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University of Idaho Athletics

Idaho Celebration
21
Montana St. MSU 6-2 , 4-1
24
Winner Idaho UID 6-2 , 4-1
Montana St. MSU
6-2 , 4-1
21
Final
24
Idaho UID
6-2 , 4-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
MSU Montana St. 0 0 14 7 21
UID Idaho 3 7 0 14 24

Game Recap: Football |

No. 9 Vandals Topple Second-Ranked MSU 24-21

MOSCOW, Idaho - Ninth-ranked Idaho dominated the time of possession, made timely scores and stops in the second half and used outstanding special teams play to topple No. 2 Montana State 24-21, Saturday afternoon at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. 

Gevani McCoy was 22-29 for 229 yards and two touchdowns on the day with Hayden Hatten catching four passes for 63 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with 2:47 remaining in the game. Anthony Woods rushed 20 times for 64 yards and a touchdown. 

The Idaho defensive unit may claim game MVP honors, holding the prolific Montana State rushing attack to 128 yards, nearly 200 yards short of the Bobcat season average (325) coming into the game. It was the only time MSU has been held under 200 yards this season. 

The Vandals won all three phases of the game in the first half. Offensively, the Vandals racked up over 24 minutes of time of possession in the first half, including scoring drives of 10:51 and 6:53. Idaho took a 3-0 lead with a Vandal career-long 53-yard field goal by Ricardo Chavez. After an MSU three-and-out, the Vandals drove 71 yards in 11 plays to extend the lead to 10-0 with a six-yard touchdown catch by Terez Traynor. 

On defense, Idaho held MSU without a first down until there were less than two minutes left in the second quarter. The drive, MSU's final of the half, ended with a field goal attempt that was blocked by junior defensive tackle Jahkari Larmond to preserve the 10-0 lead. Idaho is the only team to hold MSU out of the endzone for a half this season. 

The Bobcat offense got moving after the break, scoring on back-to-back drives in the third quarter to take a 14-10 lead with 5:29 left in the third.

Idaho responded with a 9-minute 15-play, 75-yard drive, capped with a three-yard Woods touchdown with 11:24 to play to put Idaho back on top 17-14.

Montana State regained the lead with a touchdown with 7:48 to play to regain a 21-17 lead, but Idaho wasn't done. 

McCoy went 5-5 for 59 yards and rushed for another 14-yard game to guide the Vandals down the field on the ensuing drive. He capped the drive with a beautiful 12-yard touchdown pass to Hatten into a tiny window to put Idaho on top for good. The touchdown pass was the 40th of his career. 

Montana State threw a series of short passes to work their way to the Idaho 18-yard line, but Dallas Afalava got home on Idaho's only sack of the game, a loss of eight. On the ensuing third down, Dwayne McDougle forced an errant throw with a blitz, forcing MSU to attempt a 43-yard field goal with 22 seconds left on the clock to try to force overtime. 

The attempt was wide right and the Vandals closed the three-point win in victory formation. 

Idaho finished the game with over 41 minutes of time of possession and ran 73 plays to just 47 for the Bobcats. Idaho outgained the Bobcats 336-319, including a 229-191 advantage in passing yards. For the first time in head coach Jason Eck's Tenure as head coach, Idaho won a game when their opponent had more rushing yards, MSU holding a 128-107 advantage on the ground. 

Tommy McCormick led the Vandals with eight total tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a QB hurry. Afalava recorded Idaho's lone sack. Neither team turned the ball over in the game. 

The win is the third win over a top-5 opponent in Eck's first 20 games as the Idaho Vandal head coach and third, ranked win this season for the Vandals. 

Idaho moves into a first-place tie with MSU and Montana in the Big Sky standings at 4-1 with three games to play in the season. 


UP NEXT
The Vandals travel to Northern Colorado next Saturday to face the 0-8 Bears at Nottingham Field in Greeley before heading to Ogden, Utah to play Weber State and closing the regular-season on November 18 at home against Idaho State. 

 
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