Idaho defense steps up to take down Wyoming 17-13 in FCS-FBS upset

A strong defensive performance , punctuated by Xavier Slayton’s sack of Wyoming quarterback Evan Svoboda on the final play to stop what could have been a winning drive, propelled Idaho to a 17-13 nonconference win Saturday in Laramie, Wyo.

It allowed Idaho to even its record at 1-1, gave it a victory against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent and let the Vandals write a new chapter to what had mostly been a woeful history in their occasional series with the Cowboys.

Since Idaho’s last win against Wyoming, in 1921, Wyoming ran its streak to seven over Idaho, and the Vandals had never won in Laramie.

Neither is true anymore.

“Road wins are tough to get,” Vandals coach Jason Eck said. “Wins against FBS teams are tough to get. I am very proud of our team,”

Wyoming fell to 0-2 .

The Vandals took a 17-10 lead into halftime and frustrated the Cowboys in the final two quarters.

An Idaho fake punt on fourth down near midfield that the Cowboys stopped short of a first down gave Wyoming its best chance to wrest the lead. After the change of possession, an 8-yard pass from Svoboda to DJ Jones gave the Cowboys first down at the 12-yard line.

Two plays later, Svoboda dove for an apparent touchdown. It was waved off following a review that showed his knee was down when he crossed the goal line. A false start backed up the Cowboys to the 6-yard line.

From there, Dallas Afalava tackled running back Sam Scott in the backfield, and after he caught a short pass from Svoboda, Scott was stopped short of the goal line by Idaho safety Tommy McCormick. An incomplete pass on third down at the close of the third quarter forced Wyoming to settle for John Hoyland’s 22-yard field goal, and those were the only points the Vandals gave up in the second half.

Idaho sacked Svoboda four times, and edge rusher Keyshawn James Newby accounted for three . His third sack broke up a promising Wyoming drive that had reached the Vandals’ 38-yard line. But James-Newby’s sack forced the Cowboys to punt with 2 minutes left .

“He is a big-time player,” Eck said. “He played like an All-American. I believe in him.”

Idaho’s defense notably protected the Vandals’ lead through the final 6:56 after starting quarterback Jack Wagner went out with an apparent shoulder or arm injury. Redshirt freshman Nick Josifek, who had been the third-team quarterback until this week, came on to finish the game. Although he did not throw a pass, Josifek ran Idaho’s ground game without a hitch.

“Often, a backup quarterback comes into a game in a blowout,” Eck said. “(Josifek) came in at a really critical time. He had to execute at a high level, and he did.”

Eck said he did not know the extent of Wagner’s injury.

But for the second consecutive week, Idaho lost a starting quarterback. Jack Layne left the Vandals’ opening-game 24-14 loss to Oregon last week with a broken collarbone.

Wagner finished up the final few plays of that game and started against Wyoming. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, completing his first eight passes.

Wagner’s touchdown pass was a 2-yard throw to tight end Jake Cox that gave Idaho a 14-10 lead it never gave up.

“He was very accurate today,” Eck said of Wagner.

Cameron Pope completed Idaho’s scoring with a 49-yard field goal with just less than 5 minutes to play in the first half.

“We wanted to get Jordan Dwyer more involved, and Jordan did a great job,” Eck said.

Dwyer was Idaho’s leading receiver with six catches for 66 yards.

Nate Thomas led Idaho with 15 carries for 64 yards. Elisha Cummings had eight carries for 43 yards and a 3-yard touchdown that gave the Vandals a 7-3 first-quarter advantage.

Wyoming outgained Idaho 270-235 in total yards . Svoboda threw for a 20-yard touchdown to Devin Boddie that gave Wyoming its final lead, 10-7.

Svoboda completed 10 of 24 passes for 126 yards. He also ran for 45 yards on 14 carries, as the Cowboys outgained the Vandals 144-124.