Joshua Wood has been one of the central pieces of Idaho football since arriving in Moscow last spring. Coming to Idaho in the late transfer window after finishing his sophomore year at Fresno State, there was never a doubt that the dual-threat weapon would win the starting job.
On Saturday, he showed just how much the Vandals can rely on him.
Despite Idaho’s 41-39 loss to Abilene Christian, Wood put together one of the best individual performances of his Vandal career, accounting for 363 total yards and all five of Idaho’s touchdowns.
The senior quarterback completed 22 of 34 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown while adding 37 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. His four rushing touchdowns were the most by an Idaho quarterback in a game in at least the past decade.
More remarkably, Wood accounted for 82% of Idaho’s 444 total yards.
“Joshua is a phenomenal player, phenomenal human and absolute dog in terms of a leader,” head coach Thomas Ford Jr. said after the game.
Wood’s impact was evident from the opening drive. He completed five of his first six passes for 68 yards before finishing the 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
After Abilene Christian took the lead, Wood helped Idaho regain it late in the second quarter. He connected with Tony Harste for 25 yards before finding him again on a 47-yard touchdown pass, giving the Vandals a 17-14 advantage.
Wood continued to make plays with his legs in the second half. He scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter before accounting for two more rushing touchdowns during Idaho’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt.
The final touchdown came with 1:46 remaining. Wood completed six consecutive passes during the drive before finishing it himself with a 3-yard touchdown run, cutting ACU’s lead to 41-39.
The comeback ultimately fell short when the Wildcats recovered Idaho’s ensuing onside kick, but Wood had given the Vandals a chance until the final seconds.
“He’s going to continue to make phenomenal plays the rest of the season,” Ford said.
Wood’s performance also came in a game where Idaho was forced to lean heavily on its quarterback. The Vandals gave up 17 unanswered points in a five minute period in the fourth quarter, falling behind 41-24.
Though the comeback effort ultimately came up short, Wood and the offense once again displayed how efficient they can be late in games, particularly in two-minute-drill situations.
Ford pointed to Wood’s leadership throughout the game as one of the reasons the quarterback continues to be such an important part of Idaho’s program.
In the season-opener against Cal Poly, Wood completed 72% of his passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 42 yards on 11 carries and leading the Idaho offense to 34 points.
Wood was named one of Idaho’s four captains before the season, making him a two-time captain and one of the primary leaders of Ford’s team.
Ford said Wood rallied players across the offense, defense and special teams before going out and producing one of the best performances of his career.
For a team still searching for its first win, Wood’s performance reinforces the fact that whatever shortcomings this roster has, at the very least, it has an extremely skilled veteran signal caller.
With eight conference games remaining, Ford believes Wood and the Vandals still have plenty left to play for.