Saturday the University of Idaho (2-3, 2-3 BSC) had its fifth game of the season, taking on the Eastern Washington University Eagles (5-1, 5-1 BSC). The Vandals lost in a game that came down to the last seven minutes in a close 38-31 loss.
This left the Vandals with a below .500 record for their season, if they want to end the season with even record, they’re going to need to win against the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks (2-2, 2-2 BSC) this Saturday.
While this game ended in defeat for the Vandals, the loss was a close one, with the game being tied going into the second half and the Vandals being up 31-24 going into the fourth quarter. However, two touchdowns slipped through the Vandals’ defense, bringing the Eagles ahead by seven points with 6:40 left on the clock.
Throughout the last few minutes of the game, the Eagles’ defense proved to be too strong for the Vandals. While this defeat may be disappointing for the Vandals, there were still star players that stood out. Zach Borisch, the redshirt sophomore running back, started at quarterback and scored with two touchdowns, with 205 rushing yards and an average 6.2 yards per run.
These numbers placed Borisch well above the rest of the Vandal offense this week, but he couldn’t have done as well without the defense pushing back against the Eagles’ plays.
The top player for the Vandals’ defense was Christian Elliss senior linebacker with 13 tackles, and the only yards taken from the opponent’s offense, taking back half a yard with his combined tackles.
Any yards taken back are helpful because even half a yard can be the difference between the ball switching teams and the opponent team scoring with a touchdown. Elliss was also the only Vandal to take back any yards through their plays, giving him a standout appearance.
With the skill of all the Vandal players and the cooperation of the fielded team, the Vandals may be able to stand against the Lumberjacks. NAU is currently placed fourth in the Big Sky Conference and won its most recent game, while the Vandals are in 10th place and on a two-game losing streak.
Not only do these statistics not bode well for the Vandals, but one more obstacle for the Vandals to overcome is the fact their upcoming competition on Saturday will be an away game in Flagstaff, Arizona, which is more than 1,150 miles away.
Going into the last game of the season after such a long drive will take a toll on the football team, but hopefully it won’t affect their performance in their last game of the season.
Regardless of how well the team does in their last game, they can still look forward to the celebration of the end of the season and the hard training that will happen to prepare for the next one.
Dylan Shepler can be reached at [email protected]