Vandal Notes: Kibbie Dome hosts FCS top-10 matchup for first time since ’94

The No. 7 Idaho football team’s road to a possible Big Sky championship and a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs starts at 1 p.m. Saturday at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome (ESPN+/SWX) against No. 4 Sacramento State.

The Vandals are 2-1 following nonconference play, and the Hornets are a perfect 3-0.

Both teams earned wins over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent during their nonleague slate. Idaho downed Nevada 33-6 on Sept. 9 and Sac State beat Stanford 30-23 last Saturday.

A win will put both teams in good position for a potential conference title run.

Here are some trends, numbers and records to keep an eye on ahead of Idaho’s home opener.

A historic matchup

The Kibbie Dome hasn’t played host to a top-10 FCS matchup in more than two decades.

The last time two top-10 teams battled at Moscow’s famous landmark was on Nov. 5, 1994, as the No. 6 Vandals downed No. 8 Northern Iowa 21-12.

Record watch (again)

Idaho junior receiver Hayden Hatten is one touchdown grab away from tying the Vandals’ career record of 27 set by Jerry Hendren (1967–69).

The preseason All-American was held out of the end zone for the second consecutive week against Cal. He finished with a game-high eight receptions for 80 yards.

The Scottsdale, Ariz., native hasn’t been held out of the end zone in back-to-back weeks since early in the 2022 season.

Hatten failed to score a touchdown in the Vandals’ first four games before scoring two in a 55-35 win against Northern Colorado. After that, he recorded at least one touchdown reception in eight straight games.

Getting over the hump

Coach Jason Eck and his staff have coached against five teams that came in with an above .500 record.

In those games, the Vandals are 1-4 overall and have lost by an average of 12 points.

Pound the rock

Those who have bested Idaho have found a way to successfully run the ball.

The Vandals have allowed a total of 1,407 yards rushing in defeat over the last two years, which is an average of 234.5 per game.

Success against new coaches

While Eck and his staff are only in year two, they’ve already faced a couple first-year coaches.

Idaho squared off against Idaho State and Washington State last season, who were represented by new coaches. The Vandals finished 1-1.

Idaho has already faced one first-year coach this season in Lamar’s Peter Rossomando. The Vandals downed Rossomando’s Cardinals 42-17 to open the season.

Sac State’s Andrew Thompson will be the second rookie coach the Vandals have faced in four weeks.

Idaho has three more first-year head coaches on its slate this season (Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Cal Poly).

Quickstarts

The Vandals will need to start fast in order to secure a victory on Saturday and, so far, that’s been no problem.

Idaho has scored on its opening drive in every game this season and has outscored its opponents 31-3 in the game’s first 15 minutes.

Hornets on a roll

Sac State has done a lot of winning over the last two years.

The Hornets have won 22 straight regular season games, which includes 19 consecutive conference victories. The last time Sac State lost in the regular season was a 42-30 decision to Cal on Sept.18, 2021.

This will also be the Hornets’ fourth top-10 matchup in the last two years, earning wins over Montana and Weber State last season.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks