In a road game against Eastern Washington University, Idaho football was obliterated, 71-21, in what ended up being a historic night for the Eagles.
The Eagles, who already ranked No. 2 in the FCS, set a record for the most yardage in program history, putting up 837 yards of total offense against the Vandals. Eagles’ redshirt senior quarterback Eric Barriere set a career record, going for 600 yards passing and having eight total touchdowns, seven passing and one rushing. EWU also had three receivers go for over 100 yards receiving. The Eagles tallied over 200 yards rushing, as well.
This doesn’t follow a previous pattern of losing the lead in the second half, starting slow or a defensive battle for the Vandals. The Eagles took the Vandals’ lunch money.
The very first quarter set the tone for how this game was going to go. It ended with a 29-7 lead by the Eagles, and they never looked back.
This was the third time the Vandals played the Eagles in 2021, and both previous games were competitive. The Vandals won one of the matchups. It’s almost unimaginable that in just six months, EWU can go from a team that Idaho can compete with, to a team that treats the Vandals like a doormat, but that’s exactly what happened.
It didn’t help that the Vandals’ quarterback injuries continued to pop up during this game. Freshman Gevani McCoy, who is fourth on the depth chart at quarterback, played this game and split time with redshirt sophomore Zach Borisch. Freshman QB CJ Jordan and graduate student QB Mike Beaudry have both suffered injuries in the past couple weeks. McCoy was thrown into the fire, making his first college start against a team that many think will win the FCS National Championship. McCoy went 7/14 for 82 yards and two interceptions. He scored no touchdowns.
Borisch continued his stellar play, going 4/7 passing for 58 yards and rushed 23 times for 119 yards and a touchdown. He did lose a fumble, but even without that turnover, this game was just not winnable for the Vandals, becoming clear from the jump.
Redshirt sophomore running back Aundre Carter also continued his stellar play, rushing for two touchdowns in the game.
But those are the only positives for the Vandals from Saturday’s game. McCoy got sacked six times, the Eagles forced three turnovers and their offense was just unstoppable.
This game is probably the worst-case scenario for the Vandals. Not because they lost, but how they lost. This is a type of loss that can demoralize a team. This is a game that, for the rest of the season, can put a black cloud over a team.
The loss virtually guarantees the Vandals will not win the Big Sky or make an appearance in the playoffs. If the Vandals were to run the table and finish the season 7-4, there probably isn’t a ranking that will put the Vandals high enough to make the playoffs. Next week, the Vandals will be back at the Kibbie Dome for a game against the University of Montana. With today’s loss hanging over them, what may have before seemed much more winnable, may now seem like David is facing Goliath without the slingshot.
Teren Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected]