Things to watch: No. 3 Idaho takes impressive resume into game at Cal Poly

Idaho is one of the hottest teams in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Vandals have established themselves firmly as Big Sky contenders.

They should be favored heavily this weekend against one of the conference’s worst teams.

The Vandals meet Cal Poly at 5 p.m. Saturday in San Luis Obispo.

Idaho (4-1, 2-0 Big Sky) is off to an impressive start in its second season under coach Jason Eck. The Vandals are ranked No. 3 in the STATS FCS poll. They’re coming off wins over ranked foes Sacramento State and Eastern Washington.

The Mustangs (2-3, 0-2) are trying to find their footing under first-year coach Paul Wulff, the former Washington State offensive lineman (1986-89) who previously served as head coach at EWU (2000-07) and WSU (2008-11). Cal Poly is on a two-game skid – the Mustangs suffered back-to-back blowout losses to Portland State and UC Davis.

“He’s a very proven coach in this league who knows how to win games in this league,” Eck said of Wulff, who is attempting to guide a turnaround for Cal Poly, which hasn’t posted a winning season since 2016. “I’m sure he’s going to get that place going.”

• Advantage for Idaho ground game: The Vandals piled up 363 yards on the ground last weekend in a 44-36 win at Eastern Washington. Starting tailback Anthony Woods had one of the most productive games in Idaho history, recording 211 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

“We’re playing harder up front,” Eck said. “We’re playing more physically up front, and I think that showed up (against EWU).”

Idaho should be encouraged to lean on the ground game again this week against Cal Poly, which has struggled to contain opposing rushing attacks.

The Mustangs rank 104th nationally and 10th in the Big Sky in rushing defense at 208.6 yards allowed per game. Cal Poly surrendered 188 yards last week against UC Davis. The week before, Portland State amassed 404 rushing yards against Cal Poly.

On the other end, Idaho has emerged as one of the better rushing teams in the FCS. The Vandals rank 15th nationally at 214.2 rushing yards per game.

Woods is up to 593 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Nick Romano has provided a spark in a backup role, rushing for 234 yards and a touchdown, and is averaging 6 yards per carry.

• Passing production: It might be best for Idaho to use a heavy dose of rushing plays against Cal Poly’s exploitable run defense, but Vandals fans are probably hoping to see an uptick in production from their team’s passing game.

Quarterback Gevani McCoy is coming off his least-productive game of the past two years. He completed 8 of 18 passes for 128 yards last weekend as the Vandals stuck with what was working.

McCoy, a preseason All-Big Sky first-teamer, has been efficient enough this year, but the Vandals’ passing game hasn’t been quite as explosive as expected coming into the season. McCoy sits in the middle of the conference rankings in passing yards with 1,108. Idaho ranks 40th in the FCS in passing offense (233.6 yards per game).

The Vandals haven’t had a 100-yard game out of All-American receivers Hayden Hatten and Jermaine Jackson. Hatten has 369 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Jackson has managed just 211 yards and has been held out of the end zone.

Yet there’s no need to worry about Idaho’s offense. The Vandals are still one of the top offensive teams in the FCS – they rank No. 11 nationally in total offense (447.8 yards per game) and No. 18 in scoring offense (34.4 points per game). They have shown balance and selflessness.

“We have a lot of guys who enjoy seeing others make big plays,” Eck said. “That’s fun to see. That’s a characteristic of good teams … guys support each other and they’re not worried as much about their own personal stats as they are about what’s best for the team.”

Still, fans would like to see a bounce-back effort from Idaho’s passing game.

On paper, the Mustangs are solid against the pass. They allow 167.6 pass yards per game (17th nationally), but their opponents don’t throw the ball a whole lot – because Cal Poly has been so shaky against the run.

• Cal Poly looks to air it out: The Mustangs’ offense is headlined by transfer quarterback Sam Huard, who previously played at the University of Washington.

Huard has thrown for 862 yards and eight touchdowns, with three interceptions on a 61.47% completion rate.

Huard missed last week’s game against UC Davis with an injury. He’s questionable to play Saturday.

Cal Poly operates a pass-heavy system. The Mustangs rank 34th nationally in passing offense (239.4 yards per game) and 117th in rushing offense (68.8 yards per game).

“They want to spread the field,” Eck said.

Six of the Mustangs’ receivers have recorded at least 100 yards and a touchdown. Cal Poly has allowed just eight sacks. Idaho ranks 10th nationally in pass-defense efficiency rating.

Eck said the Vandals will play without edge rusher Malakai Williams and starting safety Murvin Kenion III due to injuries.