Idaho turns back clock for Kibbie Dome’s 50th anniversary game against Utah Tech
MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho will be wearing gold jerseys for the Kibbie Dome’s 50th anniversary game Saturday against Utah Tech, replicas of the ones the Vandals wore in the first game in the dome, Sept. 27, 1975, a 29-14 loss to Idaho State.
Except one former player won’t need one. The Vandals’ 1976 AP All-America center John Yarno will be in attendance, take part in the coin flip, and he reported to Vandals athletics officials that he still has a gold jersey and will be wearing it to the game.
Yarno may also still have an unreal collection of turf burn scars from the original Tartan Turf that covered the dome floor for football.
For Idaho (1-1), ranked 10th in the American Football Coaches Association poll and 8th in the Stats Perform Top 25, carrying the 50th celebration through to a win against the Trailblazers (0-2) is no sure thing. While still seeking a victory, Utah Tech hung within a touchdown of a pair of 2024 Big Sky Conference playoff teams. It fell to UC Davis, 31-24, and rallied for 21 points in the second half to put a scare into Northern Arizona, 38-31, a week ago.
Following an unpadded walk-through practice Thursday, Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. praised his team.
“It’s a football game, full of situations all the way through. I thought you guys did a really good job of focusing,” he said.
The way he described the Trailblazers, focus is a valuable attribute. Situations indeed. Apparently, there are a lot of moving parts when you play them.
On defense, “they are disciplined. They fly around,” Ford said . “They mix up their coverages. You get big, they get big. You get skinny, they will put another defensive back out there.” The Trailblazers also play more man-to-man coverage than Idaho’s first two opponents, Washington State and St Thomas, which ought to please the Vandals’ receivers.
On offense, Utah Tech likes to run misdirection, according to Ford. The Trailblazers play up tempo, and they have a running quarterback in Reggie Graff, who ran for 74 yards with touchdowns of 31 yards and 8 yards against NAU. Graff also passed for a pair of touchdowns against UC Davis.
“They are definitely a challenging opponent,” Ford said.
Idaho regularly practices playing with tempo on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Ford said, so Vandals’ defenders are accustomed to it.
Utah Tech may also have its hands full containing Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood. He was the Big Sky Conference co-offensive player of the week, along with Montana running back Eli Gillman. Against St Thomas, Wood threw for a career high 281 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards, including 59 yards to another touchdown.
For the first two games, Wood is Idaho’s leading rusher. He has run for a net 188 yards, an average of 11.1 yards per carry. He has also completed 32 of 45 passes for 314 yards, three touchdowns, with one interception.
A pair of Vandals’ receivers may also prove to be a handful for Utah Tech. Ryan Jezioro made three catches for 83 yards and a touchdown against St Thomas, and Tony Harste had five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Idaho is planning a series of events to commemorate the Kibbie Dome’s first half century. On Friday, emeritus professor of architecture and former director of facilities planning D. Nels Reese will present a free lecture at 6 pm in the ICCU Arena Alumni Room on the history and construction of the dome. When the roof was completed, the dome was only the second indoor college football facility in the country.