After a huge 53-21 win over Portland State, the Vandals will head down to Sacramento, California, to take on one of the few undefeated teams left in the FCS.
The #2 ranked Hornets have taken a different route than most teams as they are playing two quarterbacks in rotation. They have utilized senior QB Jake Dunniway for his arm while senior QB Asher O’Hara gains yards with his legs. Dunniway has passed for 1,405 yards and 13 touchdowns, going 113/181 on passing attempts. O’Hara has ran for 480 yards and 13 touchdowns on 97 attempts. He also put the final nail in the coffin in Sac State’s 31-24 win over Montana.
Their other man in the backfield is sophomore running back Cameron Skattebo. Skattebo has ran for 851 yards and five touchdowns on 109 attempts. He also has 139 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 19 completions.
This explosive backfield has led them to become the number one offensive in the Big Sky, but they are not a one-dimensional team. Their defense has also played great as they are the third best in the conference.
Although the Hornets don’t have any players at the top of individual statistics, they have a defense full of well-rounded players, one of which is senior linebacker Armon Bailey. Bailey leads the team in tackles and tackles for loss with 25 and 6.5 respectively.
Idaho’s win over Portland State bumped them up one spot to #24 in the FCS coaches’ poll, but they’re up three spots to #14 in the FCS Stats Perform poll. They have played at an elite level up to this point, but they will have to play even better if they want to compete with Sac State.
Redshirt freshman Gevani McCoy currently sits at fifth for most passing yards in the Big Sky with 1,607 yards, completing 122/171 of his passes. His 71.3% completion rate lands him at the top of the conference.
One of the other main players in the Vandals backfield has been freshman RB Anthony Woods. His 523 yards, 139 of which came against PSU, land him at sixth in total rushing yards in the conference.
On defense, sophomore defensive back “Turnover” Tommy McCormick has done his thing this season, snagging four interceptions to sit at third most in the conference. Sophomore DB Murvin Kenion III and redshirt junior LB Paul Moala aren’t far behind with three.
“It’s going to be a great challenge for the Vandals,” head coach Jason Eck said.
Every aspect of both teams’ games will have to be perfect if they want to win the weekend. The Vandals will look to go 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1989 while the Hornets will do everything they can to hold onto their top ranking.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jamesaldrich25