Vandals and Hornets primed for top-10 battle

Sep. 23—The No. 7 Idaho football team has a chance to show the Football Championship Subdivision world it has arrived at 1 p.m. today against No. 4 Sacramento State at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome.

This game will serve as Idaho's home and Big Sky Conference opener.

The Vandals finished their nonconference slate 2-1 with wins over Football Championship Subdivision peer Lamar (42-17 Aug. 31) and Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Nevada (33-6 Sept. 9).

The Hornets finished 3-0 in nonleague play with two wins against bottom-tier Southland Conference teams (Nicholls 38-24 Aug. 31, Texas A&M Commerce 34-6, Sept. 9) as well as a victory over the Pac-12's Stanford (30-23) last Saturday.

Here's what to expect in the first FCS top-10 matchup at the Kibbie Dome since 1994:

Doing more than showing you belong

The Hornets have won 22 consecutive regular season games, which includes 19 straight from within the Big Sky Conference.

Sacramento State is also returning 18 players to its starting lineup, and those who weren't there last year are already starting to make an impact.

The Vandals are familiar with the role of underdog, and during the Jason Eck era, they've been competitive, but haven't found a way to win consistently.

The Eck-led Vandals are 1-4 against teams with an above .500 record, losing by an average of 12 points. But on the bright side, Idaho is also bringing back its share of starters who have made an early impact.

Sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy has made the necessary year-one to year-two leap, ranking third in the Big Sky with 759 passing yards.

The Vandals deep receiving corps, made up of redshirt juniors Hayden Hatten and Terez Traynor, senior Jermaine Jackson and redshirt freshman Jordan Dwyer, will give any secondary fits, and that includes Sac State, which ranks second in the Big Sky (158.3 per game).

"Last year, Hayden and JJ had a majority of the catches," Idaho coach Jason Eck said during Monday's news conference. "This year, you're seeing some other guys get the ball, which is good."

Let the playmakers cook

In theory, Idaho has enough playmakers to compete in a shootout, and it might need to in this one. But the weapons will only shine if the offensive line holds up.

So far, Idaho's front five has allowed five sacks and spearheaded a rushing attack that averages 177 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the Big Sky.

The big boys have been bailed out several times this season by the athleticism of the players in the backfield. For example, against Cal, McCoy was under duress for the majority of his 46 dropbacks. The Golden Bears picked up just one sack, but the Baldwin Hills, Calif., native was hurried eight times.

The Vandals' big bodies will be tasked with a relentless Sac State pass rush that has notched 10 sacks, which is tied for the conference's lead.

Another example came during Week 1's contest against Lamar, where the unit allowed three sacks, which already isn't great. But Anthony Woods broke free for a 93-yard run that should've been stopped at the line of scrimmage.

Woods had to shake off two unblock Cardinals who were both standing in the only available running lane. The Palmdale, Calif., native did the rest by juking out a defender in open field and outrunning the defense before stepping out of bounds.

The routine plays, just as much as the explosive ones, need to be available for the Vandals in order for them to win this game.

"I think there's been growth at the line of scrimmage," Eck said. "But we have to keep getting better fundamentally on both the offensive and defensive lines, and I think that kind of got exposed last week, and that's something we have to strive to keep getting better at."

Stop the run; get the passer

Idaho has allowed 1,407 yards rushing in its six losses over the last two years, an average of 234.5 per game.

The Sac State offense has a very potent rushing attack, tallying 130 carries for 705 yards three games into the season.

The Hornets have two dynamic runners that the Vandal defense will have to shut down in running back Marcus Fulcher and quarterback Kaiden Bennett.

Fulcher earned third-team All-Big Sky honors last season, playing behind All-American running back Cameron Skattebo, who has since graduated.

So far, the Fresno, Calif., native has been steady, recording 44 carries for 196 yards and three touchdowns.

Bennett, who is the newest addition to the Sac State run game, has proved to be the most explosive. He's currently fourth in the Big Sky in rushing yards with 239 yards and four touchdowns.

"He's a really good player," Eck said. "He probably takes a lot of the two best characteristics of the two quarterbacks they used last year. He probably throws it as well as (Jake) Dunniway and runs it similarly to (Asher) O'Hara."

The Vandals' rush defense has improved this season, allowing 148.3 yards per game, which ranks seventh in the conference.

Idaho didn't allow a 100-yard rusher in either of its first two games and had big performances from defensive tackles Amarii Notice and Jahkari Larmond.

The pair of super heavyweights have been an immovable force in the middle of the Vandal defense.

"We have to stop the run," Eck said. "This is a very well-coached football team. Even though they lost some guys to graduation and the portal, they haven't dropped off."

Idaho has also been able to get pressure on the edge from transfers Tylen Coleman and Keyshawn James-Newby, who both had a solid showing against Cal's offensive line. But Sacramento State's offensive line is also a stout group, not allowing a sack three games into the season.

"I think their O-line is very good," Eck said. "Those guys have a lot of football; they're really good players, and that will probably be the biggest challenge."

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks