In the Battle of the Domes’ second year, the matchup between the Idaho Vandals and Idaho State Bengals was met with some scrutiny.
On social media, Vandal fans ridiculed the “rivalry,” deeming the matchup as underwhelming after years of FBS play.
With 11,015 fans rocking the Holt Arena in Pocatello, the Bengals obliterated all doubt, routing the Vandals 62-28 in a lopsided reintroduction of the Idaho-Idaho State rivalry.
The win was Idaho State’s first against its in-state foe since 1995, breaking a four-game losing streak.
Bengal quarterback Tanner Gueller put on a lights-out performance under the bright fluorescents of Holt Arena. Gueller completed 19 of his 30 passes, reaching 492 yards and eight touchdowns, the most by any Bengal quarterback in a single game.
“He’s a damn good player,” Idaho Head Coach Paul Petrino said. “You’ve got to give them all of the props. They kicked our butt.”
Wide receiver Mitch Gueller remained his brother’s favorite target, hauling in six passes for 184 yards and a touchdown. The Bengal quarterback often looked for the Gueller-to-Gueller connection, targeting his brother 12 times.
Meanwhile, the Idaho offense struggled to maintain momentum. After junior quarterback Mason Petrino scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown to open the game, the Vandals went on a 28-0 drought.
The Vandals stuck with the dual-quarterback system they’ve run most of the year, with Mason Petrino and redshirt freshman Colton Richardson attempting 11 and 13 passes respectively. Richardson accounted for the only passing touchdowns on the day with two, but also threw a late interception that gave the Bengals their final score of the game.
In light of the offensive struggles, Petrino remained noncommittal on what the offense would look like the rest of the season in regard to his two signal callers.
“I thought Colton (Richardson) did some good things. I thought Mason (Petrino) did some good things,” Petrino said. “We’ll just see how the week goes.”
Redshirt sophomore receiver David Ungerer carried the brunt of the load for the Vandals, catching 10 passes for 111 yards.
On the ground, sophomore running back Isaiah Saunders turned his 19 carries into 144 yards.
The Vandals struggled on both sides of the ball, especially against the fast-paced no huddle offense of Idaho State. The defense allowed 412 yards of offense by the end of the first half, along with five touchdowns through the air. By the time the final whistle sounded, Idaho’s defense had allowed 754 yards, 65 percent courtesy of Gueller.
“They went up and down the field at will,” Petrino said. “We couldn’t get a pass rush, and when we played zone, they picked us apart.”
Idaho falls to 2-3 and 1-2 in the Big Sky Conference. Meanwhile, the Bengals now sit at third in the conference with a 4-1 record.
The Vandals will remain on the road next week, facing Montana State Oct. 13 in Bozeman, Montana.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill
Al Middleton
You'd think a sports reporter would know something about sports. How can the offense put up 541yds of total offense and "fall flat"? Clearly ISU could score at will -- we gave up nearly 500yds before halftime -- our defense couldn't stop a decent high school. Why don't we put the blame where it truly lies -- announce you're tucking your balls between your legs and dropping to the minor leagues and recruits avoid you like the plague. Combine that with the fact that we had to cut 22 scholarships -- I'm surprised we did so well. The only QBs that stayed and didn't transfer were the coach's son and a TE who wants to play QB. One of our best LBs transferred to a D1 school, and the younger brother of a 4yr starting OL signed with the same D1 school (in the state - hint they wear blorange).