Box Score
MOSCOW, Idaho - Of 133 plays, there is one University of Idaho coach Dennis Erickson and the Vandals would like to have back in Saturday afternoon's slugfest with No. 18 Boise State before a sellout crowd at the Kibbie Dome.
As it turned, Rashaun Scott's 42-yard return coupled with a personal foul on the Vandals gave the Broncos the short field, which they eventually turned into a four-yard scoring run by Ian Johnson and the points and momentum they needed to dispatch the Vandals 42-26 before the largest Kibbie crowd since 1989.
The Vandals left it all on the field in one of the most competitive games between the in-state rivals in recent years but there was that one play.
"We had all the momentum going in the world," said Erickson of the kickoff that came after the Vandals had closed to within 28-26 with 7:05 to play. "We're playing good on defense. We were moving the football some. We had a chance to make a big play. We kick it; the guy returns it and we get a penalty. We lose everything. On one play."
After Johnson put the Broncos up 35-26 with 5:02 to play, the Vandals stalled at their own 44 on a fourth-down-and-five play to give the ball back to BSU with 3:02 left, enough time for one more score. That wound up being Johnson's fourth TD, a 12-yard run that put the game out of reach with 1:28 to play.
From the start, though, there wasn't any measure of comfort for the Broncos as the Vandals scored first and kept the pressure on throughout.
Idaho took the opening kickoff 86 yards with Steve Wichman mixing passes with Jayson Bird runs, and one run of his own, to open the scoring with a four-yard pass to Wendell Octave with 10:10 left in the first. The Vandal defense held on the next possession and, after a three-and-out by BSU, the offense had the ball back at its own 34. A 40-yard hook-up with the emerging Raymond Fry put the Vandals in BSU territory only to have the drive stall and a 41-yard field goal by Tino Amancio miss.
Boise State evened the score in one play when Jared Zabransky dropped a ball to Legedu Naanee for a 61-yard catch-and-run TD with 5:10 left in the first.
The Vandals evened the score when Wichman capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with an 18-yard pass to Luke Smith-Anderson as Idaho went up 14-7 with 1:04 left in the first quarter.
While the Broncos scored twice in the second, T.J. Conley was called on to punt four times for the Vandals as BSU slipped into the halftime locker room with a 21-14 edge.
It was steady offense in the first half that kept the Vandals close. In the second half, it was the making-a-name-for-itself defense that rose to the occasion. Cornerback Stanley Franks continued his thievery with his seventh pass interception in six games. David Vobora, who accumulated nine tackles, had a highlight reel sack that brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous roar. And Ryan Davis rolled through the protection to block a punt.
Yet the field position gained by Franks' pick and Davis' block netted only field goals and the Vandals entered the final 15 minutes trailing 28-20.
The charge from Vobora's sack that ignited the crowd also seemed to relight the fire in the offense. With the ball near midfield, Wichman hooked up with Marlon Haynes for a 41-yard scoring play to bring the Vandals to within 28-26. However, the pass attempt on the two-point conversion was batted down to prevent the tie.
"Our guys played well," Erickson said. "They fought like heck. They did what we asked them. We made too many mental mistakes. We broke down a little bit up front on a couple runs. It wasn't the physical aspect at all or the effort.
"We all know they're a good football team. I know it. You know it. I also think we're a pretty good football team. We have a lot ways to go in this program but we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel."
Wichman had his best game of the season with three touchdowns and 328 yards on 24-of-45 passing. He spread his passes to eight receivers with his favorite targets for the day being Haynes (six for 96), Smith-Anderson (five for 68) and running back Brian Flowers (three for 60) despite a sprained ankle. Bird fueled the running game with 50 yards on 11 carries.
What the Vandals had to say about the crowd:
Coach Dennis Erickson: "It was great. That's what it's all about. College football is about what happened today on a campus like this. It's very special when you're a campus like the University of Idaho. When it's campus life, that's what it's all about. When you get all those students there and they do what they do and you get that environment, that's what college football is all about and that's what college is all about. Hopefully they'll stay with us the next couple games."
Tight end Luke Smith-Anderson: "That was an unbelievable crowd. It's amazing. That's why we play college football. I wish it could be like that every time. I hope it is from here on out. Our crowd played a big factor in the game. It was the loudest I've ever heard it."
Quarterback Steve Wichman: "I loved it. I loved it. I hope it's that way every game. With that crowd, it just makes it that much more of an honor to represent the University of Idaho, to represent our students and to represent the people who come out and supported us. I hope it's like that every game. Division I football should be played in that type of an atmosphere."
