After a much-needed bye week following two tough losses, the no. 11 Idaho Vandals return to the P1FCU Kibbie Dome for their Big Sky home opener in a homecoming matchup against the Northern Colorado Bears at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct 11. Idaho was 3-0 coming out of bye weeks in the Jason Eck era.
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between these two programs, with Idaho having won two of the first three, including a 27-13 victory in November of 2023. Their other win against Northern Colorado was also Idaho’s homecoming game, a 55-35 win in 2022.
For the first time this season, Idaho enters this game outside the top 10 in the FCS coaches poll. This will be their first home game since they beat Utah Tech on Sept. 13. For Idaho, their return to the Kibbie Dome could not have come at a better time. The team desperately needs to get back in the win column, and they have had a lot of success in the dome, including eight straight wins dating back to 2023.
Both teams enter the game with a 2-3 overall record and an 0-1 record in Big Sky Conference play. Though neither team has gotten off to the right foot this season, they have been competitive in the majority of their games, combining for five one-score losses out of their six total losses.
Head coach Thomas Ford Jr. emphasized how Northern Colorado’s record does not tell the full story about how dangerous they are as a team.
This is the second consecutive matchup against a conference opponent from Idaho for Northern Colorado after falling 26-18 against Idaho State on Sept. 27.
Through the first three games, Idaho had only allowed about 103 rushing yards per game. However, in their last two games, they allowed 388 total yards on the ground. Playing against a Northern Colorado team that struggles to run the ball, it is imperative for the Idaho defense to stop the run at all costs in this game.
Offensively, Idaho has been one of the best rushing teams in the Big Sky, averaging nearly 190 yards per game. After the Bears allowed 289 rushing yards against Idaho State, the Vandals, who will see the return of senior running back Elisha Cummings, will look to pound the rock early.
Though the defense has struggled as of late, the offense has taken massive strides forward since the season-opener against Washington State. Joshua Wood has thrown at least 232 yards in three of four games since the opener, and he threw his three longest passes of the season the last time out against Montana. He has 1,273 total yards through five games, and has done a great job of taking care of the ball, throwing only one interception on 130 attempts.
There will be all the typical homecoming events throughout the week leading up to the game, including serpentine and the annual Vandal Rally, accompanied by fireworks on Friday night.
“We’re excited to be back in the dome,” Ford said. “It seems like a long time since we’ve been back in the Kibbie Dome, but we’re excited to be in front of our home fans, especially for Homecoming.”
Liam Bradford can be reached at [email protected].