THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Despite all their losses from last year, Vandals back in a familiar spot

They lost their two-year starting quarterback to the transfer portal, with two years of eligibility remaining. 

Ditto their stud running back. 

They lost their top three receivers, two to NFL camps, one to the portal. 

They lost three defensive backs to the portal. 

But here are the Idaho Vandals, back in the FCS playoffs, their second straight year with a top-eight seed and a first-round bye for the 24-team event. 

Pretty amazing feat for the Vandals, in the playoffs for the third straight season under third-year head coach Jason Eck. 

Of course, a tip of the cap goes to the defense, which returned several key players last year, replaced the departed DBs, kept the Vandals in the season opener at FBS No. 1 Oregon, and were a big reason Idaho won several other games this year. 

Idaho (9-3), the No. 8 seed, will play host to unseeded Lehigh (9-3) next Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow. 

AT QUARTERBACK, Gevani McCoy won the Jerry Rice Award in 2022 as the top freshman in FCS. After last season, he left for Oregon State, where he started the Beavers’ first seven games before being replaced. 

His backup last season, redshirt sophomore Jack Layne, earned the starting job. Layne started two games his first two seasons — both against Idaho State — when McCoy was injured. 

When Layne suffered a broken collarbone in the season opener at Oregon, redshirt freshman Jack Wagner stepped in and led the Vandals to a win at Wyoming.  

When Wagner was dinged up, freshman Nick Josifek came off the bench and played well, and started the Montana State game. 

A fourth QB, freshman Rocco Koch, emerged as a running quarterback before he was injured. 

Anthony Woods rushed for 1,182 yards and 16-touchdowns as a sophomore with the Vandals, including a 213-yard, five-TD effort at Eastern Washington. 

But he left for Utah following last season, and missed the Utes’ 2024 season due to injury. 

Elisha Cummings ran for 475 yards and four TDs in 2022, then sat out last season. He and Nate Thomas, the South Dakota transfer, formed a formidable 1-2 punch early in the season before injuries creeped in. 

But two other backs emerged in redshirt freshan Deshaun Buchanan and redshirt freshman Art Williams, from Rocky Mountain High in Meridian.  

Injuries have hit those two in recent weeks as well; now, whoever is healthy in a particular week gets a bulk of the carries. 

At receiver, Hayden Hatten was in the Seattle Seahawks camp, and recently signed with the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League. Jermaine Jackson is on the practice squad with the New Orleans Saints.  

McCoy throwing to Hatten and Jackson, or handing off to Woods, was a huge part of the Vandal offense last year. 

But redshirt freshman receiver Mark Hamper has emerged as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award. And Jordan Dwyer, who showed flashes two years ago but was limited by injuries and the depth chart since, has teamed with Hamper for a nice 1-2 combo at wideout. 

“(Hamper) and Jordan Dwyer really stepped up big,” Eck said. "Those are big shoes to fill. They did a good job of filling those shoes, and were tremendous for us this year.” 

SO WE’LL see. 

Eck is optimistic having a bye this week will help some guys who missed last week’s win at ISU – Cummings, Buchanan, Williams, even edge rush star Keyshawn James-Newby – will be back for next Saturday’s game, though he said James-Newby was likely questionable for next week. 

If Idaho wins next week, the Vandals would likely travel to No. 1 seed Montana State in the quarterfinals. In October in Bozeman, Montana State routed Idaho 38-7. 

But the Vandals can’t look ahead. 

Last year, as the No. 4 seed, Idaho needed a blocked field goal at the end of regulation to eventually escape with a 20-17 overtime win over Southern Illinois in the second round. Then, with a trip to South Dakota State (where Eck was an assistant for six seasons prior to coming to Idaho) at stake, the Vandals were upset at home 30-22 by No. 13 UAlbany. 

This year, of Idaho’s three losses, two are to undefeated teams (Oregon and Montana State), and the third was to UC Davis, which has lost twice. 

But one thing’s for certain — for all the offensive firepower Idaho lost from last season, the Vandals have done a pretty good job piecing together a productive offense this year.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.