When a running back is imposing his will on the defense, it’s probably smart to keep feeding him the football.
Idaho kept calling Elijhaa Penny’s number, and as a result, the senior running back from Lakewood, California, racked up 184 rushing yards on 36 carries in Idaho’s 27-13 win over Louisiana-Monroe Saturday at the Kibbie Dome.
It was the Vandals’ fourth consecutive homecoming game win and the first time they’ve won back-to-back games since 2009.
“I think the ceiling’s about as high as it’s been since I got here,” Idaho sophomore quarterback Matt Linehan said. “We know what we’re capable of. We know we can go out and compete with just about any team in the Sun Belt.”
Idaho (3-4 overall, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) plays New Mexico State (0-7, 0-3) at 5 p.m. Saturday in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“We’re on a roll,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. “We won two games in a row. We’re .500 in conference. We go win next weekend, we’re .500 period. So you just keep putting them together.”
Penny’s 36 carries is tied for fifth most all-time in Idaho history and his 184 rushing yards are 16th on the Idaho single game rushing list.
“I’m not tired at all,” Penny said. “I feel like I can play another game … All the eating right and working out and extra work I put in — I guess it paid off for me.”
Petrino said Penny brought his “A” game and because of the high amount of carries and rushing yards, he should probably spend some time in the whirlpool Sunday.
“You got to give a lot of credit to the offensive line … making those holes and just giving me one-on-one with a lot of people and breaking tackles and stuff like that,” Penny said. “It feels good though to know that I’m in the (record) books for the Vandals.”
Idaho senior guard Dallas Sandberg said Penny might be treating his offensive linemen to dinner for opening up big holes for the running back.
“He may be taking us to Gambino’s later,” Sandberg said.
Linehan completed 23 of his 39 passes for 315 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Linehan’s first touchdown pass was a 36-yarder hauled in by junior tight end Trent Cowan with seven seconds left in the second quarter to put the Vandals up 13-10 at halftime.
Idaho junior tight end Deon Watson caught the other two touchdown passes — a 34-yard reception in the third quarter to break a 13-13 tie and a 23-yard reception early in the fourth quarter to extend the Vandals’ lead to 27-13.
“In the previous years, we let a bunch of games get away from us in the fourth quarter, and now we’re starting to understand how to go out and win,” Linehan said.
Idaho’s defense allowed 243 yards of total offense, including 57 rushing yards. The Vandal defense usually got off the field on third down as the Warhawks converted only two out of 13 third downs.
“When you got a defense making plays, it takes a lot of pressure off of you because you know they’re going to go out there and play their butt off,” Linehan said. “All those guys are making great plays.”
Idaho freshman linebacker Kaden Elliss led the Vandals with nine total tackles, including three tackles for loss.
“(Elliss) just has such a great motor,” Petrino said. “He loves football. Those are the guys you love to coach, the guys that love to show up and practice every day and just love to fly around.”
Garrett Cabeza can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CabezaGarrett
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Penny goes into beast mode. Lets see more of this. He had plenty of holes no doubt, but to be sure he made a ton of those yards on his own, running over defenders head on. Smash mouth football on both sides of the ball. Loving it.