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Idaho Football

Things to watch: Vandals, Eagles prepare for game with uncertainty at quarterback

Idaho quarterback Jack Wagner drops back to pass against Albany on Sept. 14 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. (Geoff Crimmins/The Spokesman-Review)
By Peter Harriman The Spokesman-Review

MOSCOW, Idaho – After their game Saturday evening in Moscow, somebody will take possession of the former Governor’s Cup trophy that Idaho coach Jason Eck dug out of storage and repurposed with a strip of white athletic tape and a black marker into the “Che Scow Cup.”

Idaho and Eastern Washington, however, have a lot more riding on the outcome.

The Vandals have been hit hard by injuries. The group of wounded players in a corner of the Kibbie Dome at practice, some on crutches, some with braces, doing rehab and conditioning exercises numbered more than a dozen this week. After disappointing conference losses to UC Davis and Montana State, Idaho (5-3 overall, 2-2 Big Sky) clings to a No. 11 ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision as it anticipates a badly needed bye following its rivalry game against the Eagles.

EWU’s potent offense that is averaging almost 36 points per game has been unable to completely offset a defense that is giving up nearly 38 points per contest. The Eagles (2-5, 1-2) are looking to jump-start a season that has been disappointing.

“They score points on everybody,” Eck said. “They are a better football team than their record indicates.”

Here are three things to watch in the battle for the Che Scow Cup.

1. Who will play quarterback for the Vandals? Jack Layne opened the season as Idaho’s starter but was knocked out in the first game, against Oregon, with a broken collarbone. He suited up a week ago as Idaho’s emergency quarterback against Cal Poly. But Eck has been noncommittal about Layne’s role this week. In Layne’s absence, Jack Wagner, Nick Josifek and Rocco Koch have all taken turns running Idaho’s offense. Josifek has been lost for the season following a collarbone injury. Eck had good things to say about both Wagner and Koch after Wagner passed for three touchdowns and Koch ran for one plus a 2-point conversion in Idaho’s win against Cal Poly.

2. Who will play quarterback for the Eagles? Redshirt junior Kekoa Visperas has been the go-to guy for EWU this season. He has 149 completions in 202 attempts for 1,536 yards and 13 touchdowns with a single interception. He was injured last year when Idaho beat EWU 44-36. Senior Jared Taylor took Visperas’ place then, and played well, rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor has completed 8 of 11 passes for 66 yards this season and has rushed for 308 yards and five touchdowns. The Eagles have also called upon another senior, Michael Wortham. In three games this year, he has thrown for a pair of touchdowns and run for two. “They do a little bit of everything with him,” Eck said of Wortham.

3. How many Vandals receivers equal one Efton Chism? The EWU senior slot receiver decorates the school record book. This season, he has caught 69 passes for 750 yards and eight touchdowns. For Idaho, redshirt sophomore Jordan Dwyer has 36 receptions for 482 yards and five touchdowns, Redshirt freshman Mark Hamper has 23 catches for 487 yards and one score. While another redshirt freshman, Emmerson Cortez-Menjivar, has only seven catches for 76 yards, he has been a proficient scorer with three touchdowns.