Idaho looks to carry momentum of monumental win into road test at Weber State

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Oct. 5—MOSCOW, Idaho — Heading into their game Saturday in Ogden, Utah, Weber State and Idaho must be on cloud nine.

The Wildcats (3-3, 2-2 Big Sky) survived in double overtime Saturday against Cal Poly 42-34.

The Vandals (1-4, 1-1) pulled off the most improbable upset Friday with a 35-34 win over top-ranked Montana State, formerly unbeaten and the reigning national FCS champion. Joshua Wood connected with Ryan Jezioro on a 25-yard touchdown pass with one second remaining then followed with a 2-point conversion for

the improbable victory.

One of them will be coming back to earth this weekend.

Idaho's win against Montana State validated everything the Vandals have invested in building a team, said Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. Monday during his weekly news conference.

"That was one game out of the seven we have remaining," he said. "On to Weber State.

We proved anybody in this league can beat anybody."

The Vandals came out of the MSU game without anyone suffering significant injury, according to Ford, and a couple of previously injured players, offensive lineman Tyler Skinner and defensive back Ishaan Daniel, are expected back against the Wildcats.

Ford said to win, Idaho will have to match offensive production with Weber State.

"Their offense is putting up some yards and points. They spread you out," he said.

Against Cal Poly, quarterback Nate Dahle threw for a pair of touchdowns and led the Wildcats in rushing with 85 yards and scored another touchdown. His favorite targets were Tate Kjar, who caught five passes for 89 yards and both touchdowns, and Noah Kjar, who caught five passes for 79 yards. Their father, Eric Kjar, is Weber State's first-year coach.

Through their first six games, the Wildcats lead the Big Sky with 225 points, an average of 37.5 per game.

On defense, the Wildcats like to play man-to-man in the secondary, which could be good news for Idaho. Wood, the Big Sky offensive player of the week, ranks second in the league in total offense, averaging 306.2 yards per game. This includes passing for 1,320 yards. He threw for 315 yards against Montana State, with a pair of touchdowns to Jezioro.

The Wildcats are able to play as much man coverage as they do, says Ford, because senior cornerback Tre Turner, who transferred from Lamar this year, "takes care of one side of the field.

"We have to do a good job winning the one-on-one matchups."

The Wildcats lead the league with 16 sacks, which should make for an interesting battle between their defense and Idaho's offensive line. The Vandals have tried to establish themselves as the more physical team in every game they have played, and they finally got that done against the Bobcats.

"You play a physical group, you better answer with the physicality," said Ford.

Damonte Bias led the Vandals with 46 yards rushing against MSU, an average of 6.6 yards per carry.

"He had some coming out vibes," said Ford. "We're expecting more from him."

Weber State will be facing an Idaho team that did more than record the season's first win last week, said Ford. The Vandals heading to Utah are now a resolute bunch.

"These guys have never stopped believing throughout the season," Ford said. "They got it done against a quality opponent. It makes it hard to break that belief."

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