Oct. 19—CHENEY — For the first time since 2021, the Che-Scow Cup will not reside in Moscow.
In a defensive battle between the No. 24 Idaho Vandals and Eastern Washington, the Eagles came out on top 21-14 on Saturday Roos Field in Cheney, Wash.
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The Vandals’ underwhelming performance offensively at “The Inferno” resulted in their fourth straight loss this season and first loss to their regional rivals since EWU beat UI 71-21 at the fiery red field in ’21.
It was Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr.’s second consecutive week saying that the outcome was not the result that they were looking for. He said that the team, players and coaches will take an in-depth look internally to see what they can improve.
“And so obviously, when you’re in a spot where you’ve lost four games in a row, you’ve got to really look inside and see what’s important,” Ford said. “And right now, what’s important is this team’s got to get better. I think you’re really seeing our youth on display in a lot of areas, and we’ve got to coach them better. Starts with me.”
Idaho’s offensive struggles
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While the Idaho defense struggled last week in a 49-33 loss to Northern Colorado, it was the offense that struggled the most for the Vandals (2-5, 0-3) on Saturday.
Against Eastern Washington (3-4, 2-1), the defense allowed just 21 points while the offense didn’t score its second touchdown until 2 minutes and 30 seconds remained in the game, leaving the defense stranded, scoring just 14 points in an offensive loss.
Usual starting quarterback Joshua Wood was named a game-time decision and warmed up in pads and a helmet pregame; however, he was not cleared to play for the second straight week.
“We’re certainly not going to put him out there and risk further injury,” Ford said. “Joshua’s a great player, and he’s a guy that we want to play a lot of football for the Vandals over these next few years, and so getting him back will be huge. Hopefully he’s back next week.”
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No. 2 quarterback Sawyer Teeney was out with an ankle injury, so the Vandals decided to go with their No. 3 quarterback in sophomore Jack Wagner, mixed in with some help from their No. 4 gadget quarterback in redshirt freshman Rocco Koch.
In the game, Wagner sustained a lower-body injury and Koch could not get anything going through the air, going 0-for-6 passing, so with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Idaho put in the No. 5 quarterback on their depth chart, sophomore Nick Josifek.
Josifek actually found some success through the air and was the Vandals’ leading passer. He went 7-for-14 with 103 yards and a touchdown with 2:30 left in the game on a fourth-and-10 deep shot for a 40-yard score to wideout Michael Graves.
Another standout was freshman wide receiver Marquawn McCraney, who has been working his way back from surgery in the summer, and caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. His score was a 26-yard slot fade from Wagner on the right sideline to at the end of the first quarter.
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Ford said that some of the Vandals’ struggles were due to the Eagles’ defensive success.
“Credit those guys, too,” Ford said. “I thought they did a nice job with some of the things that they did, some of the changes that they provided. They brought a lot of corner pressures, which I think we’re going to start seeing more of as people have success with that. But I think overall, we just never really got in a great rhythm offensively.”
Eastern Washington’s approach
The Eagles’ defense was hugely successful against the Vandals, holding the passing game to 191 yards and the run game to 147 yards with just two scores.
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The Eagles also had an interception, two sacks, seven pass breakups and six tackles for loss.
Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best said that this game was a dream for a head coach to watch from the sidelines because his defense did so well.
“Selfishly, I’m so proud of those damn guys. I mean, we were in control the entire game on defense,” Best said. “There’s been a lot of emotion the last few years, having to walk through the tunnels and wait hours for media after games down in Moscow. So this had a little personal touch to it, with recruits walking by my face over the years. I’m proud of our guys. They found a way.”
Best was animated in his postgame news conference and said that both teams have plenty of injuries and he is making no excuses and hopes that nobody else makes excuses for either side. He said matchups will still be matchups and that the Eagles were “dinged up” too.
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Best said that the Vandals’ offense was predictable with Wagner and Koch switching in the game.
“Well, I mean, (Koch) doesn’t throw the ball,” Best said. “So when (Koch) is in the game, anybody watching (knew it was a run) and then they tried to (pass with Koch), and then they’re trying to find their fit. They got a quarterback out, and so they’re trying to find out what works and what doesn’t work.”
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He said his team played with purpose and conviction on defense, and that is why it found success.
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On the offensive side, EWU sophomore quarterback Nate Bell was the most important player on the field. He rushed 23 times for a gain of 134 yards with a long of 54.
He threw 18-for-31 for 177 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.
What do the Vandals do now?
If the Vandals are going to make the playoffs, it’s an incredibly tough climb now, as their path is essentially to go undefeated.
Ford said that after four straight losses, it’s tough to avoid the doom and gloom that comes with the territory of that skid.
“It’s a mentality, though; like our number one goal in our program is to improve every day, and that’s the focus that we have,” the Idaho headman said. “And what I told our guys is we’ve never quit. We’ve never quit, not one time in our five losses that we’ve had this season, and I don’t see why we would start doing that now. I know I’m not quitting on anything. I know our coaches aren’t quitting on anything.”
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He said that the expectations he put on the Vandals were admittedly high and that they were sort of lofty for the young group that the Vandals had.
“But I would not change those expectations for anything, because I do believe in this group,” Ford said. “I do believe that this group can play at a high level.”
Eastern Washington 21, Idaho 14
First Quarter
EWU — FG McKee 31, 4:18.
IDA — McCraney 26 pass from Wagner (Adams kick), 1:11.
Second Quarter
EWU — FG McKee 39, 1:31.
EWU — Williams 9 pass from Bell (McKee kick), 0:44.
Fourth Quarter
EWU — Williams 6 pass from Bell (Branch pass from Bell), 3:08.
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IDA — Graves 40 pass from Josifek (Adams kick), 2:30.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Idaho, Koch 14-81, Josifek 3-21, Thomas 5-16, Wagner 9-12, Cummings 8-10, Kincheloe 1-5. Eastern Washington 23-134, Garrett 1-12, Allen II 3-5, Taylor 1-1, Yetts 7-(-2).
Passing — Idaho, Josifek 7-14-0—103, Wagner 8-12-1—87, Koch 0-6-0—0. Eastern Washington, Bell 18-31-1—177.
Receiving — Idaho, McCraney 7-105, McWilliams 2-17, Graves 1-40, Cox 1-14, Jezioro 1-6, Superales 1-5, Cummings 1-4. Eastern Washington, Cronquist 5-37, Williams 4-40, Garrett 2-38, Pruett 2-20, ULM 2-11, Branch 1-14, Yetts 1-14, Taylor 1-3.
Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, tjunt@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @TrevorJunt.
