IDAHO VANDALS FOOTBALL ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS | FOOTBALL CONTACT: MIKE WALSH | C: 208-921-7396 | O: 208-885-0245 | E: [email protected] 2019 SCHEDULE 2-2 (0-0 BIG SKY) GAME 5 - AT NORTHERN COLORADO HOME: 2-0 AWAY: 0-2 SEPT. 28 | 1 P.M. (MT) | GREELEY, COLO. | NOTTINGHAM FIELD (8,533) at #15/14 PENN STATE SATURDAY, AUG. 31 L, 79-7 RV/NR NR/NR STATE COLLEGE, PA. (BEAVER STADIUM) BIG TEN NETWORK IDAHO SERIES HISTORY NORTHERN COLORADO Record First Meeting CENTRAL WASHINGTON VANDALS BEARS SATURDAY, SEPT. 7 W, 41-31 Record 2-2 (0-0 Big Sky) Idaho Streak N/A Record 0-4 (0-0 Big Sky) MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) PLUTO TV Road Record (Streak) 0-2 (L 8) Idaho at Home 0-0 Home Record (Streak) 0-1 (L 2) Head Coach Paul Petrino Idaho on Road 0-0 Head Coach Earnest Collins Jr. at WYOMING Record at Idaho 25-50 (Seventh Year) Idaho at Neutral 0-0 Record at UNC 26-66 (Ninth Year) SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 L, 21-16 Career Record Same First Meeting 2019 Career Record 34-78 (11th Year) LARAMIE, WYO. (WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM) ESPN3 Website GoVandals.com Website UNCBears.com Twitter @VandalFootball Twitter @UNCBears_FB #11/11 EASTERN WASHINGTON SATURDAY, SEPT. 21 W, 35-27 MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) ROOT SPORTS BROADCAST INFORMATION at NORTHERN COLORADO * TV CHANNEL FINDER RADIO SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 1 P.M. MT GREELEY, COLO. (NOTTINGHAM FIELD) ELEVEN SPORTS ELEVEN SPORTS ELEVEN SPORTS Vandal Radio Network WEBER STATE * Play-by-Play Bill Doleman DirecTV 623 Play-by-Play Dennis Patchin SATURDAY, OCT. 5 2 P.M. PT Analyst Sed Bonner Verizon Fios 597 Analyst Ryan Phillips MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) SWX / PLUTO TV Streaming Pluto TV & Twitch Network Affiliates See Page 20 at PORTLAND STATE * Live Stream GoVandals.com SATURDAY, OCT. 12 2 P.M. PT HILLSBORO, ORE. (HILLSBORO STADIUM) PLUTO TV PICK SIX IDAHO STATE * 1. THE GAME: Idaho football opens Big Sky Conference play SATURDAY, OCT. 19 2:30 P.M. PT Saturday, at Northern Colorado. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT/noon PT RETURNING AWARD MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) ROOT SPORTS from Nottinghame Field and will be televised on Eleven Sports and streamed on Pluto TV. It is the first all-time meeting between the teams. WINNERS CAL POLY * CADE COFFEY (P) SATURDAY, NOV. 2 2 P.M. PT 2. ABOUT IDAHO: The Vandals (2-2) knocked off No. 11 Eastern MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) PLUTO TV 2019 (Preseason) Washington 35-27 Saturday, in a nonconference game at the Kibbie Athlon Sports All-America First Team at MONTANA * Dome. Idaho raced out to a 28-0 lead at halftime and conquered its STATS LLC All-America Second Team highest-ranked foe in 20 years. Wide receiver Jeff Cotton and linebacker HERO Sports All-America Second Team SATURDAY, NOV. 9 1 P.M. MT Phil Steele All-America Third Team MISSOULA, MONT. (WASHINGTON-GRIZZLY STADIUM) ROOT SPORTS Tre Walker lead the way on their respective sides of the ball. Cotton paces the Big Sky in receptions (9.5 per game) and yards (107.3 per All-Big Sky Team SACRAMENTO STATE * game), while Walker’s 11 tackles per game are tops in the league. 2018 SATURDAY, NOV. 16 2 P.M. PT STATS LLC All-America Second Team MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) SWX / PLUTO TV 3. ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO: The Bears (0-4) enter Phil Steele All-America Third Team Big Sky play seeking their first win of the season after a narrow 14-6 All-Big Sky First Team at NORTHERN ARIZONA defeat last week at the hands of South Dakota. Northern Colorado 2017 SATURDAY, NOV. 23 2 P.M. MT won back-to-back Division II national titles in 1996 and 1997, before USA Today Freshman All-America FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. (WALKUP SKYDOME) NAU TV / PLUTO TV transitioning to FCS in 2006. Idaho defensive coordinator Mike Breske All-Sun Belt Second Team was the Bears’ defensive coordinator on both title teams. * Big Sky Conference games NOAH JOHNSON (OL) All times local to site and subject to change 4. AKANNO AWARDED: Redshirt junior linebacker Charles 2019 (Preseason) Akanno was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week Athlon Sports All-America First Team STATS LLC All-America First Team BIG SKY STANDINGS by STATS LLC and College Sports Madness after helping the Vandals HERO Sports All-America FirstTeam to a 35-27 victory over No. 11 Eastern Washington. Akanno was also Phil Steele All-America First Team TEAM BIG SKY OVERALL selected as the ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week. All-Big Sky Team Montana 0-0 3-1 He recorded career highs with nine tackles and three pass breakups to go with a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries, while assisting 2018 Montana State 0-0 3-1 HERO Sports All-America First Team Idaho 0-0 2-2 on a tackle for loss. All-Big Sky First Team Northern Arizona 0-0 2-2 Portland State 0-0 2-2 5. PLAYING POSSESSED: Idaho has controlled the tempo of its 2017 Sacramento State 0-0 2-2 last three games, dominating the time of possession. For the season, All-Sun Belt Second Team the Vandals are averaging 33:53 time of possession, the top mark in the UC Davis 0-0 2-2 2016 Cal Poly 0-0 1-2 Big Sky and No. 6 nationally. On a related note, Idaho also ranks No. All-Sun Belt Newcomer Team Idaho State 0-0 1-2 1 in the conference and sixth in the country in third-down conversion Weber State 0-0 1-2 defense. The Vandals are allowing opponents to convert third downs at CHRISTIAN ELLISS (LB) Eastern Washington 0-0 1-3 just a 23.4 percent clip. 2018 Southern Utah 0-0 1-3 All-Big Sky Third Team Northern Colorado 0-0 0-4 6. RANKED WIN: Idaho’s 35-27 win against Eastern Washington marked its first victory over a team ranked No. 11 or better in the national LOGAN FLOYD (OL) polls since 1999. The Vandals are now 30-35 all-time against nationally- 2018 North Dakota is competing as an FCS independent this season, but will Phil Steele Freshman All-America play a Big Sky schedule. North Dakota’s results will not count in the Big ranked FCS/I-AA opponents, including a 27-29 mark when the Vandals Sky standings, but the games will count for opponents. are also playing at the FCS/I-AA ranks. IDAHO FOOTBALL | GAME NOTES IT STARTS AT THE TOP HEAD COACH PAUL PETRINO EXPERIENCE IDAHO 2013-PRESENT ► 2016 SUN BELT CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR Head coach/receivers Paul Petrino enters his seventh season as Idaho’s head coach. ARKANSAS 2012 Petrino got his first taste of Division I coaching as an assistant at Offensive coordinator Idaho from 1992-94, including three consecutive NCAA Playoff Quarterbacks appearances. Idaho’s 2018 campaign, its first in its return to the Football ILLINOIS 2010-11 Championship Subdivision and the Big Sky Conference, included Offensive coordinator the Vandals’ first win over a nationally-ranked opponent in 11 years. Receivers North Dakota came to the Kibbie Dome as the No. 25 team in the country according to the coaches’ poll. Idaho came away with a 31- ARKANSAS 2008-09 27 victory thanks to Mason Petrino finding Jeff Cotton in the end Offensive coordinator zone with 27 seconds to play. It was Idaho’s first win over a team Receivers ranked in either national poll (media or coaches) in the FCS or FBS since 2007. The 2017 team featured the first five-year class of Vandals under Petrino. Among that group was record- ATLANTA FALCONS 2007 setting quarterback Matt Linehan, 1,000-yard rusher Aaron Duckworth and Academic All-America wide Receivers receiver Jacob Sannon. A four-year starter under Petrino, Linehan surpassed some of the most sacred names in Vandal football LOUISVILLE 2003-06 history. He became the program’s all-time leader in completions and when his senior season was cut three Offensive coordinator games short by injury, Linehan finished just shy of Doug Nussmeier’s record for career passing yards. Receivers Idaho played a school-record seven one-possession games in 2017, including its five conference losses SOUTHERN MISS. 2000-02 coming by a combined 24 points, on the way to finishing 4-8. Still, the team featured 10 all-conference selections. For the first time since 2008 three Vandals picked up first-team accolades, including Duckworth Quarterbacks who became the first Idaho running back to earn first-team all-league honors since 2000. LOUISVILLE 1998-99 Petrino’s head coaching career thus far is highlighted by Idaho’s 2016 campaign. He guided the Vandals Receivers to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2009 - and won their bowl game in record-setting and entertaining fashion. For his efforts, Petrino was voted the 2016 Sun Belt Coach of the Year. UTAH STATE 1995-97 The Vandals’ bowl eligibility was the result of their posting their best regular-season record since the 1998 Receivers team (Idaho’s first bowl team) went 8-3. They wrapped up the year 9-4 after beating Colorado State 61-50 in Special teams the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – largely recognized as one of the most entertaining of the bowl season. It was the highest-scoring bowl game of 2016 and Linehan, who was named game MVP, had one of the top pass IDAHO 1992-94 efficiency ratings of any quarterback involved in postseason play.