It is said football is a game of inches.
That saying was proven in the Idaho Vandals’ 19-16 win over the Troy Trojans in Sun Belt Conference play Saturday in Troy, Alabama.
Troy senior kicker Jed Solomon’s 32-yard field goal bounced off the right upright with 32 seconds left in the game and the Idaho offense took over and went into victory formation to end the game.
The Vandals forced four turnovers while Idaho didn’t turn the ball over at all.
Idaho led 6-0 at halftime after two Austin Rehkow field goals.
After a Troy field goal in the third quarter, Idaho redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Luton extended the Vandal lead to 13-3 with a 4-yard rushing touchdown. It was his fourth rushing touchdown of the season after running for three touchdowns against Arkansas State Oct. 3.
Troy senior quarterback Dallas Tidwell, who replaced senior Dontreal Pruitt during the game, hooked up with senior wide receiver Teddy Ruben for a 43-yard touchdown, cutting the Idaho lead to 16-13 with 14:18 left in the fourth quarter.
Rehkow broke a 16-16 tie after making a 19-yard field goal with 3:01 left in the game.
Idaho senior wide receiver Dezmon Epps continued to be a threat as he hauled in 10 passes for 131 yards.
Idaho (2-4 overall, 1-2 Sun Belt) will play Louisiana-Monroe at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Kibbie Dome.
Garrett Cabeza can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CabezaGarrett