BOISE, Idaho – A grueling off-season let to a successful season and now a bowl berth for the Idaho Vandals, who take on Colorado State Thursday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium. Kickoff is 4 p.m. PT/5 p.m. MT for the game that will be carried live on ESPN and on the Vandal Radio Network.
 
"We're very excited," said senior safety Jayshawn Jordan, who enters his final game as a Vandal tied for third on the all-time career interceptions list. "We fought hard in the offseason to get where we are today."
 
Sophomore linebacker Kaden Elliss said the Vandals' ability to force turnovers comes from a simple lesson they learned from last season.
 
"The hustle is evident," said Elliss, who matched Jordan's five interceptions with five of his own. "We're trying to do our jobs within the playbook. With the hustle, we're getting the opportunities. It's become an expectation."
 
The Vandals put together one of the best turn-arounds over the past four years en route to the bowl berth. After successive one-win seasons, they were 4-8 in 2015 before finishing the regular season at 8-4 and tied for third in the Sun Belt at 6-2. They are winners of their final four regular-season games and seven of their last eight.