Vandals try to keep focus on Lehigh
Tonight, Lehigh at Idaho, 6 p.m. • ESPN+
By MARK NELKE
Sports editor
The Idaho Vandals can see the future.
But they need to worry about the present first.
If the eighth-seeded Vandals (9-3) win their FCS playoff opener against unseeded Lehigh (9-3) tonight at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow in a second-round matchup, they would almost certainly travel to top-seeded Montana State next week in the quarterfinals.
Montana State blistered the Vandals 38-7 in Bozeman in October.
“We’ve got to take care of business this week; we can’t look ahead,” third-year Idaho coach Jason Eck said.
Lehigh caught Eck’s attention by winning at No. 9 seed Richmond 20-16 last week. The Mountain Hawks have won six straight games, and snapped Richmond’s 10-game win streak.
Lehigh was 2-9 in 2023.
“They just play fundamental football,” Eck said. “There’s nothing too exotic about their schemes on either side of the football. They’re good at what they do, they execute and they have some really good players.”
Freshman Hayden Johnson has passed for 1,229 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions for Lehigh. He’s also run for 238 yards and four scores.
Sophomore Luke Yoder has rushed for 940 yards and 10 TDs, and freshman Jaden Green has run for 763 yards and 10 TDs.
Junior Geoffrey Jamiel has 56 receptions, eight for scores.
Lehigh averages 204.6 yards a game on the ground, 143.4 through the air.
“They've got a good team, and we’re going to have to play well,” Eck said. “That was a heckuva job, to go on the road to beat Richmond. This time of year, You have to bring your “A” game, or your season is going to be over pretty quick.”
Eck hopes to have star edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby back for tonight’s game. He missed the regular-season finale at Idaho State two weeks ago with an injury.
Idaho has used four running backs this year, playing whoever is healthy on a particular week. Eck thought three of them — Elisha Cummings, Deshaun Buchanan and Art Williams — would be available tonight. Nate Thomas is doubtful due to injury.
It’s the third straight year Idaho has reached the playoffs. The Vandals lost in the first round in 2022, and reached the quarterfinals last year.
It’s the ninth straight year Eck has coached in the FCS playoffs, having coached in them all six seasons he was an assistant at South Dakota State before taking the Idaho job.
Idaho had 15 players selected to the all-Big Sky Conference teams earlier this week.
Only three are seniors.
“It's bittersweet,” Eck said. “A lot of FBS coaches looking at that list, I’m sure the other 11 or 12 (non-seniors) are going to be reached out to about going into the transfer portal, but that’s the reality.”