With Idaho’s Big Sky return days away, the Vandals look to kick off their welcome home party with a crucial conference win this weekend.
The Vandals will travel to take on the UC Davis Aggies Saturday (Sept. 22) to play in their first Big Sky football game since 1995.
Vandal fans have high expectations for the next few seasons back in the Big Sky, as to be expected for a team that was nearly dominant many years ago.
Idaho joined the Big Sky in 1963, but didn’t play its first conference game until 1965. Six years later, the Vandals brought home their first outright conference title in school history during the 1971 season.
The golden age of Vandal football hit in 1985, when Idaho was not only dominating in the Big Sky, but would reach the Division I-AA playoffs 10 times while reaching the national semifinals twice.
From 1968-1992, Idaho would win nine conference titles under six different head coaches through that span.
In 1996, the Vandals decided to make a change once again and head out to the Big West conference and move up to Division I-A football, or as many know of it now, as the FCS. Twenty-two years later, Idaho looks to repeat history and dominate the Big Sky once again.
It won’t be easy, with many of FCS football’s best reigning supreme in the Big Sky conference.
Most notably are the Eastern Washington Eagles and the Weber State Wildcats, who currently rank in the top-10 of the entire FCS.
Idaho will get to showcase against the Eagles on Oct. 27 in a pivotal game with not only implications for a successful season, but an opportunity for Idaho to show the move back to the Big Sky was the smartest one to make.
In April 2016, it was announced that Idaho was making the move from FBS to FCS, becoming the first team in college football history to make the move down. The following season, Idaho had its best season since 2009, reaching the Idaho Potato Bowl and beating Colorado State in a record-setting victory.
At the time many Vandal fans were in an uproar against the move, especially after having a bowl victory. Why move down if Idaho can be competitive in the FBS?
Of course, winning wasn’t the only reason the move happened. The Sun Belt Conference said that they would not retain Idaho within the conference after 2017, leaving the Vandals to scramble and find a conference that would take them in.
Only one conference accepted Idaho, and that was none other than the Big Sky.
With the move imminent during the past year, fans have had to prepare for old rivalries being renewed once again, which has brought new life and optimism to the program and many fans.
Interim Idaho Athletic Director Pete Isakson said the move back was a good financial decision for the program.
“From a financial standpoint, we’ve sold more season tickets then we did last year,” Isakson said. “We’re going to have more away fans come to games, and are going to enjoy having schools play close to us once again.”
The Vandals look to the future now, and dominant play early on for Idaho would be great for the return to the Big Sky.
UC Davis will look to ruin the welcoming party when they face the Vandals Saturday.
The Aggies have had a strong start to the season, and a strong performance against ninth ranked FBS opponent Stanford last weekend has shown that this squad can be a threat.
UC Davis enters this weekend as the No. 21 FCS team in the country, with an offense that is ranked fourth among all FCS.
A win on Saturday for the Vandals would not only be a statement win for a Big Sky return, but a huge win to be recognized nationally.
It may seem like a while since Idaho has played some football, but the Vandals look to build off their successful home opener with another big win this weekend.
Idaho head coach Paul Petrino said in a news conference that he understands the challenge ahead.
“We studied all the Big Sky teams this summer, and I thought they (UC Davis) were going to be one of the tougher games we play,” Petrino said. “We have our work cut out for us.”
Idaho is now heading into the third game of the season, with the dual attack at quarterback still in place. Idaho will look for success similar to that of the Western New Mexico contest, and hope that both quarterbacks can make a statement in their first Big Sky games.
Starting strong and fast early is what Idaho needs to do to have a chance against UC Davis and their high-powered offense. Controlling the time of possession early will help keep the Aggie offense off the field, and keep the tenacious Vandal defense well rested.
“Hopefully we can wear them down right off the bat,” Petrino said. “We only had the ball 26 plays the entire first half, we need to get some three and outs early in the game.
A strong defensive performance, led by Idaho’s strong pass rushers will help keep the Aggies at bay and not be able to open up the passing game.
Expect big games from Idaho’s defensive line and linebackers, with possibly many of the big plays coming from the inside.
All hands on deck will be needed for an Idaho victory on Saturday, with Idaho going up against a tough Big Sky foe to kick off conference play.
History repeats itself, and Vandal fans hope this is the start to a successful Big Sky run once again.
The Idaho Vandals will face the UC Davis Aggies 4 p.m. Saturday(Sept. 18) in at 4 p.m. in Davis, California.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cderemer_VN