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| Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal |
Gallery from Saturday's game
Bengals' winning streak not enough to break into polls
Idaho State’s win on Saturday means the biggest game for the program in a decade lies in wait this weekend.
You’ve heard that before?
As the Bengals continue to win — they haven’t lost since Oct. 4 — the stakes rise to a new level every weekend. With a 5-1 record in the Big Sky Conference, Idaho State is two wins away from a league title.
And two more wins likely means ISU is headed to the FCS playoffs, a place no Bengal squad has been since 1983.
Standing in the way of a Big Sky championship and the playoffs are the Montana State Bobcats and the Weber State Wildcats. Weber State is the sworn enemy of ISU. Montana State, ranked 12th by The Sports Network, is where Bengals coach Mike Kramer spent seven years of his career before being fired.
You think he wants this one?
Before that, though, let’s look back and decipher the pluses and minuses from Idaho State’s 30-28 victory over then-No. 21 Cal Poly on Saturday.
Plus
Idaho State’s fans. The biggest Idaho State home football crowd (9,323) in the Kramer era piled into Holt Arena and made a real difference.
If that game was anywhere else other than the Dome, maybe ISU never goes up 17 points or maybe the Mustangs complete the comeback. But neither of those things happened and Idaho State’s boisterous, large crowd is part of the reason.
That’s called a home-field advantage. The Bengals could have one of the best in the nation.
Plus/Minus
Plus for Idaho State’s offensive start. Minus for ISU’s offensive finish. In the Bengals’ first four drives they ran 32 plays for 219 yards (6.84 yards per play) and scored 17 points.
After getting gashed in the first quarter the Mustangs adjusted and forced Idaho State into three punts and two turnovers . ISU ran 46 plays for 213 yards (4.63 yards per play) and Cal Poly outscored the Bengals 28-13 after Idaho State’s torrid start.
But there is one crucial point that can’t be overlooked. With the Bengals clinging to a 23-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter, they strung together a championship drive, going 80 yards over eight plays in two minutes and 44 seconds. Madison Mangum’s 24-yard touchdown catch put ISU up nine with six minutes remaining.
That final TD drive took major guts, and quarterback Justin Arias was just coming off of two picks in his previous five attempts (after not throwing an interception for 231 passes). But Arias and Mangum made the game-winning plays when they had to.
“The mark of a quarterback is not necessarily how many yards he threw for, how many touchdown passes you threw,” Kramer said after the game. “It’s how many big games you’ve won. And Justin Arias has put his stamp on this program in an indelible way. Because he leads us, really, on both sides of the ball as a humble, efficient, effective team leader in the ultimate team sport.”
Plus
Cal Poly quarterback Chris Brown is one tough guy. The junior ran the ball an astounding 39 times. He picked up 195 yards but averaged 5 yards a carry.
ISU’s defense went after Brown and delivered punishing hit after punishing hit. It seemed like any moment that Brown just wasn’t going to get up any more. But he always did and nearly rallied the Mustangs to a come-from-behind win in a hostile environment.
Plus/Minus
Minus for the Bengals settling for three field goals. Plus for freshman Zak Johnson nailing them. The final score would have looked a lot different if ISU could’ve have turned two red zone opportunities into touchdowns instead of field goals.
But, as it turned out, those field goals were enough. Johnson, who is from Meridian, split the uprights from the 35, 27 and 39. For the season, he’s 10 for 15 and has a long of 49 yards. Johnson has also had three field goals blocked this year, but he was able to make the biggest kicks of his career Saturday.
For that, he was named the Big Sky Co-Special Teams Player of the week.
Plus
Idaho State’s coaching staff adjusting on the fly without two key defensive linemen. Sage Warner and Robby Mackesey were both hurt against the Mustangs and neither returned to the game. That left ISU with few options along the defensive line that was already dealing with depth issues.
With Warner and Mackesey unavailable, David Forester had a bigger role and Idaho State largely played with two defensive linemen, five linebackers and four defensive backs or two d-linemen, four linebackers and five defensive backs.
Idaho State on Root Sports
Idaho State battles Montana State (7-3, 5-1 BSC) for first place in the Big Sky Conference on Saturday.
The game will be on ROOT SPORTS and DIRECTV’s Audience Network with coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Bengals in the Big Sky and national rankings
— Idaho State has the Big Sky’s No. 1 scoring offense in league play (43.3 points per game), and the Bengals are No. 6 in scoring defense (26.8 ppg).
— The Bengals lead the league in interceptions (12), sacks (22) and turnover margin (plus-nine) during Big Sky play.
— With 1,360 yards, Xavier Finney is the country’s fourth-leading rusher.
— Arias leads the nation in passing yards (3,384) and touchdown passes (32).
— Mangum is sixth in the country with 1,024 yards and KW Williams is tied for ninth with 10 receiving touchdowns.
— Mario Jenkins sixth in the Big Sky with 98 tackles. Mitch Beckstead is eighth (93 tackles), Taison Manu is 10th (89) and Cody Sorensen is 17th (80).
— Austin Graves is third in the Big Sky with nine sacks.
Big Sky players of the week
The Big Sky Conference selected Sacramento State wide receiver DeAndre Carter as the Offensive Player of the Week, Montana State linebacker Alex Singleton as the Defensive Player of the Week and Northern Arizona kicker/punter Ryan Hawkins and Idaho State’s Johnson are the Co-Special Teams Players of the Week.
Carter caught 16 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns in Sacramento State’s 42-21 win over Southern Utah. His catches and yards set single-game school records. Carter’s 273 yards are the most by an FCS player this season
Singleton recorded a season-high 17 tackles, including 14 solo stops in Montana State’s 29-22 win over Portland State. Singleton registered three tackles for loss. His 14 solo tackles are the most by a Big Sky player this season.
Johnson made three field goals and three extra points in Idaho State’s 30-28 win over No. 21 Cal Poly. Johnson connected on field goals of 35, 27 and 39 yards to help the Bengals maintain the lead throughout the game. The victory was Idaho State’s first over a ranked opponent since 2005.
Hawkins made three field goals and averaged 51.8 yards per punt in a 23-21 win over UC Davis.
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