Coming off an impressive win against Simon Fraser, the Vandals now have a huge test ahead of them. The football team will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to face the Hoosiers in the first of two straight away games against Power Five opponents.
The Indiana Hoosiers started the season ranked No. 16 in the nation before dropping their season opener against No. 18, Iowa, 34-6. Indiana dropped out of the Top 25 as a result of the loss.
Despite Indiana’s tough loss — it’s still a significant jump in competition for the Vandals. Simon Fraser hadn’t played organized football in two years and had practiced with Canadian Football League rules. Indiana is not that team.
They have a second-team preseason All-American cornerback in Tiawan Mullen and another second-team All-American in linebacker Micah McFadden, according to the Associated Press. In a press conference, Idaho coach Paul Petrino named Mullen as a player that stood out to him, calling him a really good football player. Petrino also said, despite Indiana QB Michael Penix’s struggles against Iowa, he expects him to play a lot better this week against the Vandals.
While this is a considerable upgrade in competition, this isn’t a guaranteed loss for the Vandals. Montana, a Big Sky rival of Idaho, upset the Washington Huskies in a week-one matchup.
Petrino said for Vandals to upset the Hoosiers, Vandals would have to do what Montana did.
“I think you’ve got to get turnovers,” Petrino said. “Montana played great defense the whole game. They got three turnovers.”
Petrino also mentioned how Montana’s pass-rush and their run defense heavily contributed to the win against Washington. This emphasis for strong defense against Indiana might result in more standout performances from lineman Noah Elliss and linebacker Tre Walker, who both stood out in the win over Simon Fraser.
A stout defense seems to be a point of emphasis for Petrino and the Vandals. Also worth mentioning, is Indiana allowed 158 total rushing yards from Iowa. This presents what is the main key to victory against Indiana — the rushing attack from the Vandals.
Four of the five running backs to receive touches against Indiana scored touchdowns and with that type of effective play, the running backs could be the key against an Indiana team that struggled to contain Iowa.
Also worth noting is the ongoing quarterback competition for the Vandals. Quarterbacks CJ Jordan, Mike Beaudry and Zach Borisch all received playing time against Simon Fraser and that trend looks like it will continue against Indiana.
Jordan and Beaudry are in for a test against Mullen, and this may make Borisch see more plays and packages as the Vandals try to keep the ball away from Mullen with their running game. However, if Beaudry or Jordan manages to put out a great performance against Indiana’s secondary, expect the quarterback competition to be over sooner than anticipated.
This game against Indiana will be a prove-it game against the Vandals. Was the game against Simon Fraser a fluke? Or can they prove themselves as Big Sky and, possibly, FCS contenders in their first true test of the season? We will find out this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PST.
Teren Kotwatsch can be reached at [email protected]