Vandal football fans rally to support head coach Thomas Ford Jr. after fine

Idaho fans did not wait for the dust to settle. Within hours of the Big Sky Conference announcing a $2,500 fine against University of Idaho head football coach Thomas Ford Jr., “Tubs at the Club,” a podcast that covers Vandal athletics, organized a GoFundMe page to cover Ford’s penalty. The page surged past its goal in a matter of hours, turning a moment of frustration into an online rallying point for a fanbase fed up with Big Sky officiating and eager to stand behind its first-year coach.

What sparked the outpouring was not simply Ford’s comments, but the context behind them: a game-changing call in the late moments of Idaho’s 23-20 loss to Sacramento State that the Big Sky has since acknowledged was wrong – an admission that came alongside the suspension of multiple officials from the crew that worked the game.

In the caption of the GoFundMe page, the organizers made that frustration clear.

“Considering how measured Ford’s comments were, and the fact that the Big Sky Conference both issued a statement acknowledging the blown call and suspended the officials involved in the blown call. We find it preposterous for Ford to have been fined any amount whatsoever.”

At the heart of the anger was a drive-saving sideline catch ruled complete in the final seconds of Saturday’s game that set up the winning score.

With 17 seconds left, Hornets quarterback Cardell Williams launched a pass to the near sideline toward tight end Jordan Williams. Idaho junior safety Tim Jackson played the ball well, and after a replay review, it appeared to be clear that Williams’ foot landed out of bounds before any part of his body touched down in bounds.

Even so, after review, the ruling stood. Sacramento State punched in the decisive touchdown on the next snap.

“I don’t think that’s the right call,” Ford said in the postgame press conference. “It got reviewed, and they said there wasn’t enough evidence.We were in a position to make a play, thought we made the play, but then were not given the play. So again, not talking about the officials, but they definitely missed one on that call.”

Ford kept his composure throughout the press conference, refraining from lashing out about the egregious call that had just gift-wrapped his team’s seventh loss of the season. However, he did defend his players when asked about where the team’s mindset was following the loss.

“The feeling that all of our players had was the same feeling I had: like we had just got something taken away from us and we could not control it,” he said.

On social media later that night, Ford posted a video further expressing his disappointment with the officiating on the final series. That post ultimately triggered the conference to issue a sportsmanship fine for violating the Big Sky’s sportsmanship policy.

The Big Sky Conference attempted to clarify the situation on Monday with a formal statement admitting the officiating crew made a crucial mistake on the game’s decisive play.

“It is evident that incorrect judgment was applied to this play,” the conference wrote. “The Big Sky acknowledges and regrets this error in officiating, and as a result has suspended multiple officials who worked that contest.”

Ford appreciated the acknowledgment and mentioned it during his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon.

“It shows that the Big Sky cares, and they didn’t get it right in the moment but wanted to make it right as best they could,” Ford said. “Obviously, you can’t go back and replay the down by any stretch, but it was good to be validated in the sense that they did make a statement to get it right now. Very appreciative of the Big Sky and the commissioner for doing so.”

Still, the fine stung. And for many fans, it was a symbol of a larger issue.

The conference’s officiating has been under scrutiny for years, with coaches and fanbases across the league voicing frustration about atrocious calls and costly mistakes. Idaho’s situation became another data point, only this time, the conference publicly admitted it made a mistake and took the rare step of suspending the officials involved.

Ford’s frustration postgame was evident when he talked about the emotional magnitude of the call that was made.

“We were in a position to make a play. Thought we made the play, but then we’re not given the play,” he said. “Again, not talking about the officials, but they definitely missed one on that call, and I believe that they will see this and think the exact same.”

That sentiment resonated deeply within a program already navigating a season that fell well short of expectations. Once hopeful for a fourth consecutive FCS postseason run, the Vandals dropped to 4-7 with the loss, their season defined by narrow defeats and growing pains under a first-year head coach.

So, when Ford was fined for reacting to what the Big Sky itself recognized as a blown call, supporters saw it as a moment to push back. The GoFundMe page filled quickly with comments praising Ford for defending his team and venting about the state of officiating across the conference.

The Hornets’ win kept their playoff hopes alive. The Vandals clawed back from a 16-6 deficit to take a 20-16 lead late in the fourth quarter, only to watch the game slip away in the final seconds.