Idaho fades late in 49-33 loss to Northern Colorado, Vandals’ third straight loss
MOSCOW, Idaho – With all the trouble Northern Colorado caused Idaho in its homecoming game, the Vandals trailed by just two scores entering the fourth quarter.
So it was there these Vandals would test their mettle. Would they dig deep like the three playoff contenders of past years, or fade into frustration?
That question was answered with the latter. The Bears dropped the hammer in the final period for a decisive 49-33 victory at the Kibbie Dome.
“We were not good enough as a coaching staff, on offense, defense or special teams,” Vandals coach Thomas Ford Jr. said. “It was very disappointing to not be able to finish that in the fourth quarter.”
The second play from scrimmage set the narrative for the game. Eric Gibson launched a 35-yard pass to Carver Cheeks. It was the defining play in an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that concluded with Mathias Price’s 1-yard scoring plunge, which gave the Bears (3-3, 1-1 Big Sky) a lead they protected throughout.
That pass was the first of many. Gibson completed 22 of 34 attempts for 350 yards and two touchdowns, without an interception. His longest pass went for 57 yards. Cheeks led all receivers with nine catches for 120 yards.
“At the end of the day, if you allow them to consistently complete vertical passes it is very difficult to stay off the field,” Ford said . He returned to the point several times in a news conference, finally concluding “we have got to do a much better job working on our ball skills. That ultimately was our demise, not being able to stop their vertical passing game.”
The Vandals (2-4, 0-2) might have got a hint of what was in store when their own first play, a pass from Jack Wagner intended for Daveon Superales, was intercepted by strong safety Darrell Bryant Jr., which resulted in a 52-yard Jacob Willig field goal.
Wagner came off the bench to be Idaho’s primary quarterback, because season starter Joshua Wood is out with a sprained knee suffered in the second half of Idaho’s 41-30 loss to Montana Sept. 27. Ford said Wood played much of the second half with the injury. Ford did not have a firm estimate on when Wood could return.
In his absence, Wagner and Rocco Koch filled in at quarterback against the Bears, and by the second half they had established a hopeful-looking rhythm of alternating, utilizing Koch’s brute force as a runner and Wagner’s passing. Wagner completed 21 of 33 passes for 237 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown. Koch was Idaho’s leading rusher with 81 yards on 10 carries, and two touchdowns.
“Rocco is a winner. He is very driven, and he wants to help our football team any way he can,” said Ford.
“With Josh being out we needed some additional run game. That’s where Rocco came in.”
Wagner “did some good things,” said Ford. “He did not do a good job of taking care of the football.
“Jack is very capable. He will look at the tape and will want some of those throws back.”
The game marked the return of Idaho running back Elisha Cummings, who has been hampered by lingering injuries all season and did not play against Montana. Against UNC, he came back with his customary turn of speed and electrifying cuts. Cummings rushed seven times for 40 yards and caught five passes for 67 yards and Idaho’s first touchdown. He got the score when he hauled in a 39-yard sideline pass from Wagner and somersaulted into the end zone.
Although they were looking up at UNC the whole way, the Vandals kept the offensive totals reasonably close. The Bears amassed 482 yards of total offense on 65 plays and the Vandals 440 yards on 76 plays.
Idaho travels to Eastern Washington on Saturday. Ford said the Vandals are a resilient bunch, and their goal is to catch the Eagles, coming off a bye, and begin a turnaround of Idaho’s season.
“We have six conference games left. Our goal is to go 6-0,” said Ford after the loss to UNC, “and to make this a distant, painful memory.”