Vandals look to improve resume as Big Sky play begins

Tonight, Idaho at UC Davis, 7 p.m. * ESPN+ 

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

Since returning to the Big Sky Conference in 2018, the Idaho Vandals are 0-4 against UC Davis. 

Sure, only one of those losses came under the regime of the current coach, third-year head man Jason Eck — a 44-26 setback at Davis in 2022. 

Also, UC Davis is one of only two teams in the conference that Idaho has not beaten since Eck took over (though the fact there’s only two of those teams remaining is a pretty impressive statistic in itself). The other was Weber State, which clipped the Vandals 31-29 last year in Ogden, Utah. 

Idaho gets a chance to cross one of those teams off its list tonight, when the Vandals (3-1), ranked fourth in FCS, open Big Sky play at No. 14 UC Davis (3-1). 

(Idaho gets another shot at Weber State on Nov. 16 at home.) 

“It’ll be a challenge, but that’s why you get into coaching football, or playing football,” Eck said.

UC Davis led Cal 13-7 late in the second quarter in the season opener before the Bears went on to win 31-13. 

The Aggies are coming off a 32-14 home win over Utah Tech in which Lan Larison, the preseason conference Offensive Player of the Year from Vallivue High in Caldwell, ran for two touchdowns and caught one from Miles Hastings for a TD. 

Larison ran for 120 yards on 28 carries in that game, and caught five passes for 43 yards. For the season, he’s at 393 rushing yards and three scores, and 16 catches for 196 yards and two TDs. 

“He’s a great player, he’s the best running back in the conference,” Eck said of Larison. “He’s also a weapon in their passing game. He’s a guy you’ve got to know where he is, and account for him. He’s a guy you’ve got to gang tackle.” 

In addition the Aggies, with Hastings at the helm, are 11th in the country at 272.8 passing yards per game. Hastings has thrown for 1,082 yards and six TDs, with five interceptions. 

Eck said the Vandals have played the third-toughest schedule to date in FCS. 

And with a narrow loss at Oregon, a ranked FBS team, a win at FBS school Wyoming, and victories over ranked FCS squads in UAlbany and Abilene Christian, Idaho has put together a pretty good resume for postseason consideration. 

And, though it’s only Eck’s third season, the Vandals have already reached the stage where simply making the FCS playoffs is no longer the goal. 

The Vandals are trying to put themselves in position to contend for a national title. 

Last year, Idaho still earned a first-round bye despite a pair of two-point losses in league. The Vandals played two playoff games at home, but would have traveled had it reached the semifinals. 

“Seeding is so important,” Eck said. “I think South Dakota State and North Dakota State have won 11 of the last 13 titles, and I don’t think in those 11 years they won they had any away games. It was home field all the way to Frisco, Texas. That’s really the model to win. I think we’ve got to be consistent, but we’ve put ourselves in a very good position through four games."