Saturday, Oct. 26, the Vandals will host the Eastern Washington University Eagles at 6 p.m.. Fresh off a home win against Big Sky rival Cal Poly, the Vandals look to stay undefeated at home this season.
A career performance from Jack Wagner lifted the Vandals above the Mustangs last Saturday. Wagner posted 347 yards passing with 3 TD’s, being intercepted only once. The Vandal QB room has suffered from injuries since opening day, losing Jack Layne with a broken collarbone in the game against Oregon. Wagner, who is filling the starter role for now, has also battled a shoulder injury for the majority of the season. However, that did not stop him from leading his team to a conference win, putting Idaho at fourth in the Big Sky, behind Montana, Montana St. and UC Davis.
A win this Saturday will keep the Vandals playoff hopes alive. The Eagles, who currently sit at 2-5, are led by QB Kekoa Visperas. Visperas has posted insane numbers this season with just over 1,500 passing yards and 13 TD’s. He also boasts a 74.1 CMP% on a 159.7 QB rating, all while having yet to throw an interception this season. Visperas’ favorite target, Efton Chism III, has 750 receiving yards, which is half of all receiving yards for the entire team. Chism III has also hauled in 8 TD’s thus far and is averaging 10 yards per reception.
The Vandals will look to hinder the Eagles passing attack with Senior Edge Keyshawn James-Newby leading Idaho’s front seven against EWU’s line who have allowed 10 sacks this season. The duo leading Idaho’s secondary are “Takeaway” Tommy McCormick, who leads the team with 2 interceptions, and Dwayne McDougle who leads the team in passes defended with 5. Idaho’s defense has had success at keeping opposing teams scoring low, holding opposing teams to 23 points per game.
Under Coach Eck’s tenure as head coach, the Vandals have let to lose to EWU and will look to keep the streak going on Saturday. The game can be viewed on ESPN+ and SWX. Tickets for the game can be purchased here.
Jack DeWitt can be reached at [email protected]