Vandals defense shines in 20-6 win over Utah Tech

Aaron Kinsey, a redshirt freshman defensive back from Spokane, jumped up and down out of frustration after failing to haul in his first career interception on a play he said should have been a pick-six. Rather than allow the missed opportunity to drag him down, Kinsey simply regrouped and picked off Utah Tech quarterback Reggie Graff on the same drive.   

Kinsey’s first interception could not have come at a more opportune time for the Vandals, as it essentially sealed the 20-6 victory against the Utah Tech Trailblazers. This was Idaho’s eighth consecutive win in the P1FCU Kibbie Dome, which is their third-longest streak in program history.   

“A.K.’s a guy that we know is incredibly talented,” said head coach Thomas Ford Jr. at the post-game press conference. “He’s one of the most athletic guys in our program.”   

Kinsey after the interception ran off the field and unveiled a new Idaho football tradition, the “turnover taters,” which is a sack of potatoes that is given to a player when they force a turnover.   

“Turnover taters, baby. You get the turnover, you get the taters, man,” Ford said. “We’re going to lean pretty heavily into that the rest of this season. I think our guys really enjoy it, and it was pretty fun to see A.K. get that pick and get a chance to have the turnover sack.”   

The Vandals donned yellow throwback jerseys in honor of the Kibbie Dome’s 50-year anniversary celebration.   

Something that the team looked to address in this game against the Trailblazers, a future Big Sky opponent, was limiting penalties after committing 13 for 104 yards last week against St. Thomas. Idaho only committed one penalty in the entire game, which Ford was thrilled about.   

“You’re seeing a group that’s really taking initiative and holding each other accountable, and that’s going to be the difference when we get into Big Sky play,” Ford said. “The little things absolutely matter, and you could see that attention to detail, right?”   

After the St. Thomas game, Ford said that he felt his team’s biggest problem was a lack of maturity. After this game against Utah Tech, he was satisfied with the progress that his squad displayed.   

“This group is a group that’s continuing to mature, a group that’s continuing to get better,” Ford said. “Our guys were much more concerned with what was happening between the snaps instead of before or after. There’s nothing you can control before or after.”   

Ford also said he felt better about his team’s performance in this game compared to last game. The team answered to the challenge, and he was most excited about the fact that they played clean football for 60 minutes.   

Though Idaho has been a dominant running team all season, this was the best all-around game that they have played so far. They rushed for 286 yards, led by running back Art Williams with a career-high of 144. Williams gave all credit to his offensive line for his 144-yard performance, which was highlighted by a 68-yard run on an inside zone play.   

Quarterback Joshua Wood complimented Williams on the ground, posting 85 yards and a touchdown. Wood only passed for 119 yards, but Ford emphasized that the reason for this was not due to a lack of success in the pass game, but rather the team’s dominance in the run game.   

“He is an absolute threat when he has the football in his hands,” Ford said. “I don’t think it was that the passing game wasn’t working; I just thought our run game was so good. And he’s a huge part of it, right?”   

Idaho missed a couple of opportunities to score in the first half on a pair of missed field goals from placekicker Cameron Pope. Pope had been the starting kicker since the start of the 2024 season, and, including this game, now has nine missed field goals and six missed extra points. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Owen Forsman in the second quarter.   

On his first field goal attempt of his collegiate career, Forsman drilled a 24-yarder with ease. With 6:04 remaining in the third quarter, Forsman lined up and booted a 49-yard field goal through the uprights with at least 10-15 yards to spare. After this, Forsman was named the team’s starting kicker moving forward.   

“He was the guy who was the better player today, both on kickoff and field goal,” Ford said.   

Despite Ford saying that Forsman is now the starter, he emphasized the depth of his specialists and the fact that they are in constant competition with each other for reps.   

“What was really neat to see is just his leg strength. That is one thing – when I recruited him as the special teams coordinator, the kid has an unbelievable leg, and I think you got to see that thing really rip on that 49-yarder. The thing was probably good from 60.”  

The Vandals hit the road next Saturday to take on the San Jose State Spartans at 2 p.m. 

Liam Bradford can be reached at [email protected].