Idaho looks like different team with QB Joshua Wood back from injury

MOSCOW, Idaho – If resurrection is too strong a word, it doesn’t miss by much.

Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood returned from a sprained knee Saturday against Portland State and hardly missed a step.

With Wood back on the field the Vandals abruptly regained the dominance that had them ranked in the top 10 of Football Championship Subdivision teams to start the season, before they were mired in a four-game losing streak, three of which were hampered by Woods’ absence.

Wood threw four first-half touchdowns to lead Idaho to a decisive 45-6 win against the Vikings. In turn, the Vandals (3-5, 1-3 Big Sky) now have a legitimate hope of reviving a goal to make the FCS playoffs for the fourth straight year. It begins Friday when Idaho travels to Flagstaff to face Northern Arizona (5-3, 2-2), ranked 21st and 19th, respectively, in the coaches and Stats Perform polls. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. said getting both Wood and tailback Elisha Cummings back and healthy revitalized the offense.

“Our passing game really changes when we have him,” Ford said of Wood. “He can make all the throws. He makes subtle moves in the pocket to extend plays.”

Previously this year, Ford also touted Wood’s ability to quickly read and react to coverages. In addition, Wood has rushed for 408 yards and six touchdowns.

“He has got the ability to see what the defense is doing pre-snap, and he gets the ball out on time. He has the ability to extend plays. It is something he brings to the table every week,” said Ford.

Wood acknowledged after practice one day last week that in the process of rehabbing his knee was a hurdle.

“It was very tough mentally not being able to be out there with my brothers,” Wood said. “God has a way. He put me on this path.”

Wood pushed through two daily sessions of rehab, patiently building the small gains it takes to make a full recovery. Wood praised UI football trainer Clayton Malinich and training interns Lizzy Godinho and Jack Palo for helping him through the process .

“Clayton, Lizzy and Jack helped me maintain high positivity. I came in with a smile on my face every day,” Wood said.

Wood could also lean on experience, since he had to rehab a shoulder injury suffered when he played at Fresno State, before he transferred to Idaho.

While he was sidelined, Wood watch ed film and got mental reps at practice while helping the other quarterbacks. During games, Wood said he acted as another set of eyes for offensive coordinator Matt Linehan, and he helped keep quarterbacks calm on the sidelines.

It begs the question, who kept him calm during his return against PSU?

“I am the person who keeps me comfortable and sane,” Wood said.

Ford agreed.

“Josh is the most even -keel ed quarterback you can have,” he said.

Ford admitted, however, that Wood reacted to a couple of borderline late hits in Idaho’s opening game against Washington State.

“Things got a little emotional,” Ford said.

Afterward, the Idaho coaches made a point of not letting the turmoil of a game detract from performance, Ford said.

Wood got the point.

“Josh is believing everything we are preaching,” said Ford.

Wood said he was hurt against Montana on a running play.

“I got hit in a weird way, and it kept feeling weird.”

Wood still passed for 262 yards and ran for three touchdowns against the Grizzlies, who were able to defend the Little Brown Stein traveling trophy they took from Idaho the last time the teams played in 2023. Wood played the second half injured because “at the end of the day I wanted to get that brown stein. There is no quit in me.”

In his first game back against the Vikings, on Idaho’s first play from scrimmage, Wood ran for 9 yards. If he had any doubts about his recovery, they were dispelled when he popped up after getting tackled.

“Getting hit a little bit, I got that mindset back,” he said after the game.

Although Wood said he could tell he was healing two weeks ago, he wasn’t medically cleared until the PSU game. In practice two days before, Wood wore a black sleeve over a brace on his left knee. But he stepped smoothly into throws launched downfield with velocity and accuracy; he ran without the trace of a limp; and the Vandals practiced a flea flicker they employed against the Vikings, where Wood found Noah West-Baranco for a 48-yard touchdown.

Ford pointed out that Wood, a redshirt sophomore, is still a young quarterback who has fewer than 400 college football snaps.

He remains on an upward trajectory.

And now he is back, good as ever as the Vandals revitalize their goal to make the playoffs.

“I had a little bad break,” Wood said. “But it did not change who I am or how I play.”