Though disgruntled Vandal fans have made their opinions very clear about the 2025 season throughout the past couple of weeks, Idaho responded in the best way possible in Saturday’s conference matchup with the Portland State Vikings (0-8, 0-4).
After losing four straight games, Idaho welcomed the Vikings to the P1FCU Kibbie Dome for Military Appreciation Weekend, and beat the brakes off of them, prevailing 45-6.
“Our culture is really good,” said head coach Thomas Ford Jr. “We have guys that believe in one another; we have guys that believe in our coaches; we have guys that believe in this program, and they’re never going to stop fighting no matter what is thrown at them.”
Ford said the biggest difference in how the team played as a whole was the fact that they played together as a team rather than as a culmination of talented players.
After watching the last four Idaho games, one may wonder how the team managed to pull off a performance that was such a distinct contrast to their recent contests. Simply put, the answer to that question is redshirt sophomore quarterback Joshua Wood.
“I think Joshua just really believes everything we’re preaching,” Ford said. “We talk about not living in the past; we talk about how you respond. I think he really truly believes all of that and embodies it when he plays.”
Wood had missed the team’s last two games with a leg injury, but was cleared to start against the Vikings. Though he did not scramble much, Wood took a hit during a nine-yard run on the offense’s first snap, which he says helped him get in the zone.
“After the first play, just getting hit a little bit, that definitely gave me the mindset of, ‘oh yeah, it’s game time,’” Wood said.
He proceeded to have the best passing game of his career thus far, throwing four first-half touchdowns. This was the first game in nearly two years that an Idaho quarterback has put up those numbers in the opening half.
On his fourth touchdown pass, Wood saw something within the defense that led him to call an audible. That type of confidence and ability to command the offense was not as prominent earlier in the season.
“I think he has a great ability to see what the defense is doing pre-snap and get the ball out on time. I think we struggled with that over the last weeks without him,” Ford said. “Obviously, he’s got the ability to extend plays. Guy’s playing backyard football; he’s very hard to defend.”
Earlier in the season, Wood relied primarily on his legs, and Ford emphasized that this was not due to a lack of passing talent. Ford was proven right against Portland State as Wood, who came out of the game in the third quarter due to the lead, had one of the best pure passing games that has been recorded by a Big Sky quarterback this season.
“What I think you’re seeing is just the maturity happening before our eyes,” Ford said. “He’s getting more reps, he’s getting more opportunities at live coverage and he’s doing a great job. He studies really hard. He’s a guy that really puts in the work in the film room, and what I think you’re seeing is that comfort level continuing to rise because of the snaps that he’s getting.”
He threw for 259 yards and four scores, including a 48-yard bomb to Noah West-Baranco on a trick play. Trick plays had become a staple of the Idaho offense under Jason Eck, and for the first time this season, offensive coordinator Matt Linehan reached deep into the bag of tricks and dialed up several unique plays. In the postgame press conference, Ford hinted that Linehan may call some more trick plays moving forward.
In the Vandals’ last home game, they lost their home winning streak due to an atrocious pass defense. In this game, not only did Portland State have fewer than 200 passing yards, but their offense only converted on three of 16 third and fourth-down conversion attempts. Idaho intercepted Portland State twice, one of which signified the second consecutive week with an interception for Jhamell Blenman.
After his breakout performance against Eastern Washington, Marquawn McCraney got involved again. With about five minutes left in the opening half, Portland State was still within reach, trailing by just eight. However, the Vandals capped off a methodical drive as Wood fired a 24-yard strike to the back of the endzone that McCraney hauled in while dragging his toe to remain inbound. This was the second consecutive week with a score for McCraney.
Nolan McWilliams was also productive, catching three passes for 50 yards and totaling 39 yards on two punt returns. The receivers weren’t the only ones to get involved in the passing game. Tight end Jake Cox ran for a 42-yard reception on Rocco Koch’s first career passing touchdown, and he finished with four catches for 63 yards. Elisha Cummings caught four passes for 100 yards, which includes his absurd 64-yard score, during which he broke at least five tackles.
“We were really making sure he could get the ball in every way possible,” Ford said. “That kid can do it all…He’s absolutely what we’re looking for at tailback, and he really showed that with his versatility tonight.”
After being demoted from placekicker to punter earlier in the season, Cameron Pope had a lot to prove. In this game, he averaged nearly 44 yards per punt and looked very comfortable in his new position. Ford praised Pope’s relentless effort to provide in some way for his team.
“I’m very proud of that young man for his resolve, because again, sometimes when you lose your starting spot, it’s easy to just crawl into a hole and feel like you’re not a part of the team,” Ford said. “He did anything but that, and found a different way to really help our team.”
The Vandals improved to 3-5 overall and are now 1-3 in Big Sky play. Next week, they will have their hands full in a road contest against the very talented Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-3, 1-2) team at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2. This will be the only Friday night game of the season for both teams.
Liam Bradford can be reached at [email protected].