Less than five minutes into the first quarter of Idaho’s game against Western New Mexico, it appeared as if the young season had already reached rock bottom. The Mustangs took a 10-7 lead after a rushing touchdown, meaning Idaho was losing to a team that had not finished a season at .500 in the last 10 years playing in Division II.
Then, thankfully, came the turning point.
The kind of dramatic swing in fortunes that Vandal fans saw on Saturday could very well become the norm.
Over the course of last season and through two games of the 2018 season, it would be blatantly false to say that Idaho dominated a game from the opening kickoff. That is okay, as long as the Vandals experience the kind of dramatic turning point that took place on Saturday.
After Western New Mexico briefly took the lead, Idaho took the reins on offense and defense. The offense put together two quick touchdown drives before the end of the half and the defense locked down a Bronco offense that would not score another point all game. The touchdown that put Western New Mexico up by three woke up the team. Vandal fans can actually expect that to be the norm going forward.
Jonah Baker
As Idaho adjusts to a new conference and reestablishes old rivalries, it will take a while for the team to get acclimated. Much like a late-arriving crowd, the Vandals are not usually completely prepared at the start of the game. But once they do find their footing, the results are very encouraging.
The team responded to a potential embarrassment by scoring 49 unanswered points in all three facets of the game.
Senior wide receiver David Ungerer turned on the jets for 235 all-purpose yards, including a receiving touchdown and a punt return touchdown. Senior defensive back Dorian Clark took a blocked field goal 47 yards back for a touchdown. The dual- quarterback system featuring junior Mason Petrino and sophomore Colton Richardson actually worked for the last three quarters of the game, as the pair combined for three touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Idaho even diverted from last game’s daring strategy to use only one running back, with four running backs taking carries this game and two recording touchdowns.
It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing result and surely the crowds would rather see wire- to-wire domination of an inferior team, but sometimes we just have to be thankful for 46-point victories, however they may come.
This season is full of new expectations in a new conference and level of competition, but some things will continue to stay the same.
The Vandals will probably continue to wake up late as a team and cause undue stress among the fanbase. As long as a few of those games turn into resounding blow- outs like this one — thanks to a definitive turning point, — Idaho will be just fine.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker