Vandals looking to end on a winning note

Today, Idaho State at Idaho, 1 p.m., SWX/ESPN+ 

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

So, what happened? 

First-year Idaho football coach Thomas Ford Jr. said it was a combination of things that led to the Vandals falling short of reaching the FCS playoffs for a fourth straight season. 

A young team, hit hard by the transfer portal for a second straight season. 

Two games without its starting quarterback. 

A 2-4 record in one-score games, including two three-point losses to FBS schools. 

“Overall, it’s just a program learning how to win without a lot of guys that played (here) a year ago,” Ford said earlier this week, in his weekly meeting with area media. “What you have seen is the growth of this program. They were youthful in the beginning, and became a much more veteran group, especially on defense. We only returned one starter, and now we’re playing defense at a high level. Although our record may not show it, I think there’s been a lot of growth in our program for this season.” 

Idaho (4-7, 2-5 Big Sky) can finish the season on a high note today, when the Vandals play host to Idaho State (5-6, 4-3) at 1 p.m. at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

The Bengals, under third-year coach Cody Hawkins, have been a team on the rise. ISU has been a successful passing team, led this year by Jordan Cooke, since Dan Hawkins’ son took over in Pocatello. But the last couple of years, Idaho State has added a running game, led by Dason Brooks, and its defense has improved. 

“They do a phenomenal job protecting him (Cooke),” Ford said. “He is a good athlete, and he can get out of trouble himself. I think it’s going an act of patience (rushing the passer). But make no mistake, they can run the football as well. They have given up some yards, but they do a good job keeping teams out of the end zone.” 

Win or lose, the Vandal coaches will return to the recruiting trail next week, with the early signing period coming up next month. 

Ford said Idaho has 19 high school players who are verbally committed, which if all signed would be the highest ranked class in school history. 

“We'll probably take seven or eight transfers, which is a far cry from the 25-30 we needed last year,” Ford said. 

But ... 

“Obviously we could need more,” he added, if a large number of current Vandals enter the transfer portal, which opens Jan. 2. 

Vandal notes: Idaho will honor 13 seniors today — Jahman McNeil, Donovan Parham, Zakhari Spears, Xander Echols, LJ Harm, Dylan Fischer, Nate Thomas, Deuce Blenman, Sam Brown, Zach Krotzer, Jake Cox, Isiah King and Nate Azzopardi ... Starting last season, Idaho and ISU play for the Potato State Trophy. The trophy, made of Douglas Fir and created by Idaho's Assistant Athletic Director for Brand Engagement and Digital Strategy, Jerek Wolcott, weighed 19.4 pounds. However, the trophy has since lost weight and is down to 18.6 pounds ... Priest River High product Matyus McLain, a redshirt sophomore defensive lineman, leads the Vandals with 4.5 sacks, and ranks third in the conference in tackles for loss with 12.