THE GAME: The Battle of the Palouse is back! The Vandals meet Washington State in the 92nd Battle of the Palouse. The teams meet for the first time since 2016 with Idaho looking to stop a nine-game Cougar winning streak  The Vandals last win came on Sept. 23, 2000 in Pullman. Both teams enter the year in the first full season under their head coaches.

ABOUT IDAHO: The Vandals enter the year under first-year head coach Jason Eck and an entirely new Vandal staff. ECKcitement is high in Moscow for the new staff. Idaho brings back several starters, including preseason all-conference honoree Fa'Avae Fa'Avae. The quarterback question is still not answered with three QBs listed as possible starters on the depth chart.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougs enter the year with head coach Jake Dickert in his first full season as the head coach. Dickert stepped in as the interim coach last year and finished 3-3, including a dramatic win in the Apple Cup in Seattle. WSU added transfer quarterback Cameron Ward who earned the starting spot under new offensive coordinator Eric Morris.

PICK SIX

1. QUARTERBACK QUESTION: Four Vandal quarterbacks have shared time with the first team during the fall, but three are listed as potential starters on the depth chart. J'Bore Gibbs, C.J. Jordan and Gevani McCoy all share the first line. Gibbs, a transfer from South Dakota State, played two seasons under head coach Jason Eck and offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner at SDSU. He played in 10 games and has passed for 1,071 yards and 10 touchdowns while running for four more. Jordan has played in five total games with 381 yards passing and a pair of TDs. McCoy played in three games with 205 yard through the air and one touchdown pass. True freshman Jack Layne also saw time with the first team offense this fall.

2. PRESEASONS HONORS: Preseason honors were slim for the Vandals. Senior linebacker Fa'Avae Fa'Avae was the lone Vandal to earn preseason All-Big Sky honors. The senior tallied 76 total tackles a season ago, including four TFLS and 1.5 sacks. He has 123 total tackles in his two seasons at Idaho.

3. IMPACT TRANSFERS: Five new transfers are listed on the Vandal defensive two-deep, two  transfers are listed on the offensive list and one special teams player will look to make an immediate impact. Paul Moala, a linebacker transfer from Notre Dame and Juliano Falaniko, a defensive end transfer from USC and Mathias Bertram, a safety from New Mexico are all expected to start Satuday on the defensive side of the ball. Former NAIA All-American Jason Hahlbeck, a transfer from Morningside College, is expected to start at right tackle and junior college transfer Ricardo Chavez will make an impact right away in the punting and kicking game.

4. RECEIVERS: The Vandals have depth in the wide receiver corps. Terez Traynor tallied 50 receptions last year for 737 yards and three touchdowns, including three games with over 100 yards receiving. Hayden Hatten played in three games a season ago before injury and had 215 yards and three touchdowns. He scored two against Indiana. He has over 1000 yards for his career. Jermaine Jackson is an emotional and vocal leader for the Idaho receivers. He played limited action in 2021 because of injury but looks to make an impact this season.

5. VETERAN RUNNING BACKS ROOM: Four Vandal running backs enter the season with considereable experience. Senior Roshaun Johnson has 1,011 career yards and 15 career touchdowns. He also holds the Idaho single-game touchdown record after scoring six times against Southern Utah last season.  Aundre Carter has 849 career yards and 14 touchdowns. Nick Romano has 699 career yards and three touchdowns. Eli Cummings has 373 yards and a touchdown.

6. NEW BUT VETERAN STAFF: With the coaching staff change, head coach Jason Eck changed the entire staff. Among the 10 assistant coaches, seven have served as a coordinator in a college football setting and running backs coach Thomas Ford is a former DII head coach. Stanley Franks Jr. and Matt Linehan both had outstanding careers as players at the University of Idaho.