Joshua Wood breaks open game with long touchdown run to help Idaho beat St. Thomas 37-30

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Kibbie Dome was hot and humid to the point spectators used programs as fans, a group cooling that looked like a flock of birds settling on to a roost. Or maybe the flashes from the fluttering white programs were the Idaho faithful’s way of frantically signaling a mayday, as Idaho’s lead improbably slipped against St. Thomas on Saturday.

The Vandals withstood the heat for a 37-30 victory over the Tommies.

Clinging to a 29-23 lead, the Vandals stopped a Tommies drive on third-and-1 when Matyus McLain and Isiah King sacked quarterback Andy Peters for a nine-yard loss.

A fourth down punt gave the Vandals the ball on their 40-yard line, and two plays later, quarterback Joshua Wood turned the corner around right end and outran the defense for 59 yards and a touchdown.

“Once I got the edge, it was all over,” he said.

A two-point conversion pass to tight end Jake Cox made the score a more comfortable 37-23 with 2:19 to play.

But Idaho needed all of it. Peters led a 74-yard, 12-play drive that saw St. Thomas convert a third-and-10 on Peters’ 17-yard pass to Eli Paulson. It culminated with Peters’ six-yard pass to Patrick Wagner for a touchdown with 11 seconds remaining.

Idaho finally drained the drama from a conclusion that was threatening to go molten when Tommies kicker Ben Hoiland’s on-side kick hopped over Vandals defenders and landed out of bounds. Wood was able to take a knee twice to end the game.

Vandals’ first-year coach Thomas Ford Jr. picked up his first Vandals’ win following a 13-10 near miss against Washington State last week.

“Any time you come away with a win, you are excited,” he said. “I know there are some plays we want back. We have got to do a lot better job of playing cleaner football.”

The Vandals absorbed 104 yards in penalties on 13 whistles, which Ford acknowledged was a sign of immaturity.

“We have got to improve in a hurry,” he said “We cannot get in personal battles. It happened last week and this week.”

Wood and Peters engaged in an impressive duel that saw Peters threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 29 passing. He also ran for 79 yards.

Wood shook off a long interception on the game’s first play to complete 20 passes for 281 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for 87 yards and another touchdown.

“It was definitely a big emphasis this week to get Joshua going,” Ford said. “He didn’t let one play define him.”

“Everyone was behind me after the pick. They let me know that,” Wood said of his teammates.

Redshirt freshman receiver Ryan Jezioro had a breakout game with six receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown, and sophomore Tony Harste caught five passes for 92 yards and a score.

Linebacker Dylan Layne and safety Hayden John led the Vandals with 12 and 10 tackles, respectively, and Jhamell Blenman and McLain added seven each. McLain also had 11/2 sacks.

Layne, however, said the defense remains a work in progress.

“When you make a lot of tackles, that means there were a lot of plays,” he said. “We have got to do a better job on defense of getting off the field.”

Immediately after the game, Ford said he had not yet had a chance to reflect on his first victory. But he was not discounting that it came against a St. Thomas team that in the steamy Kibbie Dome outperformed its 1-1 record in its first season as a full-fledged FCS member.

“It was a great learning lesson for my club,” Ford said. “I’m glad we came out on the right side.”