For the second consecutive week, the Idaho Vandals (4-5, 2-3) face a top 20 FCS opponent, as they aim to win out and potentially sneak into the postseason for the fourth straight year.
Idaho has been rolling over its past two games, scoring 80 total points and allowing less than 40. However, the Vandals will have their hands full this Saturday afternoon as they host the Big Sky Conference game of the week against a top team in the conference, the 11th-ranked UC Davis Aggies (6-2, 4-1).
The Vandals have an extra day of rest coming into this game after a 35-32 overtime defeat over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in Flagstaff on Halloween night. The Vandal offense jumped out to an early lead on the back of another big game from Elisha Cummings.
Though NAU came back from down 26-7 to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, the Vandals battled back and knocked off a good Lumberjacks team in their own house.
“I think it helps our confidence tremendously because we kind of had a chance to put them away, and we didn’t. They were able to make some adjustments offensively and got back into the game,” said head coach Thomas Ford Jr at the weekly press conference. “I think it builds a lot of confidence to know maybe we didn’t play our best, but we stuck together.”
Ford is very happy with the level that his defense has played at over the past two games, saying that they are finally maximizing the use of their personnel. Ford has also been a bit more involved in the offensive scheming over the past few weeks.
“We need to get back to playing better special teams, but I think offensively and defensively, definitely hitting our stride,” Ford said. “Especially on defense, I think we’ve really kind of found a formula that works for our players.”
The Aggies have gotten the better of the Vandals for a while now, winning the last five matchups between the two programs after Idaho won the inaugural game in 1997. However, according to Ford, “this is our year.”
He feels that his receiving core is going to be able to take advantage of a thin Aggie secondary in this game. The primary focus for Idaho when preparing for UC Davis has been to keep freshman quarterback Caden Pinnick in the pocket. He is a very efficient quarterback when given the opportunity to exit the pocket and extend plays.
“I think if we can force him into being a pocket passer, not allowing him to create and extend plays, that’s going to be critical,” Ford said. “The game is going to be a really historic game.”
Aside from Pinnick, Idaho has thoroughly prepared for the Aggie rushing attack, which is led by the junior from Portland, Jordan Fisher. Fisher has 684 rushing yards and averages nearly seven yards per carry. Ford emphasized limiting explosive plays in the run game.
Though the Vandals lost four games in a row and were 2-5 at one point, the hope of making the playoffs is not yet lost. If Idaho can run the table and win convincingly in the final three games, there is still a chance that the team could once again be in the FCS playoffs.
After snapping the four-game losing streak with two straight victories, Ford looks back on the losing streak with a healthy mindset, describing that some had unrealistically high expectations for a program that has an entire new roster and coaching staff. He looks back on the Northern Colorado loss as a point of growth for this team.
“Riding this wave of everybody thinking we’re the best thing since sliced bread, and we got hit in the mouth by a good team,” Ford said.
As should have been expected, it took time for the team to find its identity under Ford. However, if the past two games are any indication of where this team is trending, the Vandals are still very much a threat to run the table.
The game will kick off at 4 p.m. at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome, and a new Joe Vandal statue will be unveiled between the dome and the ICCU Arena at 2:30 p.m. during the tailgate.
Liam Bradford can be reached at [email protected].