Football | 09/24/2018

Idaho vs Portland State
Saturday, Sept. 29 | 2 p.m. PT
Moscow, Idaho | ASUI Kibbie Dome
WATCH: SWX | Pluto TV (Ch. 242) | Pluto TV App | Watch Big Sky
LISTEN: Vandal Radio Network | Vandal Xtra | TuneIn App | TuneIn
LIVE STATS: GoVandals.com/FBstats
MEDIA INFORMATION: Idaho Game Notes | Idaho Media Guide
 
Idaho football returns to the Kibbie Dome Saturday, to take on Portland State at 2 p.m. PT in the Vandals' (1-2, 0-1 Big Sky) first home conference game of the season.
 
WATCH: The game will be televised regionally by SWX, in addition to streaming live on Pluto TV channel 242 and the Watch Big Sky platform. Sam Adams will handle play-by-play duties with Adam Shackleford as the analyst. Links to the stream can be found above and on the football schedule page at GoVandals.com.
SWX Channel Finder: Time Warner 1245, Comcast 306, CableOne 486; Spokane 6-2, Tri-Cities 25-3, Boise 7-2, Twin Falls 20-2
 
LISTEN: Dennis Patchin is in his fourth season as the radio voice of the Vandals. Patchin will call play-by-play alongside Vandal legend Ryan Phillips, who will provide color commentary. Their pregame show begins an hour before kickoff. The game can be heard on the Vandal Radio Network and online at GoVandals.com. Find stations on the network HERE.
 
ABOUT PORTLAND STATE: The Vikings are 1-3 on the year, including a loss to Montana State last week in their Big Sky opener. Tight end Charlie Taumoepeau was a preseason All-American and in two games against Nevada and Oregon Taumoepeau scored four touchdowns, going over 100 yards each game.
All-Time Series: Idaho leads 11-1 (Idaho Streak, W 1)
Last Meeting: Sept. 6, 1997 (Idaho 46, PSU 0)
 
VANDALS VS VIKINGS: Idaho and Portland State have met a modest 12 times on the gridiron, but their pasts are uniquely tangled. The two schools have never faced each other as conference opponents, as the Vikings joined the Big Sky upon Idaho's departure in 1995, when Portland State transitioned from Division II. However, the Vandals and Vikings have played once previously when both schools competed at the FCS (then I-AA) level. Portland State spent three years as a I-AA independent, from 1978-80, while record-setting quarterback Neil Lomax was engineering legendary coach Mouse Davis' offense. Portland State traveled to Moscow in 1980, and Idaho claimed a 37-27 victory. The Vandals limited Lomax - who threw for more than 13,000 yards in his career - to 315 in the game and intercepted him twice. Idaho's offense racked up 556 yards, including 417 on the ground. The 129 yards gained by Russell Davis were a teaser for what 1981 had in store. The next season the Vandals played at Portland State and Davis set a then-Division I-AA national single-game record with 345 rushing yards. It remains the Idaho school record and ranks 15th in FCS history.
 
HOME AGAIN: Saturday will mark Idaho's 100th home Big Sky Conference game and its first since Nov. 18, 1995. The Vandals are 66-31-2 (.677) all-time in home games in Big Sky play, including a win in their last home conference game as a member of the Big Sky, defeating Boise State 33-13 (Nov. 18, 1995). Idaho has won eight consecutive Big Sky home games, dating back to 1993.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Idaho football suffered a 44-21 loss at No. 21/25 UC Davis, Saturday in the Vandals' first Big Sky Conference game since 1995. The Aggies totaled 512 yards of offense, split evenly between 256 rushing yards and 256 passing yards.
 
Senior running back Isaiah Saunders led the Vandals with 102 yards rushing. It was Saunders' first 100-yard game of the season and third of his career. Junior quarterback Mason Petrino finished 23-of-41 for 284 yards and three touchdowns.
 
30 THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Vandals have won each of the last 10 games in which they scored 30 points.
 
RUNNING TO VICTORY: The Vandals have won 12 of the last 14 games they outgained their opponent on the ground. The Sept. 16, 2017 loss at Western Michigan marked Idaho's first loss when outrushing its opponent since 2014.
 
STRONG COFFEY: Through three games, Cade Coffey has booted 12 punts. Six of Coffey's kicks have traveled at least 50 yards, including a season long of 60 yards. Coffey's average of 47.3 yards per punt ranks third nationally in the FCS and eighth in all of Division I.