Idaho had its bye over the weekend after a 23-21 loss against #5/7 Montana on Oct. 14. With a record of 5-2, the Vandals currently sit at #8/9 in the FCS polls, and third place in the Big Sky with a 3-1 Conference record.
“We’re really trying to frame this week more as an improvement week more than a bye week,” Head Coach Jason Eck said. “We don’t want to just take time off.”
So far this season, the Vandals have shown that they are one of the most competitive teams in the nation led by a high-powered offense. The offense is averaging 33.57 points per game, mostly behind their rushing attack, which is led by sophomore running back Anthony Woods.
The team has tallied 3,054 yards on the season and have been able to capitalize on all their yardage, scoring on 28 of the 31 times they have entered the redzone this season.
Last season’s Jerry Rice award winner, redshirt sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy, is having a respectable season with 1,642 passing yards and ten touchdowns. However, McCoy has struggled in reducing turnovers through the air, with six interceptions on the year compared to his seven total during the 2022 season.
The highlight of the Vandals’ season so far has been Woods, who is thriving in the solidified RB1 role this season. Through seven games, Woods has allocated 703 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while averaging an incredible 6.3 yards per carry. Woods’ biggest game of the year was against Eastern Washington where he had 211 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
For the defense, Idaho is only allowing 22 points per game, and have forced eight takeaways this season. The defense is being led by redshirt sophomore defensive linemen, Keyshawn James-Newby.
James-Newby currently leads the Vandals in sacks and TFLs on the year, with five and six respectively. He also has tallied 26 total tackles. Ormanie Arnold leads the team in takeaways, with one interception and a fumble recovery, which was the one to seal the deal against Sacramento State Sept. 23.
“For the bulk of the team we need to get better this week,” Eck stated. “We need to work at fundamentals and our schemes and technique. This is a tall challenge coming up, this team we play’s only loss is to the number 1 team in the country by one score.”
The Idaho Vandals are preparing for a big game on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. against the #2 ranked Montana State Bobcats. The Vandals look to get back atop the Big Sky rankings with a win in a crucial conference matchup.
Bryce Norwood can be reached at [email protected]