The Idaho Vandals aren’t into moral victories.

But the Vandals are looking to take the good that came out of last week’s near-miss 21-16 loss at Wyoming, heading into Saturday’s game vs. Eastern Washington at the Kibbie Dome — a Big Sky Conference foe, but a game that doesn’t count in the conference standings.

“I think our guys should be really confident,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said earlier this week, at his weekly gathering with area media. “No. 1, we went into that game saying that game was about being a man, showing courage, showing toughness. And they did all those things. Now we’ve just got to do the little details. You could break down about seven plays — if we just do one thing better, you win the game.”

Idaho outgained Wyoming 303-287 in total yards — and 80 of the Cowboys’ yards came on one fourth-quarter touchdown runs.

Meanwhile, the Vandals scored just one touchdown, and settled for field goals three times.

“It just sucks because we played so good — we’ve just got to score touchdowns,” Idaho quarterback Mason Petrino said.

“We learned coming out of that game that we’re a pretty good defense,” Vandals linebacker Christian Elliss said.

MASON’S THE MAN: It was trending that way anyway. Idaho used two quarterbacks — Mason Petrino and Colton Richardson — in its first two games, before Mason Petrino played the whole way at Wyoming. So Paul Petrino, his father, made it official on Tuesday.

“No position’s ever over, but you guys keep wanting me to say something, so I’ll say it: Mason’s going to start, but nothing’s ever over, and everybody always keeps competing,” Paul Petrino said.

Mason said he joked with wide receiver D.J. Lee after Lee’s pass — or more accurately, freshman tight end Hayden Hatten’s leaping, one-handed catch — ended up on the ESPN highlight shows.

“I told him, I’ve thrown over 400 passes, it only took you one to get on SportsCenter,” Mason said to Lee.

THAT “C” WORD: Saturday is Idaho football’s annual Tackle Cancer Game — a game that hits a little closer to home in Moscow. The Vandals have lost three members of their program to the disease in the last five years. In February, wide receiver Collin Sather (West Valley High) lost his battle with renal cancer, less than a month after being diagnosed. In 2016, Jace Malek (also from West Valley) died after a year-long fight with cancer. Malek was diagnosed on the eve of National Signing Day in February 2015. Coach Petrino and the Vandals honored his scholarship and made Malek a student assistant coach. Director of football operations Mark Vaught passed away in 2014, at age 31. All three will be honored with a moment of silence prior to the game. Sather’s family will serve as honorary captains and offensive lineman Noah Johnson will receive the Mark Vaught Memorial Scholarship Award.