Vandals return home looking to bounce back against Cal Poly

The No. 13 Idaho Vandals return home to the P1FCU Kibbie Dome looking for a get-right game against the Cal Poly Mustangs at 1 p.m. today.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Vandals are 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Big Sky competition and no longer have their sights set on a Big Sky Conference title, but they but are focused on finishing the season strong against the weaker portion of their schedule.

Idaho played five consecutive ranked Football Championship Subdivision teams, but is not scheduled to play another ranked opponent until a possible postseason run. That stretch of games begins at home against Cal Poly who is also looking to bounce back from a 56-10 loss to UC Davis.

“Cal Poly has struggled at times. They had a good win a few weeks ago against Northern Colorado that impressed me,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “Even though we are probably the favorite in this game, there were a lot of underdogs who won last week in this league.”

The Mustangs are 2-4 on the year and 1-2 in conference with their only two wins coming against NCAA Division II Western Oregon and Northern Colorado (1-6).

Injuries piling up on the Idaho offense

The quarterback room is in need of a couple donor collarbones at this point as freshman Nick Josifek joined sophomore Jack Layne with the same injury after breaking his collarbone last week in a 38-7 loss to Montana State.

The good news is that Layne is progressing well and was back on the field for Tuesday’s practice. He was still sidelined from taking part in any drills and did not go under center at any point, but he was able to toss the football around with teammates. With the bye week just two weeks away, Idaho has the chance to bring him back slowly and try to have him ready at Portland State on Nov. 9. That would give Layne three games before any possible postseason action.

Jack Wagner will once again get the start at quarterback after splitting time with Josifek against Northern Arizona and seemingly being placed as the second-string QB against Montana State. The freshman will have a good opportunity to sling the ball around against a weaker Cal Poly secondary.

The Mustangs have allowed 293.33 yards per game through the air and have only pulled in four interceptions.

The running back cupboard is becoming just as bare as running back Nate Thomas was unable to play last week against the Bobcats and Eli Cummings was unable to finish the game.

“It is an opportunity for guys to step up,” Eck said. “This is what life is all about. You don’t control what happens, you just gotta control your response and how you go from there. I think we will have guys ready to step up and excited to rally around them.”

Freshman running back Art Williams fumbled the ball last week and opened the door for freshman Deshaun Buchanan who looked good in his opportunity. Buchanan led Idaho with 49 rushing yards on nine carries. Both Buchanan and Williams will see elevated touches if Thomas and Cummings are unable to go.

Players to watch on Cal Poly

Sophomore quarterback Bo Kelly has struggled under center this season for the Mustangs. Kelly is 77-of-124 (62.1%) for 847 yards in six games. The sophomore has more interceptions (five) than passing touchdowns (four) on the year.

Cal Poly has used junior Jaden Jones, sophomore Richie Watts and sophomore Jackson Akins in sporadic playing time at quarterback this season as well.

Freshman running back Aiden Ramos has twice as many rushing attempts as anyone else on the Mustangs, but is only carrying the ball at a 3.8 yards per carry.

Much like Idaho, Cal Poly has two main targets in the passing game. Junior Michael Briscoe and senior Giancarlo Woods have combined for 672 of the 1,338 total receiving yards on the team.

Briscoe has topped 100 yards receiving in two of the last three games. Woods has at least three catches in every game this season.

Senior defensive end Elijah Ponder is a menace to opposing quarterbacks. Last year Ponder had 10 sacks and tied a program record with 17 quarterback hurries.

The senior edge rusher has four sacks this season and is tied for third all-time in Cal Poly program history with 24 career sacks.

One-sided history

Even though Idaho and Cal Poly have both been a part of the Big Sky Conference together since the Vandals returned in 2018, the two teams have only met two previous times in a conference clash.

Idaho handled business at home in 2019 in a 21-9 victory. Last season, the Vandals traveled to San Luis Obispo, Calif., and handed the Mustangs a 42-14 defeat.

Idaho wide receiver Jordan Dwyer had three receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the 2023 victory. Defensive lineman Keyshawn James-Newby had a sack and senior DB Kyrin Beachem and junior defensive lineman Zach Krotzer had interceptions.

Idaho was able to use a balanced offensive attack to gain 421 yards and the defense created three turnovers.

The Vandals are 4-0 all-time against Cal Poly including a 38-33 win in 1996 and a 20-13 victory in 2007, both inside the Kibbie Dome.

Quick stat six pack

The Vandals are 2-0 at home this season and have outscored opponents 64-30.

Idaho is coming off its largest defeat (31 points to MSU) in the Eck era.

The Vandals have won eight straight games following a loss.

This is the first time this season Idaho will play an opponent from the FCS that is not ranked.

Cal Poly and Idaho have one common opponent this season. The Mustangs lost to UC Davis last week 56-10, the Aggies defeated the Vandals 28-26 on Sept. 28.

Idaho will play back-to-back games inside the Kibbie Dome for the only time this season when they host Eastern Washington next week.

The basics

What: No. 13 Idaho (4-3, 1-2) vs. Cal Poly

Where: P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow

When: 1 p.m. today

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: KOZE-AM/FM (950/95.5), KZFN-FM (106.1), KORT-AM (1230), KLER-AM (1300)

Isbelle can be reached at 208-848-2268, risbelle@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyIsbelle.