After a deflating loss to open Big Sky play, Idaho hopes to use some of that Kibbie Dome magic once again Saturday.
Idaho football returns home to take on the No. 5 Weber State Wildcats, where the Vandals will test to see if they can matchup against the Big Sky’s elite.
Despite the bad loss, Idaho Head Coach Paul Petrino said the team needs to quickly move on if they want to bring down the Wildcats Saturday.
“You have to just move forward,” Petrino said. “I just didn’t do a good enough job in having our guys ready to play.”
Now returning back to Moscow, the Vandals hope to bring the passion back inside the Kibbie Dome.
Magical turf: For some unexplainable reason, the Vandals are clearly a better team when they play in the Kibbie Dome.
The Vandals have only dropped one game in the Kibbie since the start of the 2018 season and hope to find that home dominance again this weekend.
Running through a wall: Idaho finds itself fighting against the best defense in the Big Sky, with the Wildcats only allowing 16 points per game.
Freshman runningback Nick Romano takes a handoff Saturday against Eastern Washington.
“(Weber State) wants to win with defense and special teams,” Petrino said. “We have to make sure that we stay on the field offensively and take care of the ball.”
Fortunately for the Vandals, if there is one weakness Idaho can try to exploit against the Wildcats it might be the running game.
With freshman running back Nick Romano breaking out against Northern Colorado and redshirt freshman Aundre Carter and junior Roshaun Johnson having stellar performances at various points this season, the Vandals can pick and choose their poison to throw at the Wildcats.
Regaining composure: After a historic win followed by a blindsiding loss, Idaho might feel like many fans right now — confused.
Throughout this season Idaho has played to the same level as its competition, if you count out the Penn State beat down.
That could prove to be a good thing on Saturday because if the Vandals want to prove once again they are a serious contender this season, they simply will have to beat the best.
“This is a huge game against one of the best teams in the country and we have them at home,” Petrino said. “If you’re not excited about this game then you really shouldn’t be playing college football.”
Sticking with the winning formula Idaho has had success with will be key.
If the Vandals can recollect and get back to the basics, Idaho has a chance at surprising people once again.
When/where: Idaho plays Weber State 2 p.m. Saturday in the Kibbie Dome.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected]