MOSCOW, Idaho - Ninety-nine years from the first meeting, these two former conference foes are back at it for the first time since 2011. The Wolfpack lead the series 20-9 and the Vandals haven't won since 1999. Nevada enters the game at 0-1 after dropping its season opener at USC 66-14. The Vandals are 1-0 after a dominating 42-17 road win over Lamar.
TV: The game will be broadcast on SWX throughout their broadcast area in Washington, North Idaho and Montana. It will be broadcast on KTVB in Boise. It will be online vie the Mountain West Network.
ABOUT IDAHO: High expectations were met in game one for the Vandals and Big Sky Preseason MVP
Hayden Hatten. He caught seven passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass. He earned Big Sky POTW honors.
Anthony Woods has the longest rush in NCAA football this season at 93 yards, he also scored two touchdowns in the game. The defense looked solid, holding Lamar to 190 yards of total offense.
Marcus Harris grabbed an interception to lead the way for the Vandal defense.
Tre Thomas led the Vandals with seven tackles. Idaho opened the season Thursday so the Vandals will have two days of extra rest.
ABOUT NEVADA: Ken Wilson is in his second season and the Wolfpack is looking to get into the win column for the first time since week two of last year. Nevada opened the season with a tough game at USC, but showed flashes. Receivers Jamaal Bell and Spencer Curtis combined for 204 yards receiving. Nevada QBs went 22/34 (64.7%) for 311 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Veteran linebacker Tongiaki Meteialona led Nevada with six tackles and a TFL.Â
PICK SIX
1. PRESEASON HONORS: After earning consensus All-American honors after the season last year,
Hayden Hatten racked up preseason honors. Â He was named the Big Sky Conference Preseason Offensive MVP and was named to every preseason All-American team.
Gevani McCoy joined Hatten on the Big Sky Conference Preseason Team and the duo were both named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List.
Marcus Harris also earned preseason All-Big Sky recognition and Hatten and Harris were named to the Stats Perform Preseason All-American list.
Jermaine Jackson,
Anthony Woods and
Ricardo Chavez were also named tot he Big Sky Preseason All-Conference team. Joining
Hayden Hatten on the Phil Steele preseason All-American list, is his brother,
Hogan Hatten, who was named a preseason All-American at longsnapper.Â
2. RETURNING HOME: Idaho senior safety
Sean McCormick and junior safety
Tommy McCormick return to Northern Nevada to play a game for the first time in their college careers. The brothers grew up in Fallon, Nevada, about an hour East of Reno on I-80. Tommy and Sean both earned Third-Team All-Big Sky honors a year ago, Tommy as a defensive back and Sean as a special teams player. They expect over 200 family and friends in the stands at kickoff Saturday.Â
3. IMPACT TRANSFERS: Twelve transfers joined the Idaho roster since the conclusion of last season. Eight of the 12 transfers are listed on the Vandal two-deep and three players, defensive tackle
Jahkari Larmond, linebacker
Tre Thomas and edge rusher
Keyshawn James-Newby are listed as starters for the Vandals. Larmond has made his presence felt with disruptive play in the middle of the Vandal defense. Thomas brings three-years of starting experience from South Dakota and James-Newby racked up nine sacks and 14.5 tackles, leading the NAIA's Frontier Conference while at Montana Tech.Â
4. YEAR-TO-YEAR IMPROVEMENT: If the Vandals keep pace with the improvement in year one of the Eck era, Idaho will be among the elite of the FCS. The Idaho offense jumped from 25.36 points per game in 2021 to 35.92 in year one under Eck and the Vandal staff while the defense held opponents to 25.42 points per game, compared to 31.55 in the previous season. The Vandals also increased turnovers from eight to 21 year-to-year. The 2022 defense allowed more than 70 fewer yards per game than the season before, ranking 24th in the FCS for total defense (336.8).
In Big Sky play, the Vandals were the best team in the league in Yards Per Game and led the league in interceptions. The Vandals averaged 23.38 PPG in conference games in 2022, compared to 31.13 in fall of 2021.
5. MORE BEEF IN THE TRENCHES: The biggest difference year-to-year on the offensive line and defensive line for the Vandals may be improved strength and weight. Of the nine returners on the Vandal two-deep for the offensive line, the weight gain is over 11 pounds on average per player. Last year, not a single player who started a game at defensive tackle weighed over 270. This season, not a single player on the defensive line two-deep weighs less than 275.Â
6. STAFF CONSISTENCY: With an FCS program that had a winning season, it is not unreasonable to assume that many members of the successful coaching staff would get poached by bigger programs. In the case of the 2022 Idaho Vandals only one coach, safeties coach Tyler Yelk, left and he took an assistant job with the Philadelphia Eagles. Coach
Jason Eck hired
Bobby Jay, the Defensive Coordinator of the University of San Diego Toreros.Â
