Potato State champs: Vandals ease away from Bengals; learn playoff path today

From wire and news services and local reports 

POCATELLO – Unlike the last two beatdowns in this series, Idaho encountered some resistance from Idaho State on Saturday. 

But, helped by two big kickoff returns from Andrew Marshall, the Vandals put away the Bengals 40-17 before 10,033 at the ICCU Dome, the first sellout since the building was remodeled two years ago. 

Idaho (9-3, 6-2 Big Sky) figures to earn a first-round bye next week and a second-round home game, but will officially learn its path today when the 24-team field is announced (9:30 a.m., ESPNU).  

“Really proud of our team,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “The last time a Vandal team won nine games in the regular season was 1994. We’re heading into the playoffs with five straight wins, so we have some positive momentum. We’re expecting a top-eight seed; I’m hoping for a six seed.” 

Andrew Marshall had a 62-yard kickoff return to set up a touchdown for Idaho late in the first half, then returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a score. 

“I was able to come out in the second half and impact the game,” Marshall said. “I knew we needed a spark coming out of the half so my whole mindset going into that kickoff return was, I’ve got to bring it home. At first I thought I was going to fair catch it, then I thought, why not try to impact the game?” 

“i think he’s as good a returner as JJ (Jermaine Jackson) is, and a good defensive back,” Eck said. “What a weapon, when you have a guy that can return one of each for a touchdown.” 

Nate Thomas ran for a career-high 171 yards for Idaho, against an Idaho State defense which was allowing 257.6 rushing yards a game, 471.8 total yards per game, and fired its defensive coordinator on Monday. 

“We prepared for everything this week; where was no telling what we were going to get,” Thomas said. “I believed in (my linemen) doing their job so I could do my job.” 

Idaho State (5-7, 3-5), under second-year coach Cody Hawkins, posted its most wins in a season since 2018. 

Jordan Dwyer caught 11 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown for Idaho. Jack Layne threw for 234 yards and three TDs. Zach Krotzer, Tommy McCormick and Matt Irwin (in his first start) had interceptions. Linebacker Jaxton Eck, son of the coach, had 15 tackles. 

Idaho scored on its first possession on a flea-flicker flanker screen, Emerson Cortez-Menjivar taking a Layne pass and dashing through the ISU defense on a 41-yard scoring play. 

With his team down 10-0, ISU quarterback Kobe Tracy rolled left, threw late across the middle and across his body – right to Idaho defensive lineman Krotzer, who returned it 18 yards to the Bengal 36. 

But Idaho’s Cameron Pope missed a 36-yard field goal wide right. 

Hunter Hays replaced Tracy on ISU’s next possession and gave the Bengals a spark. On fourth and 6 from the Idaho 17, ISU lined up for a field goal. But the Vandals jumped offside, the Bengals changed their mind and converted a fourth-and-1, then scored on Hays’ 8-yard pass to Michael Shulikov with 1:04 left in the half. 

But Shulikov celebrated by pulling up his jersey and displaying something written on his undershirt, and ISU was penalized 15 yards on the kickoff for unsportsmanlike conduct. 

Marshall returned the kickoff to the ISU 27. Three plays later Layne connected with Mark Hamper on a flanker screen – a play that worked well last week -- for a 15-yard TD with 38 seconds left to make it 17-7. 

ISU drove to the Idaho 1 with 4 seconds left and went for the TD, but a pass by Hays into the end zone was overthrown. 

Marshall then opened the second half by returning the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to make it 24-7. 

ISU, which played without wide receiver Christian Fredericksen (Rigby High) due to injury, passed on going for on fourth-and-goal at the Idaho 4, and settled for a field goal to come within 24-10. 

Idaho made it 30-10 on a 9-yard TD pass from Layne to Dwyer. 

ISU answered with Tracy’s touchdown run, and Pope missed his second field goal of the game, but McCormick intercepted Tracy to all but end it. 

Zach Johnson, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Lake City High, had eight tackles and two quarterback hurries for Idaho.

Idaho won last year’s meeting 63-21, after winning 38-7 in 2022 in Pocatello. 

Idaho won the inaugural Potato State Trophy, a 19-pound wooden potato carved by Idaho sports information director Jerek Wolcott last summer.

“Really happy to come back and extend the lead,” Eck said of the second half. “We wanted to be finishers, and not let people hang around. 

“I don’t think there’s going to be any teams jumping up and down when they see us in their bracket,” Eck said.

Idaho     10    7    13    10    --    40 

Idaho State     0    7    3    7    --    17 

FIrst quarter 

IDAHO – Cortez-Menjivar 41 pass from Layne (Pope kick), 9:19  

IDAHO – FG Pope 35, 2:35 

Second quarter 

ISU – Shulikov 8 pass from Hays (Panikowski kick), 1:04 

IDAHO – Hamper 15 pass from Layne (Pope kick): 38 

Third quarter 

IDAHO – Marshall 100 kickoff return (Pope kick), 14:48 

ISU – FG Panikowski 27, 10:45 

IDAHO – Dwyer 9 pass from Layne (kick blocked), 5:17 

Fourth quarter 

ISU – Tracy 3 run (Panikowski kick), 10:27 

IDAHO – FG Pope 34, 2:46 

IDAHO – Matheney 9 run (Pope kick), 1:54 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING – Idaho, Thomas 21-171, Hamper 2-11, Matheney 3-8, Layne 2-1, Cortez-Menjivar 1-(minus 6). ISU, Brooks 6-56, Kauhi 7-22, Jackson 3-16, Austin 2-5, Hays 3-4, Tracy 9-(minus 2). 

PASSING – Idaho, Layne 17-22-0-234. ISU, Tracy 27-44-3-249, Hays 2-3-0-13. 

RECEIVING – Idaho, Dwyer 11-134, Hamper 2-11, Cortez-Menjivar 1-41, Martinez 1-(minus 2). ISU, Nunnally 8-44, Shulikov 6-61, Weimer 4-57, Duarte 4-56, Brown 4-21, Brooks 2-17, Blancas 1-6. 

    Photo by IDAHO ATHLETICS Zach Krotzer (96) of Idaho rumbles after a first-half interception against Idaho State on Saturday at the ICCU Dome in Pocatello.