Idaho can keep building momentum with Friday game against No. 19 Northern Arizona
MOSCOW, Idaho – When they meet Friday in Flagstaff in a nationally televised ESPN2 game, Idaho is a hurdle to clear for Northern Arizona in what has been a largely successful season marred only by a pair of recent losses. For the Vandals, the Lumberjacks are a rung to climb on a ladder leading out of a stretch of games that flirted perilously close to disaster.
The Jacks (5-3, 2-2 Big Sky), ranked 19th and 21st, respectfully, in the Stats Perform and coaches’ polls, are about at the same stage of recovery as the Vandals (3-5, 1-3). NAU absorbed a pair of decisive league losses to Montana State, 34-10, and UC Davis 45-24 before dismissing Idaho State, 31-18, a week ago. With the return from injury of starting quarterback Joshua Wood, Idaho emerged from a four-game losing streak to decisively defeat Portland State 45-6.
But the Jacks remain ranked, and beating the Vandals would keep them that way. For Idaho, a win over NAU would get the Vandals a big step closer to getting ranked again themselves and reviving their hopes to make the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the fourth straight year.
The teams have two common opponents. Each has a pair of wins. NAU turned back Portland State 31-17 and topped Utah Tech 38-31. Idaho beat Utah Tech 20-6 on Sept. 13 before getting shaded by San Jose State 31-28, then lost to Montana, Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington before getting right against the Vikings.
The head-to-head results suggest a close game.
Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. says the win against PSU gives the Vandals momentum.
“It reminds them the process is working. Their hard work is not going unrewarded,” he said of his team.
Playing on Friday instead of Saturday could keep both teams from delving deeply into a bag of tricks.
“It condenses the preparation time,” Ford said.
“It shrinks the menu a bit. There are not as many practice reps.”
Getting Wood back may be especially valuable for Idaho in a week of short prep. Ford lauds the redshirt sophomore’s ability to quickly absorb what a defense is doing and counter it. NAU’s defense, Ford said, “is nontraditional. They walk a bunch of dudes up to the line of scrimmage. Sometimes it looks like a punt block out there.”
After recovering from a sprained knee suffered against Montana, Wood returned at top form against PSU. He passed for four first-half touchdowns. In six games this year, he has thrown for 1,186 yards with 10 touchdowns against one interception. He has also rushed for six scores.
His opposite number for the Jacks, Ty Pennington, was the Big Sky’s newcomer of the year in 2024. This season, in eight games, Pennington has thrown for 1,973 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has also run for two touchdowns.
“He is a really good quarterback,” said Ford. Pennington’s favorite target is senior wide receiver Kolbe Katsis. He has caught 38 passes for 599 yards and five touchdowns. The Jacks also feature several running backs. Quran Gosset has rushed for 341 yards and six touchdowns and has caught 13 passes for 124 yards. Seth Cromwell has run for 384 yards and seven scores, and Darvon Hubbard has 124 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
Opposing them will be a Vandals defense that held PSU to 317 yards of total offense.
“Defense is where it started. We were able to score so many points because we had the ball,” said Ford. The Vikings managed to convert only two of 13 third downs and one of three fourth downs.
“Our defensive ends played their butts off,” Ford said. Senior Sam Brown, a Central Valley grad, had four tackles, including a tackle for loss, and senior Donovan Parham and redshirt sophomore Matyus McLain each had three tackles and a half-tackle for loss.
Ford is hoping for a comparable effort against NAU and Pennington.
“Our defense has got to stop their quarterback and make him a one-dimensional player,” he said.
The Vandals are ranked second in the Big Sky in total defense (358.4 yards per game) and third in scoring defense (24.6 points per game).
Lumberjacks coach Brian Wright says “we’re excited for the opportunity this week to play a good Idaho team at home Friday night on ESPN2. We have a mature team who understands that it comes down to the things that really matter in order to win football games. Whether you’re on ESPN2 or not or playing on Friday or Saturday those things don’t matter in the great scheme of things on the field.”
Both NAU and Idaho last week rediscovered how to win. In the great scheme of things on the field Friday, the Jacks will either be able to hurdle Idaho and maintain their status as an FCS ranked team, or the Vandals will be able to climb over NAU and continue their quest to win their final four games, regain a national ranking themselves, and earn a berth in the FCS playoffs.