Idaho Barely Outlasts Cal Poly Slo’s Comeback Vandals Almost Lose 28-Point Lead Before Defeating Pass-Happy Mustangs In Wild Finish

Idaho won a football game on Saturday and didn’t get to enjoy it much.

The Vandals beat scrappy Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 38-33 in the Kibbie Dome, but not before turning a 28-point third-quarter lead into a white-knuckle finish.

In the process, Idaho’s pass defense took a siesta - not an ideal way to go into a Big West showdown with preseason conference favorite Nevada in two weeks in the Dome.

Idaho (2-3) is off next weekend.

Cal Poly’s I-AA Mustangs, setting school records in completions (31), attempts (62) and yards (410), scored four touchdowns in less than a quarter. The homecoming-bolstered 14,579 fans in attendance were well into reminiscing about their college haunts when they seemed to look up in unison at the scoreboard and discover that Saturday’s game wasn’t on ice.

“We figured we had ‘em,” Idaho receiver Robert Scott said. “We felt maybe they’d quit.”

Instead, Cal Poly quarterback Alli Abrew riddled the Vandals with what seemed like an endless succession of slant patterns.

“I’m very proud to be their coach,” said Cal Poly’s Andre Patterson, whose statement sounded syrupy, unless one had watched his team’s stunning comeback from a 31-3 deficit. “It would have been easy to do what everybody expected us to do - and that was getting massacred for their homecoming.”

The Mustangs (1-4) played the role of homecoming creampuff well in the first half.

Idaho’s David Griffin took off on five nomadic punt returns, netting 107 yards and setting up three short TD drives, one of which he took care of himself.

Griffin took a reverse handoff and chucked a 33-yard TD pass to Scott. How’s that for role reversal? Scott is Idaho’s backup quarterback and usually he’s the passer when Idaho runs the trick play.

Idaho went to a virtual schoolyard offense throughout - go deep, just like your old neighborhood games. Quarterback Ryan Fien seemed to throw deep about every other snap.

Fien had his fifth straight 300-yard game. His 41-yard scoring completion to Tom Gamelin gave Idaho a 24-0 lead in the second quarter.

After Joel Thomas scooted into the end zone early in the third quarter, Idaho’s lead was 31-3. Then the highlight reel slowed to a crawl.

Idaho couldn’t get pressure on Abrew and its defensive backs were helpless against Mustang receivers. Ryan Thomas set a school record with 13 catches for 200 yards.

Cal Poly crept within 31-21 when David Lombardi stripped the ball from Scott, and returned the fumble 45 yards for a TD.

Fien delivered what appeared to be the backbreaker by hitting Robert Scott in stride for a 62-yard score with 12:44 remaining.

But the Mustangs answered on Mike Allshouse’s 3-yard run and scored again with 1:18 remaining. A missed two-point conversion left the score 38-33.

The issue was finally settled when a Cal Poly player touched the on-side kick before it had traveled 10 yards.

“We lost momentum and couldn’t get it back,” UI coach Chris Tormey said. “We were fortunate to be able to hold on and win.

“We were able to make a few plays in the fourth quarter to win the game. We played one great half of football. We came out and started with intensity in the second half and then we let down. It’s a lesson we learned and thank God we were able to learn it in a win.”

Notes

Idaho had gone three straight games without scoring in the first quarter before tacking up 14 points on Cal Poly…Joel Thomas scored two TDs giving him 27 in his career, tied with Jerry Hendren for fifth on Idaho’s all-time list…Cal Poly’s Patterson, apprehensive about playing UI before the game, maintained that opinion afterward. “I still didn’t want to (play them), but I’m proud of the way our guys played.”

Vandals 38, Mustangs 33

Cal Poly-SLO 0 3 10 20 - 33

Idaho 14 10 7 7 - 38

UI-R.Scott 33 pass from Griffin (T.Scott kick) UI-Joel Thomas 7 run (T.Scott kick) UI-FG T.Scott 26 UI-Gamelin 41 pass from Fien (T.Scott kick) SLOFG Beilke 27 UI-Joel Thomas 4 run (T.Scott kick) SLOFG Beilke 22 SLOAllshouse 11 run (Beilke kick) SLOLombardi 45 fumble recovery (Abrew run) UI-R.Scott 62 pass from Fien (T.Scott kick) SLOAllshouse 3 run (kick failed) SLOThomas 7 pass from Abrew (pass failed) A-14,579.

SLO UI First downs 26 18 Rushes-yards 29-61 36-99 Passing 410 338 Comp-Att-Int 31-62-2 18-35-0 Return Yards 10-103 11-247 Punts-Avg. 7-39.1 6-36.3 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2 Penalties-Yards 12-83 7-69 Time of Possession 33:06 12:54 Individual statistics RUSHINGSLO, Allshouse 11-45-2, Young 11-41, Williams 1-(-8), Abrew 6-(-17). UI-Joel Thomas 22-77-2, Jerome Thomas 3-28, Griffin 2-18, Pace 1-6.

PASSINGSLO, Abrew 31-61-2-410. UI-Fien 17-34-0-305, Griffin 1-1-0-33.

RECEIVINGSLO, Thomas 13-200, Loud 12-130, Peck 2-50, Goldston 1-14. UI.-R Scott 5-110, Wilson 3-87, Joel Thomas 3-32, Gilroy 2-33.

, DataTimes MEMO: Cut in Spokane edition