Vandals fall on the road
POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho football suffered a 62-28 loss to Idaho State Saturday, at Holt Arena in Pocatello. The Vandals (2-3, 1-2 Big Sky) scored first, but the Bengals (4-1, 3-0 Big Sky) rattled off 28 unanswered points before taking a 35-14 lead into halftime.
Idaho State quarterback Tanner Gueller threw for 492 yards and eight touchdowns. Gueller connected on 10 passes of 20 yards or more, including touchdowns of 87 and 62 yards. The 62-yard score came with 1:27 left before the half, less than two minutes after the Vandals had cut the deficit to 28-14.
Idaho racked up a season-high 541 yards of total offense, split nearly evenly between 272 yards through the air and 269 on the ground.
Isaiah Saunders led the rushing attack with a season-high 144 yards, the second-highest total of his career. Saunders was complemented by freshman running back Tyrese Walker who posted career highs of 14 carries and 89 yards, including his first career touchdown on a 17-yard run in the third quarter.
Walker’s scoring play brought the Vandals within 14 at 35-21. The Bengals answered immediately, but Idaho did not go away. Colton Richardson found D.J. Lee in the back of the end zone for a 28-yard score. The extra point made it 41-28 after Idaho State missed its point-after attempt.
Gueller and the Bengals responded again, marching 75 yards in five plays to take a 48-28 lead and never look back. Idaho State scored once more before the end of the third quarter and added its final touchdown midway through the fourth.
Richardson finished 13-for-20 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his scoring throws were hauled in by freshmen. He hit Connor Whitney on a 22-yard touchdown in the second quarter for Whitney’s first career score, before finding Lee in the third quarter.
Mason Petrino was 11-for-22 for 81 yards and added 40 yards rushing, including an eight-yard touchdown run to put Idaho on the board first.
David Ungerer was Idaho’s leading receiver with a career-high 10 catches for 111 yards. It is the 49th double-digit reception game in Idaho history.
Idaho is back in action Oct. 13, at Montana State. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT and will be televised on ROOT Sports.
