Vandals brace for Sac State’s vaunted rushing attack
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 1 month, 1 week AGO
Today, Idaho at Sacramento State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
By MARK NELKE
Sports editor
For the first time since the 2021 season, the Idaho Vandals will play a game tonight which will have zero impact on their postseason hopes.
That’s because those hopes vanished for good with last week’s 28-14 home loss to UC Davis.
That means Idaho (4-6, 2-4 Big Sky Conference) knows it has just two games remaining in its season, starting with tonight’s 6 p.m. matchup vs. Sacramento State (6-4, 4-2) at Hornet Stadium.
The Vandals’ season finale is Nov. 22 at home vs. Idaho State.
Idaho reached the FCS playoffs each of the past three seasons, and the quarterfinals in the last two, under coach Jason Eck, who left Moscow after three seasons for New Mexico, where the Lobos (6-3) are bowl-eligible this season.
“Obviously this year is disappointing in the aspect that we’re not a playoff team,” first-year Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. said of his young team. “But I also look at the roster and see the growth that we’ve made. Those guys will all be back; the only difference is, they’ll have 500, 1,000 snaps under their belt.”
After a slow start this season, Sac State has won six of its last eight games, is in fourth place in the Big Sky, and is in position for an at-large berth to the 24-team FCS playoffs, the field of which will be announced Nov. 23.
The Hornets, who are leaving the Big Sky Conference after this season with hopes of eventually moving up to FBS, have flourished this year with their running game.
Sac State is averaging 254.3 yards per game on the ground, tops in the Big Sky, and third in all of FCS. The Hornets average 5.7 yards per rush, and have 34 rushing touchdowns.
Rodney Hammond Jr. has rushed for 956 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Hornets. JaQauil Smith has run for 390 yards and five scores. Damian Henderson II has 523 rushing yards and five scores. Quarterback Cardell Williams has 314 yards and 10 TDs.
“They've got three or four kids in that tailback room that could play for anybody in our league,” Ford said. “Coach (Brennan) Marion, he’s creative; he’s going to find different ways to get those guys the ball, he’s going to get two of them on the field at times. They’re physical up front, and they want to grind you.”
Ford said the key is to stop the Sac State running game, and make the Hornets put the ball in the air, where they are 11th out of 12 teams in the Big Sky at 176.3 yards per game.
In a 35-13 win at Eastern Washington on Nov. 1, Sac State rushed 56 times for 376 yards, and threw the ball just six times.
As far as stopping that running game ...
“You have to prepare like it’s a street fight; there’s no rules,” Ford said of the matchup between the Idaho defensive line and the Sac State offensive line.