FINAL SCORE: Idaho 20, Sacramento State 23

RECORDS: Idaho (4-7, 2-5), Sacramento State (8-2, 6-1)

IDAHO LEADERS 
PASSING: Joshua Wood (15-26, 162 YDs, 1 TD)
RUSHING: Joshua Wood (14 ATT, 117 YDS, 8.4 AVG)
RECEIVING: Carlos Matheney (3 REC, 20 YDS)
DEFENSE: Cruz Hepburn (11 TKL, 1.5 TFL, 1 SACK) // Zach Wusstig (10 TKL, 1.0 TFL) 

NOTABLES:

• The Vandal defense had 9 tackles for loss.
• P Cameron Pope recorded his career-long 62-yard punt
• QB Joshua Wood surpassed 500 rush yards for the season (560 yards).
• S Zach Wusstig recorded a career-high of 9 tackles in a single game

MOSCOW, Idaho - In a clash that showcased grit, resilience, and late-game drama, the Idaho Vandals delivered a battle-tested performance before falling in a heartbreaker to Sacramento State, 20-23, on Saturday afternoon.

The Hornets' "Go-Go" offense opened the contest with a productive first drive, putting up yards early and often in the first quarter. However, the Idaho defense responded effectively as the Hornets approached the red zone. With Sac State threatening from the eight-yard line, the Vandals tightened their coverage and halted the advance, limiting the hosts to a field goal on the opening possession.

As the game moved into the second frame, the Black and Gold continued to put pressure on the opposition, including a  Matyus McLain sack to halt offensive momentum. 

While the defense kept the contest tight, the offense struggled to generate much momentum in the first half. A strong defensive display from the Hornets forced quarterback Joshua Wood into tight-window throws, one of which, intended for Michael Graves near the red zone, was batted and intercepted to kill the drive.

A few drives later, the Hornets' kicker continued to do his job as he banged another field goal from 38 yards out to extend the Sac State lead to six.

With Idaho in possession of the ball again, they began a 71-yard march downfield led by a passing game that began to click. In the drive, Trenton Swanson grabbed his first career reception, an 18-yard snag to move the chains. The Brave and Bold continued to sting the Hornets up and down the hashes, positioning themselves for a field goal attempt. Owen Forsman capped off the drive with a 21-yard chip shot to give the Vandals their first points of the game and cut the deficit in half.

On the following drive, the UI defense continued to cause trouble as redshirt junior Dylan Layne got a diving interception just as Sac State was moving into the red zone. The pass was eventually deemed to be incomplete as the ball hit the ground on the way as down, but the shift in momentum still led the Hornets to punt. The next time out on defense, Vandal captain Zach Krotzer stopped momentum with a tackle for loss. Two plays later, the Hornets lined up a field goal in the closing seconds of the half, only to have it swatted by Krotzer for the first block of his career.

In the third frame, the Hornets extended their lead early with a pass up the middle for a 26-yard score. With a successful PAT, the tally sat at 3-13. In response, Idaho fought its way downfield with a series of catches by Nolan McWilliams and Noah West-Baranco, opening another opportunity for Forsman, who knocked it clean through the posts to cut the deficit to seven. Redshirt sophomore Ryder Bordner had his first career sack on the following drive.

Despite this delay, the Go-Go offense continued to test Idaho, marching down the field and knocking in Sac State's third field goal of the night to bring it back to a two-score game, 6-16.

In the fourth, the Vandal offense began to roll. Early in the quarter, the Vandal offense moved down the field, setting up short yardage after an option keeper by Joshua Wood. Nate Thomas put the cherry on top by taking the dive between the tackles and across the goal line, closing the distance to 13-16 with a successful PAT.

Once Idaho regained possession, the offense kept firing on all cylinders. The run game proved too much to stop as Carlos Matheney, Thomas, and Wood alternated carries to move into Hornet territory. The QB put the exclamation point on the march by slicing through the defense on a run to the right for a Vandal touchdown that gave UI a late 20-16 lead.

As the clock wound down in the fourth, Sac State began its battle down the field. Scrapping for every yard, the Hornets neared the Idaho red zone. In a desperate 4th-down attempt, Sac State fired a bomb over the top of an Idaho defender to move the chains. After an extremely controversial catch outside of the right sideline as reviewed and upheld as complete, the Hornets converted the touchdown with a quarterback keeper to the left side, taking a three-point lead.

In a game that came down to the final moments, Idaho's near-certain victory was upended late, resulting in a razor-thin 23-20 loss to Sacramento State.


UP NEXT: The Vandals return home for Senior Day with a black out themed game against in-state rival Idaho State for the final game of the season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m with the game broadcast on ESPN+, SWX and the Vandal Radio Network.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow the Vandals on Facebook, Instagram, and X for the latest updates.

TICKETS: Season tickets, mini plans, and single-game tickets are available here or by calling the Idaho Ticket Office at (208) 885-6466.