For the first time since the San Jose State game, the Vandals (3-5, 1-3) are entering a game coming off a win. The team picked up its first conference win in a 45-6 victory over Portland State on Oct. 25 and have a quick turnaround before a Friday night road game against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Joshua Wood and Elisha Cummings were as healthy in the Portland State game as they have been all season long, and the offense was operating at a high level.
“Getting Joshua Wood and Eli Cummings back healthy changes our team, and I think you saw that,” said head coach Thomas Ford Jr. “Having those guys back healthy was huge.”
Cummings was explosive as both a receiver and on the ground, and if he can maintain his health and continue to follow his blockers, that will open up a whole new dimension of the Idaho offense.
As for Wood, he had the best passing game of his career, throwing four touchdowns in the first half and finishing with 283 total yards. In his first game back after missing the two prior games with an injury, Wood showed that he could be a serious threat with his arm as well as his legs.
“Joshua really can make all the throws. I think he’s very good in the pocket,” Ford said. “Sometimes, everyone talks about his running ability, but they forget about the subtle, small movements within the pocket. I think that’s where he really excels, and he extends the play without having to actually move from the pocket.”
The energy throughout the locker room was contagious after the game, and the team’s cheers of victory could be heard from above in the postgame press conference. Ford says he is “very excited to get back to the winning side of things.”
Ford emphasized that this was the most well-rounded game that this group has played in 2025. Despite Northern Arizona being a significant step up in competition from Portland State, the team’s morale has seen a significant boost since the skid was snapped.
Ford described the Lumberjacks as a competitive and well-rounded team that does not beat itself very often. The primary focus is beating NAU’s man coverage and overcoming their non-traditional defensive formations; they typically play an unusually large number of defenders on the line of scrimmage.
“Every preparation week is a little different, but I think that they do some things that are just a little bit outside the box that we’ve got to prepare for,” Ford said. “It’s going to be a group that definitely provides some challenges for us both on the offensive and defensive side, and we’re very excited for that challenge. You got to prepare for a little bit of everything”
On the other side of the ball, the top priority is preventing NAU’s dual-threat quarterback, Ty Pennington, from hurting the Vandals with his scrambling capabilities.
“We got to try to make him a one-dimensional player and not allow him to run the football as well as he’s running this season,” Ford said.
This is the only time this season that the Vandals will have to play a game on less than a week’s rest. Because of this, the team was forced to practice on Monday, which is typically their one day off in the week. The challenge with this is balancing rest and preparation for the upcoming game.
“The short turnaround definitely has an effect on the preparation,” Ford said. “You just can’t do quite as much because you don’t have as many practice reps.”