After a heart-wrenching loss to Big Sky Conference affiliate Cal Poly, the Idaho Vandals geared up once more on the road to take on first-year head coach Morgan Scalley and the Utah Utes, the No. 21-ranked team in the country. From the very beginning, Utah took control by capitalizing on multiple Vandal turnovers and turning those mistakes into early scores.
Idaho struggled to find any rhythm offensively, while Utah’s offense continued to pile on the points and put the Vandals in an early hole they did not climb out of. In the end, Idaho fell to the Utes 66-14, leaving the team with another tough road loss to start the 2026 season.
It didn’t take long to deliver a punishing blow to the Vandals’ underdog spirit, as on the first drive, senior quarterback Joshua Wood was picked off by Utah’s senior linebacker Trey Reynolds on Idaho’s third offensive play. That interception led to the first score of the game as Utah senior quarterback Devon Dampier found junior Wayshawn Parker for an easy touchdown.
The Utes continued to build the momentum from there quickly. After an Idaho fumble on their next possession, Utah tacked on a field goal to take an early 10-0 lead in less than five minutes of play.
After another Utah score, the Utes led Idaho 17-0 early in the second quarter, as the Vandals looked to chip away at the sizable deficit. On their next drive, Idaho played smart, disciplined football, picking up chunk plays while avoiding unnecessary risky plays. The drive appeared to expose a weakness in Utah’s defense, as the Vandals consistently found ways to move the chains and keep the Utes on their heels. Idaho capped off the impressive drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown from redshirt senior Hayden Kincheloe, cutting Utah’s lead to 17-7 and giving the Vandals a much-needed spark.
The offensive spark didn’t seem to translate to the defensive side for the Vandals as they gave up two more passing touchdowns to trail 31-7 at halftime, while Wayshawn Parker scored his third touchdown in just 30 minutes of regulation.
Coming out of the break, Utah hadn’t let off the gas at all, and the Vandal defense had no answers. After Utah struck paydirt twice, Idaho put together another solid drive in hope it could instill life into a beaten Vandals team.
From well inside their own territory, Joshua Wood started the drive with a highlight-reel play. With defenders closing in around him, Wood escaped pressure and made several Utah defenders miss before firing downfield. Wood found junior tight end Noah West-Baranco for a 44-yard completion to start the drive off hot.
A couple of plays later, Joshua Wood used his legs once more and danced his way into the endzone for a 22-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 45-14 at the end of the third quarter. Despite the deficit, Idaho’s offense continued to fight and showed flashes of the explosiveness that had helped them stay competitive throughout the game.
Unfortunately for the Vandals, the momentum they had built during that drive quickly faded as Utah regained control of the game. Utah continued to dominate offensively, finding the end zone repeatedly and stretching its lead beyond reach. Idaho battled through the final quarter, but the steep deficit and Utah’s relentless offensive attack proved too much to overcome. As the final whistle sounded, the Vandals ultimately fell to the No. 21 Utes 66-14, bringing a difficult night on the road to an end.
For Idaho, the loss serves as a harsh reminder of just how thin the margin for error can be when stepping up against one of the nation’s best FBS programs. The Vandals showed flashes of what they are capable of, particularly on offense, but the costly turnovers and inability to slow Utah’s attack ultimately decided the game. With the season still in its early stages, Idaho will have to put this loss behind them quickly, learn from the mistakes and find a way to regroup before returning home next week. The Vandals came to Salt Lake City looking to prove they belonged among the big boys of college football, instead, Utah showed them just how steep that mountain can be.
The Vandals will return home to P1FCU Kibbie Dome next week to take on Lamar University on Saturday, September 12 at 1:00.