Bell Trophy back on Saturday, when No. 21 Idaho State comes to Stewart Stadium for a 1 p.m. homecoming kickoff. The Wildcats are 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the Big Sky, and they will try to turn a strong conference start into a win that matters in the standings and in the rivalry.
The search around Idaho State Vs Weber State is easy to explain now: this is a ranked team with real momentum, a trophy on the line and a home crowd waiting for a result. Idaho State is 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big Sky, but it already owns a win at Utah State and has shown it can score in different ways. Weber State, meanwhile, is trying to take back a bell it has not had since Idaho State took it home in 2024, after the trophy was restored to service.
Grant Duff, now Idaho State’s defensive coordinator and back in Ogden for the first time since heading to Pocatello, knows the matchup from both sides. He said the Bengals are throwing the ball successfully and running it very successfully, calling them the second-leading rushing offense in the Big Sky. Jordan Cooke is averaging 272.3 passing yards per game with a 61% completion rate, 14 touchdown passes and six interceptions, while Chedon James, Julian Mason, Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio and Tommy Poe give him multiple targets at different depths.
Idaho State also has enough balance to force a defense into a bad choice. Tytan Mason leads the run game with 62.8 rushing yards per game, and Duff said if an opponent loads the box, Idaho State can sling it around and punish one-on-one matchups. If the defense stays light, he said the Bengals can run the ball right down its throat. That is the problem Weber State has to solve if it wants to move the trophy back west.
The Wildcats have their own reasons to believe they can do it. They are averaging 7.7 tackles for loss per game, with Bronson Childs and Jackson Irwin each at 4.5, and freshman Denzel Peoples is moving into a starting cornerback spot while fifth-year player Bones Marks is being overtaken. Jacob Edmonds is back after injury as the backup left guard behind freshman starter Teancum Moea’i, and Brody Cutrer remains at center after shifting there when Edmonds went down. Dyson Parker and Omar Shah are the starting kick returners this week, another sign Weber State is still adjusting pieces as the game gets bigger.
There is still a blunt edge to the matchup that numbers alone do not smooth out. Weber State has historically lost only three games to Idaho State over several decades, yet the Train Bell Trophy has been in Idaho State’s hands since the 2024 restoration. Duff put that in personal terms, saying there are good memories from his time in Ogden but none of the people who made that time special are still there. For him, it is faded memories of a day gone by. For Weber State, Saturday is the chance to make this one current again.
Idaho State enters after two straight losses, 38-31 at home to now-No. 8 Northern Arizona and 25-24 at home to Cal Poly, so the visitors are arriving with something to answer for as well. Nathan Reynolds leads the defense with 54 tackles, but the bigger question is whether Weber State can turn homecoming pressure into possession control and finally get the Train Bell Trophy back at Stewart Stadium.
