‘We have to get better’: Vandals largely living up to expectations, but plenty to improve on in second half of season

MOSCOW, Idaho – For the most part, Idaho’s football team is living up to expectations.

But the Vandals haven’t reached their ceiling.

Idaho (5-2, 3-1 Big Sky) has only lost once against Football Championship Subdivision competition – a 23-21 heartbreaker Oct. 14 at home against Montana. Coming off a bye week, the Vandals are ranked No. 9 in the STATS Perform FCS poll and well positioned to make their second consecutive FCS playoff berth.

The Vandals are heading into their toughest Big Sky game of the year. Idaho will host No. 2 Montana State (6-1, 4-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kibbie Dome.

“We’ll bounce back,” Vandals coach Jason Eck said last week during his coach’s show. “I think we’ve got a really resilient team.

“We’re not talking about this as a bye week as much as an ‘improvement week.’ We have to get better and really improve our consistency. … We’ve gotta play at a consistent, higher level to win these next four games and hopefully get some more time to play after that.”

Coming into the season, there was considerable hype surrounding Idaho’s program. Just past the midseason point of their campaign, it’d be fair to say that the Vandals have backed it up. Still, they’ll need to make a number of improvements if they hope to contend for a Big Sky title.

Let’s take a midseason look at what’s worked for Idaho and what’s still a work in progress.

Starting on the offensive side of the ball, the Vandals have been productive, but they could stand to become a little more consistent. They struggled to complete drives against a tough defense from Montana, and it won’t get any easier when they face Montana State’s top-tier defenders.

Turnovers and sacks have sometimes been issues. The passing game hasn’t always been clean, and the ground game hit a wall last week.

Idaho ranks 13th nationally and second in the Big Sky in total offense (436.3 yards per game). Idaho sits at 19th in the FCS and third in the conference in scoring offense (33.6 points per game).

The rushing game has been a pleasant surprise for an Idaho team that was expected to do its best work through the air. The Vandals are the No. 23 rushing team in the FCS at 183.6 yards per game. Sophomore tailback Anthony Woods leads the Big Sky in rushing yards (703) and touchdowns (11).

Idaho’s rushing attack had a rough outing against Montana, which boasts the Big Sky’s top rushing defense. Woods and backup running back Nick Romano combined for 53 yards on 16 carries. Can the Vandal ground game bounce back this weekend against the conference’s No. 2 rushing defense?

Quarterback Gevani McCoy has been solid, showing signs of his superstar potential in bursts. But his numbers aren’t quite as sparkling as fans probably imagined ahead of the season.

McCoy ranks 27th nationally and third in the Big Sky with 1,642 passing yards. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns against six interceptions – he tossed seven picks in 11 games last year.

Some of that can be attributed to the offensive line, which has impressed in the run game but has had some trouble protecting McCoy, who is too often forced to scramble before routes can develop. The Vandals have allowed 17 sacks – 82nd in the FCS.

“We gotta protect better,” Eck said.

The Vandals are young on the O-line, and the group lost its most veteran player a few days before the Montana game. Center Elijah Sanchez will be out for the rest of the season due to injury.

Idaho’s receiving corps brought in plenty of preseason accolades, with Hayden Hatten and Jermaine Jackson both coming off 1,000-yard seasons. The duo has been bright in stretches, but hasn’t been as dominant as expected.

Hatten is coming off his best game of the year. He totaled 139 yards and caught two touchdowns against Montana, breaking the Idaho career record for TD catches (28) in the process.

“That’s a heckuva record, to say you caught more touchdown passes as an Idaho Vandal than anyone in the history of the program, and that program goes back over 100 years,” Eck said. “That’s impressive. Hopefully, we can add a lot more and make this a really tough record to break.”

Hatten, who amassed 16 touchdowns last year, has four scores so far this season. He ranks 18th nationally and third in the Big Sky in receiving yardage (569).

Jackson has posted a few highlight-reel catches, but his season has been underwhelming thus far. The senior has logged 366 yards on 23 receptions, and has yet to score a touchdown.

While the ground game has been reliable, it might be time for the Vandals to try getting their two standout receivers a bit more involved.

Defensively, the Vandals have performed admirably – despite having to rebuild their defensive line and linebacking corps this offseason.

Idaho ranks 14th in the FCS and sits atop the Big Sky in total defense (302.6 yards allowed per game). The Vandals are No. 22 nationally and third in the conference in scoring defense (22 points allowed per game).

Their veteran-laden secondary has led the way, committing few coverage errors and limiting deep passes downfield. The Vandals have held five of seven opponents under 200 yards passing. Idaho ranks 11th nationally in pass-defense efficiency, just behind Montana State.

But the Vandals have had some slip-ups against strong rushing teams. There’s been the occasional hole in the middle of their defensive front.

Idaho has given up more than 200 yards in two games, and it surrendered 158 yards against Montana. The Vandals sit 40th in the FCS and fourth in the Big Sky in rushing defense (134.4 yards per game).

Another disappointing defensive trend – forcing turnovers. The Vandals have collected just eight takeaways after piling up 21 last season. Idaho ranks 101st in the FCS with a minus-5 turnover margin.

The Vandals’ pass rush has been adequate, not exceptional. Idaho has recorded 13 sacks (64th nationally). It hasn’t helped that standout edge rusher Malakai Williams is struggling with an injury that has kept him out for four straight games. But sophomore Montana Tech transfer Keyshawn James-Newby has been a bright spot in his stead. James-Newby leads the team and ranks third in the Big Sky with five sacks.

Other notable defensive numbers:

South Dakota transfer middle linebacker Tre Thomas leads Idaho with 40 tackles, while four other defenders have registered 30 or more tackles apiece.

Nickel Mathias Bertram is quietly having an all-conference-caliber year. The junior has 35 tackles, 3½ TFLs, five pass break-ups and a forced fumble.

Star cornerback Marcus Harris is turning in another impressive season. The senior leads the team with six pass break-ups – he had 14 PBUs last year, tying for third in single-season Idaho history. Harris is fourth on the team with 30 tackles and three TFLs. He’s also one of five players to record an interception.