The University of Idaho football team is looking to start 3-0 for the first time since 1994. However, the game is against a much tougher opponent than Lamar or Nevada.
“Cal is by far the best team we’ve played,” Vandals’ Head Coach Jason Eck said.
Cal currently sits at 1-1 after a 14-10 loss to Auburn on Sept. 9. The Golden Bears held the Tigers to just 94 yards through the air, but they let up 136 yards on the ground. On top of the tough defense, Cal had the ball for 34 minutes while Auburn held it for 25.
Along with their stifling defense, Cal is also electric on offense, especially on the ground. Sophomore running back Jaydn Ott leads the offense with 270 rushing yards on 40 attempts.
“Jaydn Ott may be the best player that we’ve played against so far,” Eck said. “He’s a really dynamic runner.”
However, according to an article published by the Daily Californian, Ott went out early against Auburn and Head Coach Justin Wilcox has not given a definitive answer on if he will play against Idaho.
If Ott does play, which is the likely scenario, the Vandals will need to be ready to stuff the run. If they aren’t able to stop it immediately, they’ll have to ensure that neither Ott nor redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Jackson V get past the secondary.
“We’ve got to really challenge our back seven to tackle in practice,” Idaho Defensive Coordinator Rob Aurich said. “When I say tackle, I’m talking about thudding up the back, so we’ve got to simulate as much run play as we can.”
Although Idaho’s defense has been strong in its first two games, one major piece will be on the sideline this weekend. Junior defensive back Murvin Kenion III went out with an injury against Nevada, and was in a boot during practice on Sept. 12.
“Kyrin Beachem is going to have to step up,” Aurich said. “He’s been a backup for about a year-and-a-half now, and he’s got a chance to step into the starting role. I thought he was one of our most productive players in the second half against Nevada.”
While both teams are battling injuries to major players, there will still be 50-plus other guys on each side ready to play. For Idaho, the usual guys on offense are all healthy. For Cal, redshirt senior linebacker Jackson Sirmon, alongside redshirt sophomore LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, are both looking to shut down the middle of the field.
“We’ve got to do a good job of getting targeted right,” Eck said when asked about the two linebackers. “We’ll have to have a very good plan. Our coordinators are excellent. Rob (Aurich) and Luke (Schleusner) had a great game plan last week that was well executed.”
The Vandals and Golden Bears will face off for the first time since Cal won 45-13 in 1934. Idaho hopes that the fifth time is the charm when the game kicks off at 1 p.m. Sept. 16. The game will be available on the Pac 12 Network.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on X @jamesaldrich25