IDAHO VANDALS FOOTBALL ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS | FOOTBALL CONTACT: MIKE WALSH | C: 208-921-7396 | O: 208-885-0245 | E: [email protected] 2017 SCHEDULE 3-7 (2-4 SUN BELT) GAME 11 - AT NEW MEXICO STATE HOME: 2-4 AWAY: 1-3 NOV. 25 | 2 PM (MT) | LAS CRUCES, N.M. | AGGIE MEMORIAL STADIUM (28,853) SACRAMENTO STATE THURSDAY, AUG. 31 W, 28-6 IDAHO SERIES HISTORY NEW MEXICO STATE MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) SWX/ESPN3 VANDALS Record Idaho Leads 16-7 AGGIES UNLV Record 3-7 (2-4 Sun Belt) Last Meeting 2016 Record 4-6 (2-4 Sun Belt) SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 L, 44-16 Road Record (Streak) 1-3 (L 2) Idaho 55, NMSU 23 Home Record (Streak) 1-2 (L 1) MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) ESPN3 Head Coach Paul Petrino Moscow, Idaho Head Coach (Interim) Doug Martin Idaho Streak W 1 at WESTERN MICHIGAN Record at Idaho 18-40 (Fifth Year) Record at NMSU 14-44 (Fifth Year) SATURDAY, SEPT. 16 L, 37-28 Career Record Same Idaho at Home 10-1 Career Record 43-97 (12th Year) KALAMAZOO, MICH. (WALDO STADIUM) ESPN3 Website GoVandals.com Idaho on Road 6-6 Website NMStateSports.com Twitter @VandalFootball First Meeting 1971 Twitter @NMStateFootball at SOUTH ALABAMA * SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 W, 29-23 (2OT) MOBILE, ALA. (LADD-PEEBLES STADIUM) ESPN3 BROADCAST INFORMATION LOUISIANA * TELEVISION CHANNEL FINDER RADIO SATURDAY, OCT. 7 L, 21-16 MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) ESPN3 ESPN3 ESPN3 Vandal Radio Network Play-by-Play Greg Mescall Live Stream: WatchESPN.com / ESPN App Play-by-Play Dennis Patchin APPALACHIAN STATE * SATURDAY, OCT. 14 L, 23-20 Analyst Watson Brown Analyst Ryan Phillips MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) ESPN3 Network Affiliates See Page 15 Live Stream GoVandals.com at MISSOURI SATURDAY, OCT. 21 L, 68-21 COLUMBIA, MO. (MEMORIAL STADIUM) SEC NETWORK LOUISIANA-MONROE * PICK SIX SATURDAY, OCT. 28 W, 31-23 1. THE GAME: Idaho hits the road for its final two games of the 2017 season, beginning Saturday at New MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) ESPN3 Mexico State. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT from Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, N.M. The at TROY * game will be available on ESPN3. THURSDAY, NOV. 2 L, 24-21 TROY, ALA. (VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM) ESPNU 2. ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies enter the final two weeks of the season needing to win both remaining games to reach bowl eligibility. New Mexico State boasts the top passing offense in the Sun COASTAL CAROLINA * Belt with its 354.9 passing yards per game ranking No. 4 nationally. The Aggies also boast one of the most SATURDAY, NOV. 18 L, 13-7 opportunistic defenses in the country. They lead the Sun Belt and rank 37th in the country with 19 turnovers MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) SWX/ESPN3 forced, including a league-leading 12 interceptions. at NEW MEXICO STATE * 3. QUARTERBACK SITUATION: Sophomore Mason Petrino made his first-career start at SATURDAY, NOV. 25 2 P.M. MT quarterback against Coastal Carolina (Nov. 18), filling in for injured four-year starter Matt Linehan. Petrino, LAS CRUCES, N.M. (MEMORIAL STADIUM) ESPN3 whose one previous start came at wide receiver, finished 18-of-26 for 177 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Linehan had appeared in 44 of Idaho’s 45 games prior to last week, starting 43. He is 52 at GEORGIA STATE * yards shy of becoming the program’s all-time passing yards leader. Linehan is not expected to play this week. SATURDAY, DEC. 2 TBA ET ATLANTA, GA. (GEORGIA STATE STADIUM) 4. TO THE FINAL WHISTLE: All six of Idaho’s Sun Belt games this season have been one-possession contests decided in the final minutes. The Vandals have suffered their four league losses by a combined 17 * Sun Belt Conference games points. Idaho won its conference opener at South Alabama (Sept. 23) in double overtime. Against Louisiana All times local to site and subject to change (Oct. 7), a go-ahead touchdown pass was dropped with less than two minutes left in a 21-16 loss. A fumble Television selections and kick times determined 12 days in in the red zone with 1:08 remaining cost the Vandals a chance to tie or take the lead in a 23-20 loss to advance for Sun Belt Conference games Appalachian State (Oct. 14). A goal-line stand preserved Idaho’s 31-23 win over ULM (Oct. 28). The Vandals scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter at Troy, but the Trojans held on for a 24-21 win (Nov. 2). Coastal SUN BELT STANDINGS Carolina (Nov. 18) stopped the Idaho on two fourth downs in the fourth quarter to make their 13-7 lead stand. 5. ONE OF A KIND: Junior linebacker Kaden Elliss is establishing himself as one of the best two-way TEAM SBC OVERALL players in the country. Elliss, primarily a linebacker, has also lined up at full back and tight end on a handful Troy 5-1 8-2 of snaps in each of the last eight games. Against Missouri (Oct. 21), Elliss Georgia State 5-1 6-3 became the first player in the country to record a sack and a touchdown Appalachian State 5-1 6-4 reception in the same game. He repeated the feat against ULM (Oct. 28). CADE COFFEY AMONG Arkansas State 5-1 6-3 Elliss also plays on special teams and blocked an extra point against SUN BELT, NCAA Louisiana 4-2 5-5 Appalachian State (Oct. 14). UL-Monroe 4-3 4-6 LEADERS South Alabama 3-4 4-7 6. COFFEY COMING THROUGH: Freshman kicker Cade Coffey New Mexico State 2-4 4-6 has earned Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week honors twice STAT NCAA SBC Idaho 2-4 3-7 and is establishing himself as one of the top kickers and punters in the Yd / Punt 45.1 8 2 Georgia Southern 1-5 1-9 conference. Coffey is 10-for-14 on field goal attempts this season. He is among the Sun Belt leaders in punt average (second; 45.1 yards), field FG / gm 1.0 65 4 Texas State 1-6 2-9 FG % .714 69 5 Coastal Carolina 1-6 2-9 goals per game (fourth; 1.0) and field goal percentage (fifth; .714). His punt average ranks No. 8 nationally. Points / gm 5.5 159 10 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 is in his fifth season as Idaho’s head coach, ARKANSAS 2012 fresh off the finest year yet. Petrino was voted the 2016 Offensive coordinator Coach of the Year by the Sun Belt Conference after a season during which the Vandals became bowl eligible for the first Quarterbacks time since 2009 – and won their bowl outing in record- setting, and entertaining, fashion. ILLINOIS 2010-11 The Vandals’ bowl eligibility was the result of their posting Offensive coordinator their best regular-season record since the 1998 team (Idaho’s Receivers first bowl team) went 8-3. They wrapped up the year 9-4 after beating Colorado State 61-50 in the Famous Idaho Potato ARKANSAS 2008-09 Bowl – largely recognized as one of the most entertaining Offensive coordinator of the bowl season. It was the highest scoring of the bowl games of 2016 and quarterback and bowl MVP Matt Linehan had one of the top pass efficiency ratings of any quarterback involved in Receivers post-season play. ATLANTA FALCONS 2007 The bowl victory was the culmination of not just gritty, determined efforts week-in and week-out during 2016, but of the first four years of Petrino’s reign. After back-to-back one-victory seasons, Receivers the Vandals were 4-8 in 2015. That marked the beginning of the on-field visibility of the process that started in December 2012 when Petrino was hired. LOUISVILLE 2003-06 Offensive coordinator Since his accountability-based approach has been in place, the Vandals’ APR improved by more than 100 points while their grade-point average increase equally impressive. He was using the Receivers same approach to elevating the classroom successes as he was on the field where effort and discipline were being preached day in and day out. SOUTHERN MISS. 2000-02 The result was the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victory and one of the most incredible program Quarterbacks turnarounds in history. The program had waded through three successive one-victory seasons (one under the previous staff) before four wins in 2015 and the 9-4 2016 team. LOUISVILLE 1998-99 It took an unfaltering work ethic and a commitment to doing everything right for the program to Receivers be on the solid footing it is today. Bits and pieces of the progress made deep within the program were evident before the wins started to build on the field. Broc Westlake, a linebacker throughout UTAH STATE 1995-97 Petrino’s tenure, graduated in December 2015 with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and was Receivers one of two Vandals to earn the department’s prestigious Rich and Mary Fox Award, which is given Special teams annually to the graduating student-athlete(s) with the highest cumulative grade-point average. In graduating Summa Cum Laude, he also was recognized as a National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Honor Society. IDAHO 1992-94 Running backs In 2015, the Vandals led the Sun Belt in seven statistical categories and were second in another Receivers five.