Quarterback Joshua Wood returns, Idaho cruises past winless Portland State 45-6

With starting quarterback Joshua Wood returning from a knee injury that slowed him in the second half in a loss against Montana and kept him out of the next two games, also losses, everything changed for the Idaho Vandals, who had last won a game Sept. 14, against Utah Tech.

By halftime against Portland State, the only question remaining was whether the Vandals would lose focus in the final two quarters and sit on a 22-point lead.

The question was quickly answered as Idaho scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns and added a fourth-quarter field goal to power past the Vikings 45-6.

“It was the best game we have played this season. Offense, defense and special teams executed at a high level,” Vandals coach Thomas Ford Jr. said.

“You saw us get healthy and get our guys back. We turned into the confident team we know can beat anybody.”

The Vandals are now 3-5 and 1-3 in the Big Sky after picking up their first conference win. Portland State is 0-8 and 0-4.

Wood passed for 259 yards, connecting on 15 of 22 attempts, and he threw for four touchdowns in the first half.

Wood said returning to practice, “being with my receivers throughout the week and understanding what techniques the corners were going to play,” set him up for his big day against PSU.

The only doubt the Vikings could cast on the outcome occurred in the first quarter. They scored first on Mathias Uribe’s 27-yard field goal.

The Vandals were slow to get going. But any concern they were headed for a fifth straight loss was allayed when Wood opened a drive beginning at Idaho’s 27-yard line with a nine-yard run.

“That first play, getting hit a little bit, I got that mindset back,” Wood said.

The next play, Elisha Cummings put his own flourish on the game. Out of the backfield, Cummings took a short pass from Wood and headed down the sideline. Cummings angled to the middle of the field, where he spun out of one tackle, then jump cut to the left inside the 5-yard line and scored. For the game, Cummings finished with 65 yards rushing on eight carries and the touchdown, and he was Idaho’s leading receiver with four catches for 100 yards and another score.

“This is the first week we felt he was 100% healthy,” Ford said of Cummings. “That kid can do it all, run, catch, be physical. He is absolutely what we are looking for as a tailback.”

Portland State changed quarterbacks on the next series, with freshman Tyrese Smith replacing John-Keawe Sagapolutele. It offered a great change of pace for the Vikings – until it didn’t. Facing a third down at the 34-yard line early in the second quarter, Smith was hit by Idaho’s pursuing defensive end Sam Brown as Smith let fly a pass that was intercepted by Vandals cornerback Jhamell Blenman.

The Vandals made the most of the opportunity. After receiving a flea flicker lateral, Wood loaded up and launched a 48-yard bomb to Noah West-Baranco who was so wide open at the 8-yard line he exercised extra care to be sure not to drop such a gimme and practically walked into end zone.

Ford said he spent the majority of his time at practice last week with the offense and acknowledged “trick plays, that’s something I love.”

PSU quickly answered when Smith’s pass to Terrance Loville brought the Vikings to Idaho’s 31. But the Vikings could not convert a third and 13 at the Vandals 22 when Smith was hit at the line by defensive end Matyus McLain and held to a small gain. The Vikings had to settle for Uribe’s 40-yard field goal to make score 14-6. Those were the last points PSU scored.

Idaho widened its lead to 21-6 when Wood found Marquawn McCraney with a 24-yard pass as McCraney was diving out the back of the end zone to pursue the ball.

Idaho struck once again before the first half ended. Wood capped a 10-play drive with a six-yard touchdown pass, his fourth of the half, to Emmerson Cortez Menjivar, 28-6.

After halftime, the Vandals came out on fire. Rocco Koch subbed for Wood early in the third quarter. As Idaho was facing third and one at the PSU 42, Koch, primarily a running quarterback, made the Vikings safeties pay for coming forward to play the run and allowing tight end Jake Cox to get behind them. Koch completed his lone pass and hit a wide-open Cox for a 42-yard touchdown to put Idaho up, 35-6.

On its next series, on second and 11 at the 13-yard line, Cummings took a handoff and angled left away from inside pursuit and scored to put the Vandals up, 42-6.

PSU threatened late in the third quarter. It had fourth and four at the Vandals eight-yard line. But McLain hit Smith trying to convert the first down and stopped him for no gain.

Idaho completed the scoring when Owen Adams kicked a 44-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Idaho’s defense was led by Cruz Hepburn and Zach Krotzer, with nine and seven tackles, respectively. In the fourth quarter, Isiah Bivens broke up a Vikings drive by giving the Vandals their second interception of the game when he picked off Sagapolutele.

For the game, the Vandals outgained the Vikings in total offense 464 yards to 317.

The resurgent Vandals travel to Northern Arizona Oct. 31 for a game against the Lumberjacks (4-3, 2-1) ranked 22nd in the American Football Coaches Association poll and 20th in the Stats Perform poll. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.