MOSCOW - The University of Idaho football team nearly - nearly - overcame a humiliating 31-3 first half abyss before falling to Arkansas State 38-29. Defying convention, the Vandals scavenged to within a two-point conversion of the Indians.
The Vandals' last shot at tying the game fell short on a two-point conversion attempt when, with 11:26 left in the game, quarterback Adam Mallette's pass bounced in front of an open Chris Belser.
After that failed conversion, Indian tailback Danny Smith spoke to the Vandals with his legs: Say goodbye to your comeback, Vandals. We win.
Smith took the two-point Indian lead and ran - eight times, for 62 yards and one game-sealing touchdown. The Vandals were left with 7:08 to make up nine points.
Overall, Smith broke for 206 yards on 40 carries. He also broke the Arkansas State single season rushing record in the first quarter with his 1, 251st yard on an 11-yard touchdown. His seven-minute fourth quarter drive erased the Vandals' near-historic second half comeback.
Under the guidance of Mallette, the Vandals scored 26 unanswered points in the second half.
"I guess at halftime it sunk in to some people that, well now we only have a game and a half left," Mallette said. "We just came out. That's how Vandals play."
Vandal defenders allowed 205 yards and seven points in the second half. Minus the Indians' clock-eating fourth quarter romp, they allowed 125 yards and no points.
"I'm extremely pleased with the team in the second half," coach Tom Cable said. "How hard we played and fought back, got ourselves back in it. But at the same time, don't put yourself in that situation to begin with, and we're all sitting here happy right now."
Mallette completed 14 of 26 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. He played the first, third and fourth quarters, while freshman Michael Harrington played the second quarter. Harrington threw four interceptions that led to 17 Indian points.
"I thought Adam Mallette went out and played well enough for this team to win this football game," Cable said. "And for that matter, Michael did too. But the ball's getting tipped to the other team. We just gotta catch that ball."
The game was lost to a horrific Vandal start, as the Indian offense consistently converted turnovers to points. The Vandals, for their part, appeared lost while many of their key contributors watched from the sidelines, inactive due to violations of team policy.
Four players, Malfred Shaw, Jason Jones, Cedric Thompson and Orlando Winston - were suspended beforehand, and others were kept out for segments of the first half.
"The beauty of football is that it takes 11 guys on every play for you to be successful," Cable said. "And when you don't have that guy on the field because he does something off the field, it hurts your team. It tears your team down."
