Nov. 6—MOSCOW, Idaho — If the Vandals agonize over this, the Eagles have probably already won.
Following a 0-4 start, Idaho dug in its heels and won three of its last four games in an effort to revive its playoff hopes. It is sitting at 4-5 overall, 4-2 and in fourth place in the Big Sky Conference. To salvage its season, Idaho will probably have to win out over its last three games and flash before the Football Championship Subdivision playoff selection committee victories over top-ranked defending national champion Montana State, 7th ranked Montana, UC Davis (5-4, 3-3) recently dropped from the FCS top 25, whom the Vandals play next week, and Idaho State (6-3, 3-3) and ranked 18th in FCS, with whom Idaho concludes the regular season.
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Eastern Washington University (2-7, 1-5), whom Idaho entertains Saturday in the Kibbie Dome, should be just a speed bump, a blip on the way to a comfortable 21-point Idaho victory. If they can hang in with the Vandals, however, the Eagles, of course, would like nothing more than to spoil Idaho’s dreams. “The game means as much to them as to us,” says Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr.
Here are three things to watch as the traditional rivals tussle for the Che Scow Cup.
1. The battle of the quarterbacks. Idaho’s Joshua Wood leads the Big Sky in total offense at 2,930 total yards, including 2,492 passing and 438 rushing. He has thrown for 17 touchdowns against 7 interceptions, and he has run for nine scores. EWU’s Nate Bell is Wood’s shadow. Bell is second in the league in total offense with 2,482 passing yards and 384 rushing yards. He has 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and eight rushing touchdowns. Ford calls him “a phenomenal quarterback.” Earlier this season, Idaho’s defense had difficulty holding an edge and gave up big plays on the perimeter. That has changed. Bell may be confined to running into the middle of an aggressive Vandals’ defense.
2. Nothing says domination like an unstoppable running game. Idaho’s offensive line has come into its own in the last month, according to Vandals offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker and Ford. And running backs Damonte Bias and Kenny Golston have taken advantage of the blocking. In Idaho’s most recent games, Bias rushed for 89 yards against Southern Utah and had 50 against Portland State . Golston ran for 46 yards against the Thunderbirds and 55 yards against the Vikings. Senior power runner Hayden Kincheloe had 46 yards and a touchdown against SUU.
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3. Wide receiver Ryan Jezioro had a monster game against PSU with 5 catches for 194 yards and a touchdown. For the season, he has 33 catches for 602 yards and 6 touchdowns. At a speedy 6-3, he is proving to be a handful for teams that try to cover him man-to-man against the boundary. But sliding coverage assets his direction helps open up the wide side of the field, Ford points out, and Idaho’s more than capable possession receiver, Tony Harste, takes advantage of it. He has 35 receptions for 607 yards and five touchdowns. Harste missed Idaho’s last two games with an injury but is expected to be good to go against the Eagles, Ford says.
Having leveraged itself to a point where wins are no longer delightful surprises but expected, an efficient dismantling of the Eagles would be the next — and possibly necessary — step for Idaho to catch the eye of the playoff selection committee and continue its quest for postseason play.
“When we were 0-4, everybody was telling you how bad you are. We didn’t listen to them then. Now we’re getting pats on the back,” said Ford. For the sake of the season, the Vandals better not be listening now.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
