Vandals face 14th-ranked UC Davis in the Big Sky opener

MOSCOW, Idaho – UC Davis is Idaho's third-ranked opponent in a row and this may be the toughest of them all. The fourth-seeded Vandals open Big Sky play at No. 14 UC Davis. The Aggies and Vandals are both on three-game winning streaks after losing a close game to a Power 4 team in the season opener. The Aggies have the best statistical defense Idaho has seen since the season opener. Davis had the easier situation, but welcomes Idaho to UC Davis Health Stadium, which hosted over 14,000 fans last weekend. The game was named FCS Game of the Week by Stats Perform.

ABOUT IDAHO: The Vandals became the first team with two FCS ranked wins after overtaking UAlbany and Abilene Christian. The Vandals are on a three-game winning streak after losing the season opener at Oregon. Keyshawn James Newby leads the FCS with 6.5 sacks in four games. The Vandals are ranked 11th in the FCS in sacks despite facing two FBS teams with a strong tradition of offensive line play. quarterback Jack Wagner was solid, picking up wins in his first three starts. Jake Cox, Jordan Dwyer And Nate Thomas Lead the Vandals with two touchdowns each this season.

ABOUT UC DAVIS: Idaho native Lan Larison is one of the best running backs in the country, but the Aggies have been one of the best in the country in the passing game. They rank 11th in the country with 272.8 yards per game through the air. UC Davis has a strong defense, ranking 24th in total defense and 29th in scoring defense. First-year head coach Tim Plow is an experienced coach who has worked at all levels of college football but returned to his alma mater for his first head coaching job.

CHOOSE SIX

1. ECK'S VANDALS OVERFLOW THE MOUNTAIN WEST AGAIN: Idaho is now 2-0 in games against Mountain West programs Jason Eck after defeating Wyoming 17-13 last Saturday in Laramie. The Vandals have given up a total of just 19 points in two games against Mountain West opponents over the last two seasons and have allowed just one touchdown between the two games. The win helps put Idaho in a great position to advance to the FCS portion of the schedule.

2. STREET WARRIOR: Idaho begins the season with four of its first five games on the road. The Vandals played consecutive FBS opponents at Oregon and Wyoming before hosting a ranked UAlbany team at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome before traveling to Abilene Christian. The Vandals have a 3-1 record in their first four games and close the round at UC Davis to open the Big Sky. The Vandals opened the 2023 season with five of the first six road games and went 5-1 in that phase, with their only loss coming against Cal. In the first two seasons under coach Eck, Idaho won as many road games (eight) as in the previous six seasons.

3. YOUTH IN INJURY: There are 54 offensive players listed on Idaho's roster. First: transfer tight end Mike Martínezis listed as senior. Of the 54, 46 are listed as freshmen or sophomores. The youth movement in Idaho's offense is real, but the talent to match is there after the Vandals compiled top-10 recruiting classes in the FCS each of the last two years.

4. START Freshman: Starting quarterback to open the season Jack Layne was injured in the fourth quarter of Idaho's season opener at Oregon. He is expected to be out for an extended period of time, which opens the door for redshirt freshmen Jack Wagner take the starting role. Wagner started the Wyoming game with his first eight passes before finishing the game 12-for-21 for 101 yards and a touchdown. He threw no interceptions and was sacked only once in the 17-13 season. He had another solid performance against UAlbany, throwing for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He still has to turn the ball over. Idaho is 5-0 under corner as the season-opening backup QBs start the game.

5. EXPERIENCE IN THE TRENCHES: Idaho has swapped out starters at almost every experienced position on offense, both at corner and two of three linebackers, but the lineup is a different story. Seven of last season's 10 offensive linemen return, including four starters. On defense, six of the eight return, including all four starters from last season. Last year, nine of the 10 players on the O-line depth chart were freshmen or sophomores, and while there still isn't a single senior on the O-line, the group has the playing experience of a much older team.

6. DOMINANT D-LINE: Idaho's defensive line has shown it can play with anyone. It faced two strong FBS units and came away with seven sacks in a Big Sky Conference win. Keyshawn James Newby leads the FCS with 6.5 total sacks through three games, surpassing his total of five sacks all of last year. The Vandals held Oregon to just 24 points, the first time an FCS team held Oregon to under 35 points. As a result, both teams remained scoreless in the third quarter and Wyoming only managed one touchdown on the day. Dallas Afalava has two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. Idaho did not allow a touchdown from the first quarter of the Wyoming game until the final minutes of the UAlbany game.