Idaho fends off Northern Arizona 23-17 before raucous homecoming crowd
Idaho defensive lineman Keyshawn James-Newby, center, celebrates after sacking Northern Arizona quarterback Ty Pennington in the first half Saturday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.
Idaho wide receiver Jordan Dwyer cradles a 23-yard touchdown reception against Northern Arizona during the first half Saturday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. The score gave the Vandals a 20-10 lead.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho gave an enthusiastic and engaged homecoming crowd all it could want Saturday at the Kibbie Dome.
The 10th-ranked Vandals grabbed a 6-0 lead over Northern Arizona, lost it, then re-established control.
They almost lost momentum again before a goal-line stand, a fourth-quarter interception and an NAU incomplete pass on fourth-and-7 with 50 seconds remaining.
In the end, the Vandals (4-2, 1-1 Big Sky) secured a 23-17 Big Sky Conference win over the 25th-ranked Lumberjacks (3-3, 1-1).
The Vandals will meet third-ranked Montana State on Oct. 12 Saturday. “That’s a huge game on national TV,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said.
“This is the third time this year somebody has come down with 2 minutes to win the game and (the Vandals) have not allowed them to,” Eck said.
“Getting a win on homecoming is what homecoming is about,” said Idaho leading rusher Elisha Cummings, who finished with 17 carries for 119 yards.
Cummings’ 42-yard first-quarter burst set up the Vandals’ first touchdown – a nine9-yard pitch-and-catch from quarterback Jack Wagner to tight end Mike Martinez, who had slipped unnoticed out of the left side of the formation and stood alone in the end zone.
Cummings was working on another long scamper early in the third quarter when he ran away from the pursuing middle of NAU’s defense until he slipped after 10 yards when his feet went out from under him.
The Lumberjacks were fearless about crowding crowded the box with as many as eight defenders to try to stop Idaho’s ground game. They presented Idaho quarterbacks Wagner and Nick Josifek with a dizzying array of multiple shifting on many downs.
But Cummings said the Vandals were not caught unaware.
“We prepared really good early in the week,” Cummings said. “The looks were almost the exact same in the game. We knew exactly what the defensive line was going to do and what they would stem to.”
Eck said he was pleased with Idaho’s effective running, particularly in the first half.
Nate Thomas followed Cummings with 67 yards on 15 carries, and he went across the goal line untouched from seven yards out for Idaho’s second score,including a 7-yard touchdown that allowed the Vandals to regain a 13-7 lead.
The Vandals finished with 40 rushes for 192 yards on the ground in 40 attempts.
NAU cut the deficit to 13-10 on Marcus Lye’s hammered a 50-yard field goal with 4:43 to play in the half.
But Idaho widened its edge to 20-10 on the next possession when Josifek linked up with Jordan Dwyer on a 23-yard pass that Dwyer took away from NAU cornerback Mikale Greer, who was face guarding him in the end zone.
The most impactful play of the half – and maybe the game – might have come with 1:12 left. Idaho defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby, who had been battling to a stalemate all game with NAU tackle Ethan Kramer, slipped to Kramer’s inside and sacked Lumberjacks quarterback Ty Pennington.
Pennington stayed down for minutes. He finally got up and walked to the locker room holding his helmet and assisted by a trainer. He did not return for the second half.
Pennington completed 12 of 17 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He had helped the Lumberjacks seize a His first-quarter lead, 7-6, with a 50-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bryza White gave NAU a 7-6 lead.
PJ London, who replaced Pennington in the second half, completed 10 of 14 passes for 80 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
“Pennington is a really good quarterback,” Eck said. “… It’s a tough situation to come in against our defense.
“Any time you impact a game by hitting the quarterback, that’s a good thing. … I hope (Pennington) is not hurt.”
While NAU played London out of necessity, the Vandals went with Wagner and Josifek by choice, Eck said.
“Those were planned rotations,” Eck said.
Josifek completed six of seven passing 6 of 7 passes attemptsfor 109 yards and a touchdown.
Wagner completed two of six attempts 2 of 6 passes for 15 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 12 yards, including a pair of key first downs,.
NAU nearly exploited a Josifek fumble to get back into the game early in the fourth quarter. Tackle Cory Hall hit Josifek as he was releasing a pass, and fellow defensive lineman Tausagafou Ho Ching recovered for the Lumberjacks near the goal line.
On four tries from inside the five5-yard line, Idaho stopped the Lumberjacks as they tried to jam the ball in with a on plays involving the quarterback, a fullback and a pair of running backs.
“That defensive stop on the goal line was inspiring,” Idaho linebacker Mathias Bertram said. “That’s what we play for.”
In addition to assisting on the goal line stand, Bertram also stopped another NAU drive in the fourth quarter when he camped under an underthrown London pass and picked it off.
“It was in the air for a while,” he said. “I knew I had to come down with it.”
Idaho’s leading tackler, linebacker Jaxton Eck, with 10, also intercepted a pass in the third quarter.
On the possession preceding that pick, Vandals kicker Cameron Pope atoned for missing the point-after kick on Idaho’s first touchdown by converting a 40-yard field goal to put the Vandals ahead 23-10.
The lead looked especially important after NAU capped a 62-yard drive with just over four more than 4 minutes to play when London scored from two 2 yards out.
Idaho alums, who came close to filling the Kibbie Dome, got their money’s worth with the back-and-forth homecoming victory.
“The energy here, the atmosphere, was as good as any place in the country,” Eck said.