PULLMAN, Wash. – The Idaho Vandal football team battled to the final whistle but fell to Washington State 24-17 in the first game of the Jason Eck era, Saturday night at Martin Stadium in Pullman.

Idaho had a chance to tie the game, driving the ball down the field with under a minute left. Gevani McCoy's pass to Jermaine Jackson was intercepted at the goal line with 12 seconds left, ending the upset bid.

McCoy finished 21-32 for 212 yards a touchdown and two interceptions.

The game couldn't have started any better for the Vandals. The defense forced fumbles on WSU opening two possessions. The second was forced and returned 45 yards by Marcus Harris for a touchdown to give Idaho the early 7-0 lead and leaving Martin Stadium stunned.  

The Vandal offense got a big play from Jackson on their next possession when McCoy found him down the sideline for a 42-yard connection on fourth and long to set Idaho up with a first goal. WSU forced Idaho to kick a short field goal and the Vandals led 10-0 after the first quarter.  

The Cougar offense started to get things going in the second quarter scoring 10 points late in the half to tie the game at 10 at the half.  

WSU took their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter and extended the lead to 24-10 with 10 minutes left in the fourth.  

The Vandal offense responded with an eight-play 75-yard drive that was kept alive with a 35-yard catch by Jermaine Jackson on fourth and eight on their own 27-yard line. Four plays later McCoy found true freshman Jordan Dwyer for a 23-yard score.  The Cougars drove the field to the one-yard line, but a goal line stand led to a missed field goal that gave the Vandals the final shot with less than a minute to play. Idaho started the drive at the 20 and drove inside the
WSU 30 before the interception in the final seconds to end the game.

Jackson led the Vandals with 110 yards receiving on six catches.  True Freshman running back Anthony Woods rushed for a team-high 50 yards on nine carries. Dwyer scored the lone offensive touchdown. He had 39 yards on three catches including the 23-yard touchdown.

Fa'avae Fa'avae was impressive in his return to his former school. He led Idaho with 11 total tackles, including solo stops, a sack and a forced fumble. As a team, Idaho tallied three sacks, four tackles for loss and three QB hurries.
 
NOTES

• Marcus Harris' scoop and score of 45 yards was the ninth-longest in Vandal history.
• It was the longest scoop and score since Lloyd Hightower's 49-yard fumble return TD against Idaho State in 2019.
• Jermaine Jackson caught six passes for a career-high 113 yards. His previous best was 48 yards against Eastern Washington on Oct. 16, 2021.
• The Vandals won the time of possession controlling the ball for over 36 minutes.  
• The Vandals were 3-6 on fourth downs.  
• Idaho forced three WSU fumbles, winning the turnover battle 3-2.
• Jordan Dwyer scored a touchdown in his first career game as a Vandal as a true freshman.  

UP NEXT
The Vandals travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to face Big Ten opponent Indiana on Sept. 10. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium is set for 5:30 p.m. pacific time.