There’s one day that every Vandal fan, football player and coach has had circled since the game was announced: Sept. 3.
It has been six years since Idaho and Washington State played each other on the gridiron. The Cougars lead the series, which started on Nov. 18, 1894, 72-16-3. The Vandals last won in 2000 with a score of 38-34. The last time Idaho scored a touchdown on WSU was in a 45-28 loss in 2007.
One of the only pieces of the game that hasn’t changed since the 2016 matchup is where the game will be played. Just as they did in 2016, the Vandals will head to Gesa Field in Pullman, Washington.
Although the field is the same, the coaching staffs and players are very different.
Paul Petrino was the head coach for Idaho while Mike Leach was leading Washington State. This year, Jason Eck will be at the helm for Idaho, and Jake Dickert will lead WSU. Another thing that hasn’t changed from 2016 is Matt Linehan being on the field. The Vandal’s wide receiver’s coach was slinging the ball as Idaho’s quarterback, going 19/33 for 172 yards against the Cougs in the 56-6 loss.
Vandal alum Martin Hiemstra played in the marching band at halftime in that 2016 game. “It was fun to attend a rivalry game. It was also fun to play a show for opposing fans in their stadium,” Hiemstra said. He will also be attending the game today but as a fan. He’s most looking forward to seeing the “Eck era” begin.
“We’ve watched spring practice, all the videos, shared all the tweets. Now we get to see all this hype we’ve all bought into finally play out on the football field,” Hiemstra said.
Although there is a lot of hype around the Vandals this season, some Idaho fans, and students, expect WSU to come out on top.
Hiemstra predicted that WSU will win Saturday’s game, with a score of 45-20.
Abigail Cook, a University of Idaho freshman studying physical therapy, predicted an outcome of 32-14 in favor of WSU.
Colin Berger, a senior studying wildlife resources, predicted a score of 52-7 in favor of WSU.
Despite the Vandals not having much success in the Battle of the Palouse, never winning more than three in a row, Idaho seems ready for this game.
“I’m really looking forward to the first two games, that’s most important to me,” junior wide receiver Terez Traynor said.
Senior running back, and team captain, Roshaun Johnson is also most excited about today’s game. The team and coaches understand that this game will be a challenge, but they’re going to play their game and not beat themselves.
“We’ve got to be aggressive, but play smart,” said Eck.
With an almost entirely new coaching staff, a re-energized team and a fan base full of hope, there’s a possibility that the 22-year drought comes to an end for the Vandals.
Kickoff for the game will be around 6:40 p.m.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jamesaldrich25