Idaho State gave up 35 points by halftime and lost 56-14 to Utah on a Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
The Bengal defense was gashed and the special teams … well … they had issues.
But it wasn’t all bad for ISU. Utah handed the Bengals a hefty check for the beat down and Idaho State showed signs of life that could carry it to the most wins in a season since 2005.
“I think there are things about tonight that when we get on the bus and travel 150 miles back to Pocatello, our guys are going to start feeling really, really good about where we’re at,” said ISU head coach Mike Kramer after the game.
With that, let’s break down the pluses and minuses from Idaho State’s battle with the Utes.
PLUS/MINUS: Kramer thought the Bengals proved they were better on defense against Utah.
“We never really were a factor, but if you’ve seen us play the last three years we were more of a factor tonight defensively than we have been,” he said.
That’s the plus. Kramer saw a difference on the field. The Bengal defense started particularly well, forcing Utah to punt the first time it had the ball.
But the Utes scored on six of their next eight possessions while racking up 589 total yards of offense. Utah had four scoring drives that took fewer than three minutes.
PLUS: Idaho State’s offensive line looks like it will be a strength of the team, a major change for the Bengals in Kramer’s fourth season in Pocatello.
Starting right guard Skyler Phillips was unavailable but Thomas Vazorka slid into this spot and the Bengals were still solid.
Running for 179 yards on the ground is a big positive. Even better, Utah’s defense knew it was pushed around.
“We were very average,” said Utes defensive end Nate Orchard. “We gave away a ton of big plays to the offense, especially in the rushing game.”
MINUS: Quarterback Justin Arias was sacked four times. Idaho State’s hopes for a good season lean heavily on its senior signal caller’s health, and he was beat up against Utah.
The four sacks were painful and Arias was hit several other times just as he released the ball. Too much of that and Arias will struggle to remain healthy for an entire season.
MINUS: Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham pushing for a touchdown with less than a minute left in the first half and the Utes holding a three-touchdown advantage.
MINUS: Whittingham, with Utah leading 35-7, ran a fake punt. Yeah, it’s up to Idaho State to stop it, but the game was well in hand. Utah’s backups were on the field for both offense and defense. Why run a fake?
PLUS: The Bengals showed some guts in the second half. Whether it was forcing Utah into three straight punts, creating a turnover via a fumble recovery from Mitch Beckstead or punching it in for a touchdown on their first possession in the third quarter, Idaho State had spunk against the Utes.
ISU didn’t back down.
“We did OK. We have a lot to work on, but it’s the first one,” said ISU right tackle Terrence Carey. “We’re just trying to get ready for next week.”
PLUS: Freshman Mario Jenkins stepped on the field for the first time in a Division I football game, and the Nampa native stepped off of it with a team-high eight tackles.
Kramer said Jenkins played like “a young pup,” and ISU’s coaches will have to comb through the film to find how many times Jenkins’ youth sent him sprinting the wrong way because of a poor read or confusion.
But Jenkins was only starting because of PJ Gremaud’s suspension from
the football team, and time spent on the field today could pay major
dividends for Jenkins and Idaho State down the road.
MINUS: Idaho State’s special teams were a mess.
MINUS: The special teams were just awful. That can’t be emphasized enough. ISU had a field goal blocked and gave up touchdowns on a punt return and a kickoff return. And it’s more than that.
The Bengals’ best field position starting a drive all game was at Utah’s 42. Otherwise, they were buried at their 25 nine times and inside their own 10-yard line on four separate occasions.
Take away special teams errors and Idaho State flips a 56-14 loss into a 42-17 (or better) semi-competitive ball game.
MINUS: Idaho State’s special teams were a mess.
MINUS: The special teams were just awful. That can’t be emphasized enough. ISU had a field goal blocked and gave up touchdowns on a punt return and a kickoff return. And it’s more than that.
The Bengals’ best field position starting a drive all game was at Utah’s 42. Otherwise, they were buried at their 25 nine times and inside their own 10-yard line on four separate occasions.
Take away special teams errors and Idaho State flips a 56-14 loss into a 42-17 (or better) semi-competitive ball game.
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