MOSCOW, Idaho – Mason Petrino found Jeff Cotton in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 27 seconds to play, lifting Idaho to a 31-27 win over North Dakota Saturday, at the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals (4-5, 3-4 Big Sky) scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.
 
Idaho took possession on its own 43 with 2:45 remaining, trailing 27-24. After Petrino connected with David Ungerer to move the sticks on a fourth down play and again on a third and short, the Vandals were inside the 10. Two plays later Petrino took advantage of one-on-one coverage against Cotton on the outside, hitting the fade route in the back of the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown and the game-winning score.


 
Cotton set career highs with 10 receptions and 137 yards, his second consecutive game cracking the 100-yard mark. Petrino finished with 277 passing yards and two touchdowns on career highs of 27 completions and 50 attempts.
 
The Vandal defense registered eight tackles for loss, including four sacks, led by D.J. Henderson's two sacks and four tackles for loss. Lloyd Hightower recorded three of Idaho's seven pass breakups, while Denzal Brantley – Idaho's leading tackler with eight stops – pulled down his first interception.
 
North Dakota (5-4) entered the week ranked No. 25 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll. It is Idaho's first win since 2007, over a team ranked in either poll (media or coaches) in either the FCS or FBS.
 
The Vandals improved to 4-0 at home and will have a chance to finish with a perfect home record next week against Montana. Idaho's last season without a home loss was 1996. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 10), and will be televised on ROOT Sports.
 
Idaho struck first with a 43-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Saunders on the Vandals' second possession of the game. It was the longest run of Saunders' career and the longest by a Vandals this season. The senior running back finished with 94 yards on 17 carries, eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark for his career.
 
The Fighting Hawks got on the board in the first quarter with a long run of their own. Brady Oliveira went 68 yards down the sideline to tie it up. Idaho answered right back with a six-play, 75-yard drive in 2:22, capped by a 10-yard pass from Petrino to David Ungerer to put the Vandals back on top before the end of the first quarter.
 
An Idaho fumble set North Dakota up with a short field early in the second quarter. It took 12 plays to go 36 yards, but eventually a four-yard touchdown pass evened the score at 14. That's where the score remained headed into halftime.
 
The Fighting Hawks took their first lead of the game with 2:19 remaining in the third quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Oliveira, but the extra point sailed wide.
 
The fourth quarter began with a 24-yard field goal from Cade Coffey to bring Idaho within three points at 20-17. North Dakota needed just five plays to find the end zone again and extend its lead to 10.
 
Idaho's defense buckled down the rest of the way, allowing just six total yards in the final 10 minutes. The first three-and-out set up the Vandal special teams to shift the momentum. With 8:16 to play, Jalen Hoover broke free to block a punt. Connor Whitney scooped the ball up at the three yard line and took it the rest of the way to bring the Vandals back within three.
 
The defense stood tall twice more before the offense put its game-winning drive together. With a lead to protect once again, Charles Akanno recorded two sacks on North Dakota's final drive, including the final play of the game.