Things to watch: No. 4 Idaho ‘ready to go’ as it opens Big Sky play against No. 14 UC Davis
MOSCOW, Idaho – Another weekend. Another hotel room. Another ranked opponent.
The University of Idaho Vandals, 4th in the Football Championship Subdivision, will have played four of their first five games on the road when they face University of California Davis Saturday evening. After pressing Oregon, ranked 3rd in the Football Bowl Subdivision, in Eugene before falling 24-14. Idaho has compiled a three-game winning streak, defeating FBS Wyoming in Laramie, 17-13, before taking out FCS 17th ranked Albany in the Vandals lone home game, 41-13, and holding off 19th-ranked and late rallying Abilene Christian, 27-24, in the Texas heat and humidity.
Now the Vandals will try to add to their streak when they open Big Sky Conference play against the Aggies, 3-1, and 14th in FCS.
To this point, Idaho has played the third-toughest FCS schedule, Vandals coach Jason Eck points out, and he hopes this will impress the FCS committee responsible for seeding playoff teams.
“We’re ready to go,” Eck said.
He also noted UC Davis “is one of the two teams in the conference I haven’t beaten.” The Aggies rolled over the Vandals 44-26 two years ago during Eck’s first season at Idaho. The Aggies are 4-0 against the Vandals since Idaho returned to the Big Sky in 2018.
If Idaho can take care of business Saturday, Weber State will be the lone BSC member to be undefeated against Eck-coached teams.
Recovering from the sultry Abilene weather might have resulted in a lighter practice regimen this week. Eck said he did not want players getting practice reps just for the sake of getting reps, and as late as Wednesday Idaho practiced without pads.
Eck was also not thrilled about the 7 p.m. kickoff on the Davis Health Field. Spending all day at a hotel before a night game is boring for players, he said. But he acknowledged the Aggies put 14,000 people in the stands for their last game, and he is looking for a similar crowd Saturday.
“Guys like that. They like to play in a good atmosphere.”
Here are three things to watch when the Vandals and Aggies face off.
1. How will Idaho’s defense manage the challenge of Lan Larison? The Aggies throw downfield, having averaged 272 yards per game. But the go-to guy in their offense is Larison. A Caldwell native who got away from Idaho, Larison, a 215-pound senior, has rushed for 393 yards and two touchdowns. He also has a receiving touchdown. “He is the best running back in our conference,” Eck says. “He does a great job on downhill runs and insert runs, who also gets in their pass concept. You have got to gang tackle him. You are not going to tackle him one-on-one.”
2. Can Keyshawn James-Newby continue on a tear? The Vandals’ senior edge rusher leads FCS with 6.5 sacks through four games. That is one more than he got all of last year, and a good Aggies offensive line will certainly take note. Eck predicted “you are going to see backs chipping, tight ends chipping, and they are going to slide the center to his side.”
3. Are the Aggies as good as their ranking? After losing their opener to California, 31-13, the Aggies have matched Idaho’s three-game winning streak. But there is not a ranked team , or for that matter, a winning record, among the UC Davis victims. The Aggies beat 0-4 Texas A&M Commerce 36-22, 1-3 Southern Utah, 24-21 and 0-4 Utah Tech, 32-14.