Optimistic, hopeful, stunning and upsetting are just a few descriptions for how the 2019 season played out for Vandal football.
What began with a 72-point loss at Penn State to start the season ended in a miraculous 60-53 overtime victory at Northern Arizona to claim the Vandals’ first road victory in two years.
Despite the loss to the Nittany Lions, the Vandals started the season potentially as a force to be reckoned with through the next three games of the season.
Senior quarterback Mason Petrino proved in Idaho’s first win of the season against Central Washington he deserved to be the team’s first-string quarterback.
“When you face adversity, you just have to get through it,” Petrino said in a September 2019 interview. “If you just have that mental toughness and believe in yourself, I think you can get through anything.”
The Vandals hit the road again for a matchup against the Wyoming Cowboys, who at the time were coming off a stellar 2018 performance. Playing in the highest elevation stadium in all the NCAA, the Vandals narrowly lost to a gritty Cowboys team 21-16.
Despite the loss, momentum was in the Vandals favor. With the confidence they could compete with some of the best teams, the fuel was ready for a revenge game against the Eastern Washington Eagles.
The Vandals came out swinging to hold a 28-0 lead at halftime over the National Championship runner-ups, eventually pulling off the stunning victory inside the Kibbie Dome.
“Last year was personal you know with the way (Eastern Washington) played,” Idaho junior linebacker Christian Elliss said after the game in September. “We wanted to destroy them, we wanted to bury them, we wanted to put them in the dirt.”
With conference play ahead of the Vandals, expectations were high after taking down the 2018 Big Sky champions. Instead, old habits began to slip back in place for Idaho football on its path toward a downward trajectory.
Idaho was stunned on the road against a winless Northern Colorado team where Petrino threw three interceptions against the Bears, ending in a fourth quarter collapse by the Vandals to lose on the road.
The following week back inside the Dome, the Vandals hung around with the No. 5 Weber State Wildcats, ultimately falling 35-27 in the Dome. Petrino fumbled three times, giving him six turnovers in the past three games.
Then the injury bug hit the Vandals hard. Star defensive end Charles Akanno had his season cut short with a leg injury, and the following week against Portland State, Petrino was sidelined due to a concussion leading to him being out during the second half against the Vikings and the homecoming game against Idaho State.
Idaho would go on to win three of its next five games with the final two losses being against top 10 opponents.
Despite the rocky road toward the end of Big Sky play, there were still memorable moments throughout the season.
The Vandal defense played possibly their best game of the season against the Bengals on Homecoming Saturday, scoring 28 points off of turnovers with three defensive touchdowns.
Then in the final game of the season, Idaho put on an offensive clinic against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
The Vandals finished with 738 yards of total offense, with Petrino finishing with 491 yards passing and six touchdowns, the best performance of his career.
Senior wide receiver Jeff Cotton finished his Vandal career with a tremendous performance as well with 17 catches for 223 yards.
The win was just what the Vandals needed to end the season. Claiming their first road victory in two years.
The future for Vandal football is unclear now more than ever with notable talents like Petrino, Cotton, safety Lloyd Hightower and guard Noah Johnson all finishing up their final season as a Vandal.
The last remaining faces of the 2016 bowl team are now gone, with uncertainty surrounding the program going into the 2020 season.
The Vandals were able to pull off some magical moments this season at the most unexpected times, and once again played even better when playing in the Kibbie Dome.
Mediocrity is the best way to describe this Vandal team that entered the FCS two seasons ago, playing up to their level of competition, good and bad.
Going into year three back in the Big Sky, let’s see if the Vandals can climb over that hump.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @chris_DEREMER
BI decks
May as well play the best coach! Let hope now you can!