Oct. 10—MOSCOW, Idaho — For good or ill Saturday, whatever Idaho does will be closely watched. It is homecoming for the Vandals. The campus was already filling up with RVs and campers Friday, and the Kibbie Dome will be packed as Idaho (2-3, 0-1 Big Sky) tries to shake off a two-game losing streak and begin a run that will secure the Vandals’ fourth straight trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Here are three things to watch for in the game against Northern Colorado (2-3, 0-1), which kicks off at 2 p.m. on SWX.
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1. Does depth become an issue? The Vandals and Bears have identical records. Both are coming off byes and both have played opponents tough. But for Northern Colorado, potentially becoming a good team is a new thing. The Bears won one game the previous two seasons. Idaho, by contrast, returns more than 50 players from a team that went 10-4 last year and has reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs the past two seasons. The Vandals have a lot of guys who have played a lot of good football. If someone has to come off the bench and rise to a challenge, it is more likely to come from the Idaho sideline.
2. Can Idaho’s revitalized running game overwhelm UNC’s shaky run defense? In the Bears’ last outing, a 26-18 loss to Idaho State, Dawson Brooks went off for 161 yards on the ground against UNC. Who’s he? L.J. Phillips, from South Dakota, rolled for 301 yards running against the Bears in a 24-17 overtime loss to the Coyotes. Even UNC coach Ed Lamb acknowledges the Bears have had a tough time stopping the run. This could be good news for the Vandals. Senior tailback Elisha Cummings has battled nagging injuries all season, but he took the vast majority of reps with the number one offense in practice this week. Vandals coach Thomas Ford Jr. singled out Cummings for his work in practice. Cummings will team with Nate Thomas, who ran for 70 yards in 19 carries in Cummings’ absence against a tough Montana defense in a 41-30 Vandals loss two weeks ago.
3. Is the Vandals defense up to containing Eric Gibson Jr? The Bears quarterback took over for season starter Pete Costelli after Costelli broke his collarbone in UNC’s opening game against Chadron State. Gibson has proven to be more than adequate relief. So far, he has thrown for 1,147 yards and four touchdowns, highlighted by a 396-yard two-touchdown passing day against Idaho State, and a 336-yard one-touchdown effort against South Dakota. But Idaho can play defense. The Vandals have given up just 213.3 yards per game through the air this year.
