Mike Kramer named Big Sky coach of year

Idaho State’s stunning turnaround wasn’t rewarded with a playoff berth, but coach Mike Kramer earned the next best thing Wednesday. By a vote of his peers, Kramer was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year. Kramer guided the Bengals to their best season in more than a decade, compiling an 8-4 campaign. The eight victories marked a five-win improvement from the 2013 season. The eight wins matched the combined win total of the program from the previous five seasons. Kramer previously won the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year honors at Eastern Washington in 1997 and at Montana State in 2002 and 2005. “I have the staff of the year, the President of the Year, the trainer of the Year, the equipment manager of the year and administration of the year,” Kramer said. “This is a full-team award. I am humbled by the honor and extremely grateful for the great support we have at Idaho State.” Idaho State finished with a winning season for the first time since 2003. The Bengals snapped a 48-game road losing streak on Oct. 25 with a 46-12 win at Northern Colorado. The Bengals won on the road the next week, beating Portland State 31-13. It marked the first time since 1983 the Bengals won road games on consecutive weekends. Idaho State enjoyed its first first-game winning streak since 1995.