After getting floored, Vandals look to get off the mat
Today, Cal Poly at Idaho, 1 p.m. • ESPN+
By MARK NELKE
Sports editor
Idaho football coach Jason Eck likened last week’s Big Sky Conference/FCS showdown at Montana State.
“And we got our butts knocked out,” Eck said of the Vandals’ 38-7 loss in Bozeman on ESPN2.
“In football, just like life, sometimes you get knocked on your butt, and you’ve got to get back up, and you’ve got to respond,” he added. “And I’m anxious to see how we respond.”
He’ll find out today, when Idaho (4-3, 1-2 Big Sky) plays host to Cal Poly (2-4, 1-2) at 1 p.m. at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.
After playing five straight games vs. FCS teams ranked in the top 25, Idaho, which dropped from seventh to 13th in this week’s rankings, will face its first unranked FCS team today in the Mustangs, coached by former Eastern Washington and Washington State head man Paul Wulff.
Cal Poly opened league play with a 28-7 win at Northern Colorado, then lost 41-38 at home to Idaho State, then was routed 56-10 at UC Davis last week.
“Even though we’re the favorite, a lot of underdogs won last week in this league,” Eck said, “so we can’t roll our hats out and think we’re going to win this game.”
Like Idaho, Cal Poly has been banged up at quarterback. The Mustangs have started two different ones — Bo Kelly and Jaden Jones, and also played Richie Watts. Kelly started the opener; Jones suffered a concussion a couple weeks ago, and Kelly started last week.
Whoever the QB is, Cal Poly has emphasized the run in conference games, Eck said.
Cal Poly ranks third in the Big Sky, and 37th in the nation, in rushing defense.
Idaho’s depth at quarterback was stretched further when No. 3 QB Nick Josifek, a redshirt freshman, suffered a broken collarbone in the first half last week at Montana State. Jack Layne, a redshirt sophomore who started the season opener, suffered a broken collarbone at Oregon and is still out.
That leaves Jack Wagner, the No. 2 QB and a redshirt freshman, as the only available signal-caller with college experience. He’s seen action in all seven games this year, mostly as the starter.
That leaves Rocco Koch, a true freshman from Curtis High in University Place, Wash., as the backup.
Eck said the best-case scenario would be Layne returning next week when Idaho plays host to Eastern Washington, if not, then two weeks later after the bye, at Portland State on Nov. 9.
Idaho figures to be shorthanded again in the backfield, where Eli Cummings left last week’s game with an injury, and Nate Thomas missed the game with an injury. Eck said he’s optimistic Cummings will be ready this week; more so than Thomas being back.
“Don’t tell people your problems,” Eck said, “because half the people don’t care and the other half are glad you have them.”
Idaho is 4-0 all-time vs. Cal Poly, with two of those wins since the Vandals returned to the Big Sky in 2018, including a 42-14 triumph last year.
Though Eck said getting routed at Montana State showed the Vandals “we’re not as good as we want to be yet,” he also noted the three teams Idaho has lost to this season (Oregon, UC Davis and Montana State) are a combined 20-1.
“We’ve got a resilient bunch; I think we’ll respond well,” Eck said.