THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: UMass might need to follow Idaho's lead

How often does Idaho football get some national publicity?

What about TWICE in the same week?

Yes, it’s rare.

If you ordered a steak that rare at the Texas Roadhouse, it would walk out of the place and stroll all the way north to Dalton Gardens.

You get the picture.

OK, the Vandals have been featured this week in Western media — and in a Sports Illustrated story that originated in Boston.

And these were totally separate subjects.

Let’s start with the “Sacramento Scandal,” an officiating blunder that almost certainly stole a game from the Vandals — and wound up with coach Thomas Ford Jr. getting fined for rationally and calmly mentioning the subject in his postgame comments.

Coach Ford got slapped with a $2,500 fine for the sin of discussing a series of plays at the conclusion of Idaho’s weekend game at Sacramento State.

Short version: The Vandals got done in by a routinely awful Big Sky officiating crew, who handed the Hornets a completed pass on the game’s final drive.

It was a horrible call, proven by replay.

Sac State scored on the next play to win 20-16, yet another tough loss to swallow in Ford Jr.’s first season.

I MEAN, there was so much context to the call, to the following uproar in Moscow, and even to some chat about Idaho’s place in the FCS hierarchy.

If you’re a Vandal fan, you know that Ford Jr. came home this season to keep the train running — Idaho was returning to power status after Jason Eck left to take the New Mexico job.

Ford Jr. gave up an assistant’s job in the Eck regime to join the staff at Oregon State.

The irony: Both those schools had big seasons in 2024, but have struggled this year.

The Beavers (2-9) have been regional fodder, while Idaho (4-7) has battled to overcome everything from a 13-10 opening defeat at Wazzu to this fiasco in Sacramento.

Again, if you’re a Vandal junkie, you know that a group of local podcasters put together a GoFundMe page to cover the coach’s fine — and had more than $2,500 in a day.

In other words, draw three conclusions:

1. Anyone with eyesight better than a rhino (they can’t tell a human from a tree at 15 feet) could have correctly called that pass incomplete in Sacramento.

Total blown call.

2. Applause for “Tubs at the Club,” who raised the money to cover the fine.

3. Nice PR job from the Big Sky, who steal a game from Idaho (then admit it), and eventually fine the coach.

YES, YOU did see a mention of Idaho getting some publicity on the East Coast here.

This tidbit goes back to 2014, when there was a tremendous hoo-hah in our neighborhood over the issue of Idaho building an outdoor stadium large enough to meet the requirements of the Mountain West Conference.

The Vandal family was tired of the Sun Belt, the WAC and other options, and there was serious debate over the possibility of a 25,000-seat stadium (somewhat like Utah State).

Eventually, the university administration decided it was a bad idea; because of cost, whether recruiting could match the facility; and the fact that even in good years as an FBS team, it was pulling teeth to get 11,000 into the Kibble Dome for a big game.

Bottom line: The Vandals stepped down to FCS for the 2018 season.

Oh, right, that takes us east, to Amherst, Mass.

On Wednesday night, UMass got drilled 45-3 by Northern Illinois, falling to 0-10.

I’ll let Sports Illustrated explain the hilarity from there.

“In case you missed it, and we're guessing that you did because, really, who's watching UMass football on a Wednesday night in November?

“The Minutemen opted to kick a field goal midway through the fourth quarter while trailing by 45 points.”

What can be done about UMass football?

It’s tempting to stay in the MAC, because of hockey, hoops, and other sports, SI conceded.

But.

The football team is ranked dead last in the nation, No. 136, regardless of division.

“It’s time make a sensible move,” came the verdict.

“Like Idaho.”

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”