FARMINGTON, Utah (Oct. 22, 2025) – All 12 teams will be in action for Week 9 of the football season, with the Friday night contest on ESPN2 between Montana and Sacramento State highlighting the slate of games. Below are news and notes for Week 9 of the 2025 football season.
Big Sky Football Weekly Notebook (Week 9)
Weber State-EWU Featured Game on “This Week in Big Sky Football”
Weber State will host Eastern Washington in Ogden on Saturday, with both teams coming off wins and looking to get back to .500 on the season.
The game will mark Eastern Washington’s first trip to Ogden in three years, with Weber State owning a 10-7 mark against the Eagles at Stewart Stadium.
The showdown in Ogden will be the Game of the Week for “This Week in Big Sky Football” which airs each Thursday evening on @BigSkyConf’s YouTube.
Back-To-Back Friday Night Slate Starts This Week
The second of four ESPN2 games for the Big Sky Conference will take place in Week 9, as a Friday night audience will get to watch No. 4 Montana take on Sacramento State. Kickoff between the Griz and Hornets will take place at 8:30 p.m. MT on ESPN2.
Montana holds a decisive 21-4 all-time lead in the series against Sac State dating back to the first meeting in 1993 and the first meeting as Big Sky foes three years later in 1996. Sac State has won three of the last four meetings, including the last two games played at Hornet Stadium in 2019 and 2022.
The Week 9 contest will be the first of back-to-back Friday night games in 2025, as the Halloween Night battle between Idaho and Northern Arizona will also air on ESPN2.
Following Week’s 9 and 10, the Big Sky will have one more game on ESPN2 for the regular season, as the Top-10 matchup between Montana State and UC Davis will get the national spotlight on Saturday, Nov. 15 in Bozeman.
Davis, Pinnick Named to Jerry Rice Award Watch List
A standout group of 22 players have been nominated to the watch list of the Stats Perform 2025 Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS freshman player of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision. Two nominees hail from the Big Sky as Montana wide receiver Brooks Davis and UC Davis quarterback Caden Pinnick were named to the list.
Davis has 26 catches for 350 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the year, while Pinnick has thrown for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Both freshmen have helped lead their teams to Top 10 showings as well on the year.
The Rice Award, celebrating its 15th anniversary season, is named after legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who starred in the FCS at Mississippi Valley State University. The 2025 Jerry Rice Award recipient will be announced on Dec. 3 and honored at the Stats Perform National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Five Jerry Rice Award winners have come from the Big Sky, with two of the last three winners also hailing from the conference. The full list of Jerry Rice Award winners from the Big Sky are below.
Big Sky Jerry Rice Award Winners
2023: Eli Gillman, RB, Montana
2022: Gevani McCoy, QB, Idaho
2018: Josh Davis, RB, Weber State
2015: Case Cookus, QB, Northern Arizona
2013: Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
Numerous Big Sky Players Rank in Top 10 Nationally for Multiple Categories
Entering Week 8 of the football season the Big Sky has numerous players in the Top 10 of stat rankings, with the top mark going to Montana’s Keali’i Ah Yat who ranks third in the FCS for passing yards per game so far this season.
Big Sky Leaders in Passing Yards Per Game
Name, School (YPG/National Rank)
Keali'i Ah Yat, Montana (291.7/3rd)
Jordan Cooke, Idaho State (282.3/4th)
Eric Gibson, Northern Colorado (259.7/9th)
Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona (257.4/10th)
Big Sky Leaders in Rushing Yards Per Game
Name, School (YPG/National Rank)
Eli Gillman, Montana (110.9/5th)
Big Sky Leaders in Receiving Yards Per Game
Name, School (YPG/National Rank)
Carver Cheeks, Northern Colorado (103.6/4th)
Michael Shulikov, Idaho State (91.9/8th)
Big Sky Leaders in Sacks Per Game
Name, School (YPG/National Rank)
Jacob Psyk, UC Davis (1.00/8th)
Big Sky Leaders in Tackles Per Game
Name, School (YPG/National Rank)
Mikey D'Amato, Cal Poly (11.3/7th)
Kenny Olson, Cal Poly (10.0/10th)
Big Sky Fields the Toughest Schedules in the FCS
The Big Sky is consistently one of the toughest leagues to play in among its FCS peers, with eight of the Top 15 toughest schedules in the nation played by Big Sky teams. Furthermore, among the Top 15 toughest schedules in the country, only five of those teams currently have winning records against the stout competition as three come from the Big Sky.
Massey Ratings for Strength of Schedule
Team (Conference): Record
1. Portland State (Big Sky): 0-7
2. Montana State (Big Sky): 5-2
3. Nicholls (Southland): 1-6
4. Northern Arizona (Big Sky): 4-3
5. Utah Tech (UAC): 1-6
6 Murray State (MVFC): 0-7
7. Northern Iowa (MVFC): 2-5
8. Abilene Christian (UAC): 4-4
9. North Dakota (MVFC): 5-2
10. Southern Illinois (MVFC): 4-3
11. Idaho State (Big Sky): 2-5
12. UC Davis (Big Sky): 5-1
13. Idaho (Big Sky): 2-4
14. Eastern Washington (Big Sky): 3-4
15. Weber State (Big Sky): 3-4
Big Sky Football Players of the Week (Oct. 20, 2025)
Offensive Player of the Week: Keali'i Ah Yat, Montana (QB, R-So., Kaneohe, Hawaii)
Montana’s Keali'i Ah Yat had over 350 yards of total offense and six touchdowns in the 43-21 win over Sacred Heart. The quarterback completed a personal best 82 percent of his passes (27-33) to rack up 349 yards and another career high five touchdowns over the air to post a 220.7 passer rating against Sacred Heart. All told he was responsible for six scores and 368 yards of total offense on the game, adding a rushing touchdown to his haul and 19 net yards. Ah Yat’s six touchdowns are tied for the most touchdowns responsible for by a Big Sky player in a game this season. The weekly conference honor is the second of the season for the Grizzly quarterback.
Defensive Player of the Week: Kao Hansen, Weber State (DB, Jr., Alpine, Utah)
Kao Hansen had two interceptions and six tackles in Weber State’s 43-27 win at Portland State on Saturday afternoon. Hansen’s interception in the third quarter led to a field goal, while his pick in the fourth quarter was returned to the one-yard line which the Wildcats punched in for a touchdown on the next play. The weekly conference honors for Hansen are the first of his career.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Grant Meadors, Sacramento State (K, So., Bakersfield, Calif.)
Grant Meadors was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals Saturday night, aiding in Sacramento State’s 40-35 win over Northern Colorado. Meadors was successful on field goal attempts of 37, 28, 34, and 42 yards in the win, with his 34-yard attempt with 9:30 to play putting the Hornets ahead by two points and his season-long 42-yarder with 2:01 remaining to extend the team lead to five points. Overall, Meadors had 16 of Sac State’s 40 points, 12 coming from field goals and four off his perfect day on PATs. The weekly conference honor is the first of his career.
Others Nominated for Big Sky Football Player of the Week
Offense: Nate Bell (EWU), Ah Yat Keali'i (UM), Carver Cheeks (UNC), Tyrese Smith (PSU), Rodney Hammond Jr. (SAC)
Defense: Jaylon Jenkins (EWU), Hunter Peck (UM), Hudson Voggesser (UNC), Bryson Ross (PSU), Ricky Lee III (SAC)
Special Teams: Drew Deck (UM), Leo Blumentritt (UNC), Cru Newman (PSU), Sloan Calder (WSU)
Four Big Sky Teams Ranked in FCS Top 25 Polls
Almost half of the Big Sky is currently ranked in FCS Top 25 polls, which is becoming common place with each passing year. Montana State, Montana, UC Davis, and Northern Arizona have all been tabbed in multiple Top 25 polls for the 2025 season, with Sacramento State also receiving votes outside of the Top 25.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 (Big Sky Teams)
No. 4: Montana
No. 5: Montana State
No. 6: UC Davis
No. 20: Northern Arizona
RV: Sacramento State
AFCA FCS Top 25 (Big Sky Teams)
No. 4: Montana
No. 5: Montana State
No. 6: UC Davis
No. 22: Northern Arizona
RV: Sacramento State
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Upcoming Big Sky Football Games (Week 9)
Friday, Oct. 24
#4/4 Montana at #RV/RV Sac State // ESPN2 // 8:30 p.m. MT
Saturday, Oct. 25
#6/6 UC Davis at Northern Colorado // ESPN+ // 1:00 p.m. MT
Eastern Washington at Weber State // ESPN+ // 1:00 p.m. MT
Portland State at Idaho // ESPN+ & SWX // 2:00 p.m. MT
#20/22 Northern Arizona at Idaho State // ESPN+ // 4:00 p.m. MT
#5/5 Montana State at Cal Poly // ESPN+ & Scripps Sports // 6:00 p.m. MT
FCS Rankings: Stats Perform FCS/AFCA Coaches Poll