‘This is the fun part’: Idaho advances to FCS quarterfinals with win against Lehigh 34-13

MOSCOW, Idaho – Big plays early allowed Idaho to begin enforcing its will in a second round Football Championship Subdivision playoff game against a Lehigh team that inexorably fell behind, could not contain the Vandals’ volatile passing attack and had trouble scoring points of its own.

Idaho posted a 34-13 victory and now moves on to a quarterfinal rematch next Friday in Bozeman with Big Sky Conference champion and top-ranked Montana State.

The Bobcats readily handled Idaho earlier this year, 38-7.

“Obviously we have got to flip the script on Montana State. They kicked our butts in October,” said Idaho coach Jason Eck.

The Vandals threw for 326 yards, with quarterback Jack Layne accounting for 318 of them on 16 of 22 passing with three touchdowns.

“I thought our passing attack was outstanding,” Eck said, and I was happy we stopped the run better in the second half.”

Idaho opened scoring. Layne, on third and goal at the five-yard line, hit Jordan Dwyer in the corner of the end zone and Dwyer was able to get a foot down on probably the final millimeter of turf inbounds.

The touchdown came on Idaho’s first possession, a 75-yard march that featured a heavy dose of Deshaun Buchanan, who ran nine times. The Vandals converted a 4th and 2 at the Lehigh 23 when Buchanan danced in his backfield and waited for his blocking to move the Lehigh defensive line off the ball enough for him to pick up the first down.

Cameron Pope’s kick was wide.

Dwyer scored again in the second quarter. He outran Jordan Adderley and took a 50-yard pass from Layne at the 12-yard line and backed into the end zone. Idaho’s attempt at a two-point conversion failed when Layne’s pass went off the hands of Elisha Cummings.

“Credit to the O line. Credit to Jack,” Dwyer said of his second touchdown. He offered several explanations for why he backed into the end zone before finally acknowledging “good thing I didn’t get a flag or something.”

Layne torched the Mountain Hawks again before the half. After Andrew Marshall fielded a punt at his own 30-yard line and returned it 28 yards to the Lehigh 42, on first down there, Layne launched a 42-yard pass to Mark Hamper who had gotten five yards of separation from free safety Nick Peltekian and strong safety Mason Moore.

Pope’s extra point was good.

The Mountain Hawks avoided a shutout when Nick Garrido drilled a 35-yard field goal at 6:20 of the second quarter. He was responsible for all Lehigh’s first half scoring after hitting a 39-yard field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter.

Lehigh lost starting center George Padezanin. He was hurt in the second quarter blocking for Johnson on a quarterback keeper. Padezanin finished the game on the sidelines on crutches with his right foot in medical boot.

“George is one of the smartest football players I have ever played with in my life,” said Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson, and his loss may have had a lot to do with the Mountain Hawks’ difficulty converting fourth downs and scoring in the red zone in the second half

Idaho continued to pour on points after the break.

Buchanan rushed for a touchdown at 10:59 of third quarter. On third and goal at the three, center Layton Vining trapped a Lehigh defensive lineman and opened a lane for Buchanan to score. A two-point conversion pass from Layne to Dwyer, breaking hard right in the end zone, was good, and the Vandals led 27-6.

“The drive that killed us was that first drive in the second half. That was the difference maker, Lehigh coach Kevin Cahill said.

Five minutes later, Vandals linebacker Zach Johnson stepped in front of a Hayden Johnson 4th and 5 pass at his own 40-yard line and took it 74 yards down the sideline to score with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter to give the Vandals an insurmountable 34-6 advantage.

Zach Johnson described lurking in a zone waiting for that throw.

“I was sitting in a window. Double slant to the back side.”

Jason Eck agreed with Cahill about the significance of the early third quarter.

“On the first two series of the second half, we got that touchdown, and Zach ran it back. That gave us control of the game.”

The Mountain Hawks, anxious to stir up some kind of offense, tried to leverage an eight-play drive that took them from their own 25 to Idaho’s 29-yard line and went for it on 4th and 5, but Johnson’s sideline pass to Humphrey came up short and Idaho took over on downs.

Lehigh pressed the Vandals again. Pope missed a 45-yard field goal try, and on its next possession the Mountain Hawks went from Idaho’s 44 to four-yard line in six plays. But the Vandals managed a goal line stand. Jahkari Larmond and Jaxton Eck turned back Jaden Green for no gain on a run. Hayden Johnson’s end zone pass went off the hands of Jake Staslitz. A second pass to Mason Humphrey was long, and on fourth down Dylan Layne broke up a pass to Matt D’Avino in the end zone.

The Mountain Hawks finally scored a touchdown with 28 seconds to play. After second team quarterback Dante Perri connected on three straight passes to Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh had a first and goal at the Idaho one-yard line. Perri carried for the touchdown, and Garrido hit the extra point to set the final score at 34-13.

“We gave him that drive at the end, and Dante does what Dante does,” said Cahill.

“He is a tremendous mentor, the most selfless guy in our program.

“To have him go out scoring a touchdown meant the world to our roster.”

Dwyer led all receivers with seven catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Mark Hamper added 97 yards and a touchdown on five receptions for the Vandals.

After his day’s work, Dwyer offered his thoughts on closing out the Vandals’ home season with a playoff victory and a chance to redeem themselves against the Bobcats.

“We work hard all year long, conditioning, winter workouts. This is the fun part.”