Standout Vandal Spotlight: Rocco Koch dazzles with two rushing scores versus NoCo

When standout first-year starting quarterback Joshua Wood went down with an injury that held him out of Idaho’s homecoming game against Northern Colorado, the Vandal coaching staff didn’t hit the panic button, and instead turned to the “next man up” mentality.  

Redshirt sophomore Jack Wagner started the game at quarterback, but the big story in this game was redshirt freshman from University Place, Washington, Rocco Koch.   

Koch was used on occasion last year, brought in for specific packages designed for quarterback runs. He had two rushing touchdowns a season ago, and against Northern Colorado, he matched that number, finding the endzone twice and rushing for 81 yards.   

“I’m just very thankful for the trust my coaches had in me to let me handle the ball,” Koch said. “I told Coach Linehan that I don’t care where you need to put me, I just want to help the team in any way.”  

This game was by far the most Koch has ever played during his time as a Vandal, and head coach Thomas Ford Jr. talked about how valuable Koch is to the Vandal offense and said to expect his role to expand moving forward. Ford recruited Koch, and has become close with him over the past couple of years.   

“He provides a lot in terms of his legs. He really gives us a plus in the run game,” Ford said.   

Though the Vandals lost, Koch’s touchdown runs were really the only thing keeping Idaho’s chances alive. The fact that Idaho was able to successfully execute quarterback runs without their dual-threat starter is a great indication that this team is going to stick to its guns regardless of personnel.  

Koch also ran for a touchdown against St. Thomas, a game that Idaho ended up only winning by seven. Every time Koch takes the field, his mindset is to use his legs to get as much positive yardage as possible and help the offense move the chains.   

“My mentality is just: as long as I can do my job correctly and we are staying ahead of the chains, I don’t mind if they need me to do a little dirty work and get the first down,” Koch said. “I don’t care who you are, you could be a big lineman or a small DB. Like, I’m going to find a way to get around you or go through you.”   

Both Ford and Koch have mentioned that he will likely get opportunities to use his arm more down the stretch as teams begin to gameplan for his running ability. He also has no problem being a ground-and-pound guy who can come into the game and take some of the stress away from Wood.   

“Obviously, Joshua can run. He’s a really good runner, but he’s a starting quarterback, and a lot of our guys revolve around him.,” Koch said. “I can go ahead and do the dirty work. I don’t want him to get injured. Obviously, I don’t want to get injured either, but we can get a lot less hits on Josh Wood, and he can be healthy throughout the season.”