A group effort by the Vandal backfield helped #11 Idaho take down Eastern Washington 38-28 on Oct. 26. The Eagles are now 2-6 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
The Eagles began the game ranked third in the Big Sky with 33.7 points per game. The offense had a strong performance, with junior quarterback Kekoa Visperas completing 79 percent of his passes for 156 yards, running for 29 yards and scoring one touchdown.
Eastern Washington was fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game and continued to find success on the ground. Led by junior running back Tuna Altahir’s 67 yards on 13 carries, the Eagles ran for 215 rushing yards.
Senior wide receiver Efton Chism III, whose birthday fell on the game day, added to his historic EWU legacy by catching seven passes for 114 yards, including his 300th career reception. He ranks second in Eastern Washington history in catches behind only Cooper Kupp, who holds the FCS record.
However, the season-long struggle on the defensive side of the ball continued. The Eagles ranked second-lowest in the Big Sky before this contest with 38.1 points allowed per game — something Idaho’s offense was able to take advantage of.
The Vandals had four players run at least seven times, and combined for 267 rushing yards at a clip of 6.7 yards per carry. Freshman running back Deshaun Buchanan led the team with 116 yards and two touchdowns on eight attempts. Freshman quarterback Rocco Koch scored as well.
Sophomore quarterback Jack Layne injured his collarbone in Idaho’s season-opening game against Idaho, causing him to miss the team’s last seven games. In his first game back, he completed 17 of 28 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
The two teams played evenly in the first quarter, tying the period 7-7. Idaho struck first, as Layne threw a four-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Alex Moore. The Eagles responded quickly with a deep pass from Visperas to Chism III to bring the ball to the one-yard line, where Visperas ran for a touchdown.
On the first play of the second quarter, Layne found sophomore wide receiver Jordan Dwyer for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Vandals a 14-7 lead. Dwyer was Idaho’s top receiver, catching four passes for 78 yards and scoring. Idaho also converted a field goal during the quarter.
The Eagles added two field goals from sophomore kicker Soren McKee and ended the half trailing the Vandals 17-13.
The turning point for Idaho was the third quarter. With 4:15 left in the period, Buchanan scored on a one-yard run to push the lead to 24-13. On Eastern Washington’s next drive, junior defensive back Jahmell Blenman forced Visperas to fumble, and senior defensive back Kyrin Beachem recovered the ball for the Vandals.
Idaho then scored at the onset of the fourth quarter via Koch’s three-yard touchdown run, giving them a 31-13 lead. Junior tight end JP Murphy caught his first career touchdown on a pass from senior quarterback Jared Taylor in response. Taylor then completed the two-point conversion to Chism III to cut the Idaho lead to 10.
Buchanan scored his second touchdown of the day on the next Idaho drive, but EWU senior quarterback Michael Wortham returned the ensuing kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown to keep Idaho’s lead at 10. The Vandals were able to run out the clock and capture the win.
EWU hosts #2 Montana State (8-0, 4-0) at Roos Field on Nov. 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
