IDAHO VANDALS FOOTBALL ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS | FOOTBALL CONTACT: MIKE WALSH | C: 208-921-7396 | O: 208-885-0245 | E: [email protected] 2017 SCHEDULE 0-0 (0-0 SUN BELT) GAME 1 - VS SACRAMENTO STATE HOME: 0-0 AWAY: 0-0 AUG. 31 | 6:06 PM (PT) | MOSCOW, IDAHO | KIBBIE DOME (16,000) SACRAMENTO STATE THURSDAY, AUG. 31 6 P.M. PT IDAHO SERIES HISTORY SACRAMENTO STATE MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) SWX/ESPN3 VANDALS Record Idaho Leads 1-0 HORNETS UNLV Record 0-0 (0-0 Sun Belt) Last Meeting Sept. 16, 1989 Record 0-0 (0-0 Big Sky) SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 4 P.M. PT Home Record (Streak) 0-0 (W 3) Idaho 45, Sacramento State 3 Away Record (Streak) 0-0 (L 12) MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) ESPN3 Head Coach Paul Petrino Moscow, Idaho Head Coach Jody Sears Record at Idaho 15-33 (Fifth Year) Idaho Streak W 1 Record at Sacramento State 11-23 (Fourth Year) at WESTERN MICHIGAN Idaho at Home 1-0 SATURDAY, SEPT. 16 7 P.M. ET Career Record Same Career Record 15-42 (Sixth Year) KALAMAZOO, MICH. (WALDO STADIUM) ESPN3 Website GoVandals.com Idaho on Road 0-0 Website HornetSports.com Twitter @VandalFootball First Meeting 1989 Twitter @SacHornetsFB at SOUTH ALABAMA * SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 TBA ET MOBILE, ALA. (LADD-PEEBLES STADIUM) BROADCAST INFORMATION LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE * TELEVISION CHANNEL FINDER RADIO SATURDAY, OCT. 7 2 P.M. PT SWX MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) SWX/Altitude/ESPN3 Time Warner 1245 / Comcast 306 / CableOne 466 Vandal Radio Network Play-by-Play Sam Adams Spokane 6-2 / Tri Cities 25-3 Play-by-Play Dennis Patchin APPALACHIAN STATE * Boise 7-2 / Twin Falls 20-2 SATURDAY, OCT. 14 2 P.M. PT Analyst Mike Peterson Analyst Ryan Phillips Sideline Lindsay Joy Altitude Network Affiliates See Page 13 MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) DirecTV 681 / DISH 413 Live Stream GoVandals.com at MISSOURI ESPN3 SATURDAY, OCT. 21 TBA CT Live Stream: WatchESPN.com / ESPN App COLUMBIA, MO. (MEMORIAL STADIUM) LOUISIANA-MONROE * PICK SIX SATURDAY, OCT. 28 2 P.M. PT 1. THE GAME: Idaho kicks off the 2017 season Thursday, hosting Sacramento State. The season gets MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) underway at 6 p.m. PT, from the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals won their 2016 season opener, snapping a streak of five straight losses in season debuts. at TROY * THURSDAY, NOV. 2 8:15 P.M. CT TROY, ALA. (VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM) ESPNU 2. ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE: The Hornets returns 21 starters from last season’s 2-9 campaign, including 11 on defense. The game marks a return to the Palouse for Sacramento State head coach Jody COASTAL CAROLINA * Sears, a native of Pullman, Wash. Sears attended Pullman High School before playing at Washington State. SATURDAY, NOV. 18 2 P.M. PT MOSCOW, IDAHO (KIBBIE DOME) 3. STREAKING INTO 2017: Idaho won its final five games of the 2016 season, including a thrilling 61-50 victory over Colorado State in the LONGEST ACTIVE at NEW MEXICO STATE * Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. It is tied for the 10th-longest active winning SATURDAY, NOV. 25 TBA MT streak in the county. The last time the Vandals won six consecutive games WIN STREAKS (FBS) LAS CRUCES, N.M. (MEMORIAL STADIUM) was 1994 (seven games; Sept. 3-Oct. 22). 1. Oklahoma 10 2. USC 9 at GEORGIA STATE * 4. WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: Under Paul Petrino, 3. Western Kentucky 8 SATURDAY, DEC. 2 TBA ET Idaho has seen its success in the win column tied almost directly to winning ATLANTA, GA. (GEORGIA STATE STADIUM) 4. Coastal Carolina 7 the turnover battle. In 2013, Petrino’s first season, the Vandals committed Stanford 7 more turnovers than their opponent nine times. In the following years that 6. Air Force 6 * Sun Belt Conference games number decreased to seven, five and eventually just four times last season. All times local to site and subject to change BYU 6 Old Dominion 6 Television selections and kick times determined 12 days in 5. TACKLE CANCER: Saturday is the Tackle Cancer Game, and South Florida 6 advance for Sun Belt Conference games Idaho will be honoring two members of the Vandal Family before and 10. Clemson 5 during the game. Late Director of Football Operations Mark Vaught passed Florida State 5 away in 2014, after a battle with cancer. His widow Bailey Stokes, will Idaho 5 present Idaho junior linebacker Ed Hall with the Mark Vaught Memorial Miami (Fla.) 5 SUN BELT STANDINGS Scholarship Award prior to the game. TEAM SBC OVERALL Appalachian State 0-0 0-0 Idaho will also pay respects to Jace Malek, who passed away in 2016. IDAHO’S Arkansas State 0-0 0-0 Malek was diagnosed with cancer on the eve of National Signing Day in LONGEST WIN STREAKS Coastal Carolina 0-0 0-0 2015. Paul Petrino and the Vandals honored Malek’s scholarship and made him a student assistant coach. Throughout the season, the student-athlete Georgia Southern 0-0 0-0 1. 9 Oct. 1-Dec. 3, 1988 Georgia State 0-0 0-0 who shows the most grit and determination in each game is awarded a #99 helmet sticker in memory of Malek’s courage and fighting spirit. 9 Sept. 16-Nov. 18, 1989 Idaho 0-0 0-0 3. 8 Sept. 25-Nov. 13, 1997 UL-Lafayette 0-0 0-0 4. 7 Oct. 6-Nov. 24, 1990 UL-Monroe 0-0 0-0 6. FAN FESTIVITIES: Pregame festivities begin at 3 p.m., with the Idaho Fan Zone at the grass field on the north side of the Kibbie Dome. The 7 Sept. 3-Oct. 22, 1994 New Mexico State 0-0 0-0 6. 6 Sept. 14-Oct. 19, 1985 South Alabama 0-0 0-0 carnival-like atmosphere will include food vendors, children’s activities, local musicians and a separate area for a student tailgate. The first 12,000 6 Oct. 10-Nov. 21, 1987 Texas State 0-0 0-0 6 Sept. 5-Oct. 17, 1992 Troy 0-0 0-0 fans in attendance Aug. 31, will receive a free t-shirt to help “White Out” 6 Sept. 2-Oct. 16, 1993 the Dome. 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. Those conference rankings translated to their being in the top 25 percent nationally in 11 categories. Special teams From the minute he arrived on the University of Idaho campus, Petrino infused the Vandals with CARROLL COLLEGE 1990-91 an intensity that reverberated around the Kibbie Dome and throughout the Vandal Family.