FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Roshaun Johnson ran for 85 yards and two touchdowns in his home state, Gevani McCoy was 18-20 for 184 yards and another touchdown and the Vandal defense shutout NAU in the second half, holding the Lumberjacks to just 184 yards of offense as Idaho topped NAU 27-10 in the Big Sky Conference opener Saturday at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.
The Vandal offense clicked from the first possession, driving 75 yards over 13 plays before Johnson capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to give Idaho a 7-0 lead.
NAU responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive of their own to knot the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter. After that drive, Idaho held NAU to just 109 yards of offense for the remaining three-plus quarters of the game.
Idaho added a 24-yard field goal by Ricardo Chavez to retake the lead 10-7 early in the second quarter.
The Vandals drove 88-yards on 11 plays, capped with a two-yard touchdown pass to Connor Whitney to extend the lead to 17-7 with 3:08 to play in the first half. NAU hit a 47-yard field goal at the end of the first half to cut the lead to 17-10.
NAU tallied 33 yards on 26 plays in the second half and never threatened to score after the break.
Ricardo Chavez added a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter to extend the lead to 20-10 and Johnson capped his day with a nine-yard touchdown run with 11:15 to play in the game.
The Vandal offense was efficient. As a team, Idaho controlled the clock for 41:28 and racked up 24 first downs. The Vandals tallied 399 yards of offense. McCoy was had just two incompletions while finding four different receivers for at least four catches each.
Johnson carried the ball 25 times for 85 yards and two scores while Anthony Woods tallied 84 yards on 18 carries. McCoy also had four carries for 22 yards.
Jermaine Jackson continued his stellar play. He caught five passes for 96 yards and had one punt return for 28 yards. Michael Graves tallied five catches for 50 yards and made a key block on Johnson's second touchdown. Hayden Hatten caught five receptions for 49 yards and had one pass to Jackson for 30 yards.
The defense was again outstanding. Tommy McCormick had seven tackles and an interception while Fa'Avae Fa'Avae again led the team with eight tackles. Ben Bertram had four tackles and two TFLs for his first start and Juliano Falaniko tallied a sack, three tackles and a QB hurry.
UP NEXT
Idaho hosts Northern Colorado Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Kibbie Dome in a Homecoming matchup. Both teams are 2-2 after UNC's 35-14 win over Idaho State. Tickets are still available by calling the Vandal Ticket Office at 208-885-6466 or by visiting govandals.com/tickets
