“This is what I envisioned when I took this job, was having home games in the Kibbie Dome,” Head Coach Jason Eck said in a press conference on Monday.
That’s the first time in 30 years that a head coach has been able to say that. That’s mainly because the Vandals spent 20 years (1996-2016) in the FBS, but a home FCS playoff game between 2017 and 2021 was unfathomable.
In 2022, things turned around for Idaho. Eck brought in a whole new coaching staff but retained a lot of the same players from 2021 and ended up in the playoffs.
That playoff game took the Vandals to Hammond, Louisiana, where they faced Southeastern Louisiana University. Idaho ultimately lost that game 45-42 as Ricardo Chavez’s 39-yard game-tying field goal attempt was unsuccessful.
This time around, the Vandals received a seed and avoided the first round. That extra bye week during Thanksgiving break could prove to be crucial as Idaho takes on Southern Illinois.
The Salukis have the fifth-best rushing defense in the FCS, which is three spots higher than the University of Montana (which held sophomore running back Anthony Woods to 41 rushing yards). If the Vandals want to move onto the next round, it probably won’t be done with the ground game.
“At this point in the season, number one, you know what you do well, so we want to play to our strengths and try to use what had been our best plays all year,” Eck said when asked how the staff is planning to get their backs going.
While establishing any kind of run game will be crucial for the Vandals to come out with a win, most of their “best plays” will come through the air.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy is fourth in the Big Sky in passing yards with 2,410. He’s also tied for first in completion percentage at 66%, completing 190/288 attempts. Along with that, he’s tied with two others for the least number of interceptions thrown with seven.
His top guy, redshirt junior wide receiver Hayden Hatten, should also be expected to be in on those best plays. He’s second in the Big Sky for receiving yards with 985, first in touchdowns with nine and second in yards per game with 89.5. Hatten has also been big on trick plays, both passing and receiving the ball. Overall, the Vandals boast the fourth-best passing offense in the Big Sky and twenty-first best in the FCS.
On the other side of the ball, Idaho’s passing defense is also one of the best. It sits at the top of the Big Sky and is seventh in the country in terms of yards allowed with 166.3. The Vandals’ rushing defense is fifth in the Big Sky and 35th in the FCS, allowing 126.3 yards per game.
The Salukis’ passing offense is sixth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and 43rd in the FCS with 226 yards per game. Their rushing offense is eighth in the MVFC and 91st in the FCS. The passing defense is also solid as SIU fourth in the MVFC and 28th in the FCS, only allowing 188.5 passing yards per game.
As the old adage goes, “defense wins championships,” and that’s how this game is going to go. If history is anything to go off of, McCoy being forced to pass 30 to 50 times won’t be good for the Vandals. However, if the defense can get into the backfield four or more times, or force a couple of interceptions from senior QB Nic Baker, history shows a loss for the Salukis.
History also shows a 5-1 record when Jason Eck has coached against SIU (at least during his time at South Dakota State). His only loss came in his final season with the Jackrabbits when the Salukis won 42-41 in overtime.
“We have a very good team coming in… coached by Nick Hill, an excellent head coach,” Eck said. “I competed against him a lot when I coached at South Dakota State, and I know he’ll have his guys ready. It’ll be a great challenge; we’re going to have to play our best football.”
The Vandals and Salukis will kick off their second-round playoff game at 7 p.m. in the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. The game will also be telecast on ESPN2.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on X @jamesaldrich25