Thursday, March 28, 2024
37.0°F

Bengals in a runaway

by From wire and news services
| October 7, 2018 1:00 AM

POCATELLO — This was a thrashing some two decades in the making.

Idaho State quarterback Tanner Gueller threw for career highs of 492 yards and eight touchdowns — yes, eight touchdowns — as the Bengals destroyed the Idaho Vandals 62-28 in Big Sky Conference football play Saturday before a near-capacity crowd of 11,015 at Holt Arena.

“We just got our butt kicked, bottom line,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. “They played better, coached better.”

Idaho and Idaho State were rivals in the Big Sky until 1996, when Idaho joined Boise State in moving up a level, from NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) to Division I-A (now FBS). Idaho dropped down to FCS in football this season and rejoined the Big Sky, and Idaho State gave the Vandals a rude welcome back to Pocatello.

It was Idaho State’s first win over Idaho since 1995 — the Vandals’ last season in the Big Sky. Idaho had won all four meetings since then, most recently in 2008.

Playing before the largest crowd at Holt Arena in 15 years, Idaho State (4-1, 3-0 Big Sky) amassed 754 yards of total offense — just 16 yards shy of a school record.

Gueller also ran for 81 yards on 11 carries for the Bengals. His eight touchdown passes set a school record. Michael Dean had 156 yards receiving and four touchdown catches. Mitch Gueller, Tanner’s brother, had 184 yards and a score receiving.

“We couldn’t cover them, and we couldn’t get a pass rush — plain and simple,” Petrino said. “We couldn’t cover them in man; they ran circles around us. We couldn’t get a pass rush and when we played zone they picked us apart. We just couldn’t stop them.

“Obviously we didn’t go into the game thinking it was a terrible game plan, but we made it look like one.”

Idaho (2-3, 1-2) scored first, but the Bengals rattled off 28 straight points before taking a 35-14 lead into halftime.

Tanner Gueller threw for five touchdowns in the first half, including an 87-yarder to Demonte Horton and a 62-yarder to Dean. He connected on 10 passes of 20 yards or more. The 62-yard score came with 1:27 left before the half, less than two minutes after the Vandals had cut the deficit to 28-14.

“He’s a damn good player,” Petrino said of Gueller. “He played his butt off, and their receivers made all kinds of plays.”

Idaho racked up a season-high 541 yards of total offense — 272 yards through the air, 269 on the ground.

Isaiah Saunders led the rushing attack with a season-high 144 yards, the second-highest total of his career. Freshman running back Tyrese Walker posted career highs of 14 carries and 89 yards, including his first career touchdown on a 17-yard run in the third quarter.

Walker’s scoring play brought the Vandals within 14 at 35-21. The Bengals answered immediately, but Idaho did not go away. Colton Richardson found D.J. Lee in the back of the end zone for a 28-yard score. The extra point made it 41-28 after Idaho State missed its point-after attempt.

Gueller and the Bengals responded again, marching 75 yards in five plays to take a 48-28 lead and never looked back. Idaho State scored once more before the end of the third quarter and added its final touchdown midway through the fourth.

Even Gunnar Amos, the former Vandal who transferred to ISU just before the 2017 season, got in on the beatdown. Amos, a junior and backup QB to Tanner Gueller, completed one pass for 26 yards and rushed twice for 11 yards.

Idaho State is 4-1 for the first time since 2000, and 3-0 in Big Sky play for the first time since 1981.

Richardson, who missed last week’s win over Portland State with a sprained wrist, finished 13 for 20 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his scoring throws were hauled in by freshmen. He hit Connor Whitney on a 22-yard touchdown in the second quarter for Whitney’s first career score, before finding Lee in the third quarter.

Mason Petrino, who shared reps with Richardson in the first three games, was 11 for 22 for 81 yards and added 40 yards rushing, including an 8-yard touchdown run to put Idaho on the board first.

David Ungerer was Idaho’s leading receiver with a career-high 10 catches for 111 yards. It is the 49th double-digit reception game in Idaho history.

Idaho St. 62, Idaho 28

Idaho 7 7 14 0 — 28

Idaho St. 14 21 20 7 — 62

First Quarter

IDHO—Petrino 8 run (Coffey kick), 10:53.

IDST—Campbell 11 pass from T.Gueller (Sheidow kick), 8:35.

IDST—Dean 14 pass from T.Gueller (Sheidow kick), 3:16.

Second Quarter

IDST—M.Gueller 29 pass from T.Gueller (Sheidow kick), 13:12.

IDST—Horton 87 pass from T.Gueller (Sheidow kick), 10:27.

IDHO—Whitney 22 pass from Richardson (Coffey kick), 3:11.

IDST—Dean 62 pass from T.Gueller (Sheidow kick), 1:27.

Third Quarter

IDHO—Walker 17 run (Coffey kick), 10:22.

IDST—Campbell 13 pass from T.Gueller (kick failed), 8:05.

IDHO—Lee 28 pass from Richardson (Coffey kick), 5:25.

IDST—Madison 7 run (Sheidow kick), 3:46.

IDST—Dean 4 pass from T.Gueller (Sheidow kick), 1:03.

Fourth Quarter

IDST—Dean 7 pass from T.Gueller (Sheidow kick), 8:41.

IDHO IDST

First downs 24 29

Rushes-yards 46-269 38-236

Passing 272 518

Comp-Att-Int 24-42-1 20-31-0

Return Yards 79 35

Punts-Avg. 6-51.0 2-33.5

Fumbles-Lost 6-1 1-1

Penalty-Yards 7-57 5-50

Time of Possession 36:01 23:59

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Idaho, I. Saunders 19-144, T. Walker 14-89, M. Petrino 6-40, C. Richardson 5-8, R. Johnson 1-4. Idaho St., T. Gueller 11-81, J. Madison 12-74, T. Flanagan 11-59, G. Amos 2-11, K. Yancy 2-11.

PASSING—Idaho, C. Richardson 13-20-1-191, M. Petrino 11-22-0-81. Idaho St., T. Gueller 19-30-0-492, G. Amos 1-1-0-26.

RECEIVING—Idaho, D. Ungerer 10-111, C. Whitney 3-43, D. Lee 3-41, C. Haywood 3-32, J. Cotton 2-18, W. Noil 1-16, T. Walker 1-8, B. Luckett 1-3. Idaho St., M. Gueller 6-184, M. Dean 6-156, D. Horton 2-113, A. Campbell 3-37, T. Bell 1-26, J. Madison 2-2.