MOSCOW, Idaho – Mark Hamper caught eight passes for a career-high 187 and three touchdowns, including a game-clinching 74-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to lead the eighth-ranked Idaho Vandals to a 31-24 win over Weber State and close the regular season undefeated at home for the first time since 1996.
The Vandals racked up 419 yards of offense while holding Weber State to 296, including just 78 yards rushing.
Jack Layne was 18-27 for 283 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Idaho racked up three sacks, six QB hurries, three pass breakups and a pair of forced fumbles.
Jaxton Eck had a team-high 11 tackles and
Malakai Williams tallied seven tackles, including 2.5 TFLs, two sacks and a forced fumble. The Vandals forced Weber State into eight three-and-outs out of 12 drives.
Neither offense could find traction to start the game. The teams traded punts twice before Idaho took over at the 38-yard line with 8:04 left in the first. Layne went 3-for-3 on the drive, capped with 36-yard pass for Hamper's first touchdown of the day.
Weber State tied the game early in the second quarter before Idaho regained the lead with a career-long 50-yard
Cameron Pope field goal with 2:31 remaining in the half. Weber State added a late touchdown with 20 seconds left to take 14-10 lead into halftime.
Idaho forced three-and-outs on Weber's first four drives of the second half while scoring on four of the first five after the break.
The Vandals added a pair of field goals in the third before scoring a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, both by Hamper. Layne found Hamper on a tunnel screen with 8:27 left in the game, he followed his blockers all the way to the end zone for the 16-yard score to give Idaho a 23-14 lead.
Weber responded with a field goal to cut the lead to 23-17 before Hamper picked his way through traffic for a 74-yard touchdown with 1:40 remaining. Layne found Emmerson Cortz-Menjivar for a two-point conversion to extend the lead to 31-17.
The Wildcats added a long touchdown pass on a play where two defensive players collided going for the ball to cut the Idaho lead to 31-24 with less than a minute to play. The onside kick attempt failed, and the Vandals kneeled on the ball to close out the win.
The win bumps Idaho to the all-important eight Division I win mark for the NCAA Playoff committee. The Vandals are now 8-3 on the year. Their three losses, all on the road, are to teams with a combined record of 31-2 on the year. The Vandals close out the regular season with an undefeated home record for the first time since 1996.
Despite a long list of accomplishments this season, the Vandals are looking to secure the best possible playoff seeding as they travel to Pocatello for the finale against Idaho State in the ICCU Dome.
For the first time, the two teams will play for the Potato State trophy. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. pacific time.
