Idaho just won their home finale against Weber State and are now officially undefeated at home for the regular season, a feat that hasn’t been done since 1996. To put that in perspective, Head Coach Jason Eck was a sophomore playing o-line at the University of Wisconsin when the Vandals last went undefeated in the Kibbie Dome.
Idaho finished with 419 yards of offense on the day, nearly throwing for as many yards as Weber State’s entire offense gained in the game. Jack Layne posted a great game, finishing 18 for 27 with 283 yards and three touchdowns, and an interception.
The star of the show was wide receiver Mark Hamper who posted a hat-trick in the game, putting up a career day of 8 catches for 187 yards and three touchdowns, and was the only player wearing Idaho black and gold to reach the endzone. Hamper also had an unreal 134 yards after the catch.
“You just got to do what’s asked of you and accept that role, and that’s what I did today,” Mark Hamper said. “Just grateful to get into the endzone.”
The Idaho defense played well in the matchup, posting 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The big impact came from the rushing defense, where the Wildcats were limited only to 2.8 yards per carry.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Malakai Williams heard high praise from Head Coach Jason Eck for his performance, as he put up 2 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
“We’ll nominate this guy for defensive player of the week. I thought on Senior Day walking out to be having one of his probably his finest performance.” Coach Eck said.
Idaho started off strong with a 7-0 lead thanks to the first of Mark Hamper’s three touchdowns, this one being off a 36-yard play. The second quarter saw a lot more action, with Weber State scoring off the arm and legs of quarterback Richie Muñoz. That helped the Wildcats go into halftime up 14-10 on the Idaho Vandals, with the game leaning towards being a defensive battle.
“Our defense really had played very well in the first half. They were at less than four yards a play in the first half,” Coach Eck spoke on the defensive performance. “They really just had two big returns that set up their touchdowns. So, we tweaked our plan and did a better job with that.”
Idaho had a dominant defensive third quarter, not allowing a single first down, and with a pair of Cameron Pope field goals, Idaho was able to take a 16-14 lead into the fourth quarter.
Idaho was able to jump ahead 24-17 off the backs of Jack Layne and Mark Hamper, and with 2 minutes to go, Mark Hamper took a screen pass 74 yards for his third touchdown of the day to make it 31-17 and seal the deal.
Weber State was able to score late, but it did not impact the final outcome and Idaho won 31-24.
Idaho now sits at 7-3 on the season and has likely punched their ticket into the FCS Playoffs. However, Idaho has a massive game against rival Idaho State to win the newly announced Potato State Trophy. This game has seeding implications on the line for the Vandals, as a win will likely give Idaho a first-round bye in the FCS Playoffs and a playoff game in the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals and Bengals face off in Pocatello, Idaho on Nov. 23 at 3 p.m.
Bryce Norwood can be reached at [email protected]