Vandals home opener comes against team that ended their 2023 season
Today, UAlbany at Idaho, 1 p.m., SWX/ESPN+
By MARK NELKE
Sports editor
You’d think, coming so soon after playing so soon after meeting in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs last year, that today’s Idaho-UAlbany matchup at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow would be a revenge game of sorts for the Vandals.
After all, UAlbany upset Idaho 30-22 in that game last December in the Dome, denying Vandal coach Jason Eck a chance to go up against his former team (South Dakota State) in the semifinals.
Maybe? Maybe not.
Because of the popularity of the transfer portal, most of the key players from last year’s game are no longer at either school. Either they took a shot at making an NFL roster, or they transferred to another school.
“It’s unique, because so many guys have changed over,” Eck said. “There’s five guys, out of their 22 starters, who started last year, so they have mostly new faces, I think everyone on defense is new. The teams are a lot different; not the same quarterbacks from last year (Reese Poffenbarger transferred from UAlbany to Miami, where he is the backup, and Gevani McCoy left Idaho for Oregon State, where he earned the starting job). Their great receiver (Brevin Easton) was in the NFL (with the Jacksonville Jaguars); Hayden (Hatten) is in the NFL.
“So when you watch that tape, you’re really looking more at the coaches than the players.”
Idaho (1-1) is ranked fourth in this week’s FCS poll. It will be the Vandals’ first game in the Dome since last year’s loss to UAlbany.
UAlbany (1-1), ranked 17th, opened with a 27-21 win over Long Island University, then lost 49-14 last week to West Virginia — a game the Great Danes trailed 21-14 late in the first half.
Sophomore Myles Burkett, a Wisconsin transfer, takes over at quarterback for Poffenbarger.
“Good athlete; they’ll use him in the run game, he can scramble and extend plays, he’s got a strong arm,” Eck said. “He’s not nearly as big as the guy last year, but he’s probably faster.”
Griffin Woodell, who ran for 98 yards and a touchdown against Idaho last year, and also caught seven passes for 19 yards, is back.
Both of UAlbany’s stud defensive ends are no longer with the team. One of them, AJ Simon, who was preparing for the NFL draft, died in April.
"Greg Gattuso is a great coach, and their staff really knows what they’re doing,” Eck said. “They had a great plan (last year), and that was a tough thing, to have to travel across the country last year and beat us. I think this team definitely has our attention.”
Idaho officials said Thursday that quarterback Jack Wagner, a redshirt sophomore, was “probable” to return today, after being injured late in last week’s win at Wyoming, his first start.
If not, redshirt freshman Nick Josifek, who came in when Wagner was hurt, will get his first start.
If that happens, Rocco Koch, a true freshman from Curtis High in University Place, Wash., would be the backup. Matt Irwin, who the Vandals recruited as a safety out of Owyhee High in Meridian, would be the No. 3 QB.
Prior to last December, few out West had even heard of the University of Albany, or that the school was commonly called UAlbany.
If you’re wondering why the teams are playing again so soon, well, the game was scheduled in 2022, when the Great Danes were in the midst of a 3-8 season.
“We’re paying them (a reported $250,000); we needed a game,” Eck said. “We were looking for home games a couple of years ago. Albany wasn’t going to give us a home and home, because they can bus to people. I didn’t know much about Albany (other than its record at the time) ... and they agreed to how much we’ll pay them. I go, 'Great,’ and then the next year they go to the semifinals.
“We needed a home game, and it’s tough for us to get home-and-homes because there’s really nobody, nonconference, FCS-wise, that can bus to us. And most FCS teams want to bus to their home-and-home games, to save money.”
Idaho received $675,000 for playing at Oregon, and $425,000 for playing at Wyoming.