Indiana Football Week 2: Meet the Idaho Vandals
Indiana will look to build on its 1-0 start to the 2022 season on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET against the Idaho Vandals.
The Hoosiers' season-opening win was led by a game-winning drive by new starting quarterback Connor Bazelak, as well as four takeaways by the Indiana defense. Despite the victory, Indiana coach Tom Allen recognized the Hoosiers' struggles in Week 1, namely the run game, offensive line play and 23 missed tackles.
"Just got to get better," Allen said. "But it's a whole lot more enjoyable correcting these issues after a big conference win to start the season."
For the second consecutive season, Indiana will host Idaho. Last year, the Hoosiers won this matchup 56-14, but there are plenty of new faces on the Idaho roster in 2022. Let's meet Indiana's Week 2 opponent, the Idaho Vandals.
Week 1 Recap
Idaho started its 2022 campaign with a road trip to Pullman, Wash. to take on the Washington State Cougars of the Pac-12. The Vandals entered this game as 28.5-point underdogs, but proved to be no easy pushover.
Washington State approached the red zone on the opening drive, but running back Jaylen Jenkins fumbled the ball after crossing the first-down marker. Idaho was unable to capitalize on this turnover, but the Vandals forced another fumble on the following Washington State drive. And this time, defensive back Marcus Harris took it to the house for a 45-yard scoop-and-score touchdown to take the lead.
The first quarter concluded with Idaho on top 10-0, but Washington State rallied to tie the game at 10 at halftime. The Idaho offense struggled mightily throughout most of the second half, punting five times and failing to convert on fourth down twice in its first seven possessions.
Washington State scored 24 unanswered points to take a 14-point lead, but Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy led a touchdown drive with six minutes remaining to keep the Vandals in the game. Idaho drove all the way to the Washington State 28-yard line with a chance to tie the game and force overtime, but McCoy threw an interception with 12 seconds remaining.
Offensive Leaders
Quarterback Gevani McCoy is in his second season at Idaho after starting a pair of games for the Vandals as a true freshman. In 2021, McCoy completed 15-of-32 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Idaho lost 71-21 at Eastern Washington in McCoy's debut and fell 34-14 the following week against Montana.
In the Week 1 loss to Washington State, McCoy completed 21-of-32 attempts for 212 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. McCoy is a 6-foot, 175-pound redshirt freshman from Baldwin Hills, Calif.
The Vandals gave nine carries to both Anthony Woods and Roshaun Johnson last week. Woods went for 50 yards compared to Johnson's 19, and Aundre Carter added four carries for 14 yards. Woods is a true freshman, and Johnson is a sixth-year senior who carried the ball 91 times for 444 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021.
McCoy's go-to receiver in Week 1 was Jermaine Jackson, a 5-foot-7, 165-pound redshirt junior. Jackson hauled in six passes for 113 yards last week, and joined Idaho in 2021 after two seasons at the College of San Mateo. True freshman receiver Jordan Dwyer scored the Vandals' lone offensive touchdown against Washington State, and Hayden Hatten was second on the team with five receptions.
Defensive Leaders
Idaho kept things close against Washington State because of three takeaways. Marcus Harris' scoop-and-score touchdown gave the Vandals a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, and Malakai Williams and Devante Keys recovered the other two fumbles.
Senior linebacker Fa'Avae Fa'Avae led Idaho with 11 tackles, one sack, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. Fa'Avae made 76 tackles in eight games for the Vandals last season, and transferred to Idaho after two years at Washington State.
Sophomore defensive backs Mathias Bertram and Tommy McCormick were second on the team with nine and six tackles, respectively. Redshirt senior linebacker Leo Tamba led the pass rush with 1.5 sacks, and USC transfer Juliano Falaniko was credited with the other half sack.
Coaching Staff
It's a new era of Idaho football with Jason Eck taking over. Eck spent the last six seasons at South Dakota State, where he made three semifinal appearances and reached the national championship game in 2021 as the offensive coordinator.
Before South Dakota State, Eck made stops at Montana State, Minnesota State, Western Illinois, Hampton, Ball State and Winona State. Eck's first coaching job came in 2004 when he was hired as the offensive line coach at Idaho, and now he takes over as the head coach.
Eck played offensive line on the 1998 Wisconsin Badgers football team that won the Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl. He served as a graduate assistant from 2000 to 2002 on Barry Alvarez's staff at Wisconsin.
Offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner and defensive coordinator Rob Aurich were part of the South Dakota State coaching staff last year, and made the transition to Idaho alongside Eck.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- BEAU ROBBINS' PATIENCE PAYS OFF: Indiana defensive end Beau Robbins was forced to be patient during his first three years as a Hoosier, but after steady commitment in the weight room, to his diet and on the practice field, he came through with a crucial sack on Illinois' final drive to help Indiana start the 2022 season with a 23-20 win. CLICK HERE
- FROM JUNIOR COLLEGE TO THE BIG TEN: After transferring from Trinity Valley Community College to Indiana this offseason, Cam Camper made an immediate impact for the Hoosiers on Friday night, posting 11 receptions for 156 yards in the 23-20 win over Illinois. CLICK HERE
- BEDFORD OUT FOR YEAR WITH TORN ACL: Indiana coach Tom Allen said on Monday that senior starting right tackle Matthew Bedford will miss the remainder of the 2022 Indiana football season with a torn ACL. West Texas A&M transfer Parker Hanna will start next week. CLICK HERE
