SAN JOSE, Calif. - For the third season in a row Idaho took a Mountain West opponent to the wire, as the Vandals faced a former conference foe, San Jose State.
The Vandals opened up the game with new starting kicker Owen Forsmen having his first career kickoff. The Spartans opened the game with a 38-yard pass attempt on their first play from scrimmage, which was broken up by
Tim Jackson, one of his game-leading two pass breakups on the day.
On the fifth play of the drive, Jackson forced San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget out of the pocket and forced a fumble, which was recovered by
Dylan Layne, giving the Vandals' their fourth takeaway of the year, and setting the offense up near midfield.
On their first possession, the Black and Gold wasted no time in their push for the red zone, reaching the 20-yard line in six plays.
Joshua Wood capitalized on the opportunity, punching in a QB keeper from the one yard line, giving Idaho the early lead. This marks Wood's team-high third rushing touchdown of the year. Kicker
Owen Forsman knocked in the PAT, extending the Vandal lead to seven. Forsman has been perfect on extra points in 2025, converting all seven attempts.
Idaho continued to display its defensive dominance in the first quarter, holding the Spartans inside their own territory in the opening period.
The Vandals got the ball back at their own 29-yard line with just over a minute left in the first, and proceeded to grind down the clock, taking 15 plays and nearly nine minutes. A 36-yard pass from Wood to true freshman
Daveon Superales, the longest of the game for Idaho, set the Vandals up on the one-yard line, where
Art Williams ran it in for his second touchdown of the season.
At halftime, the score was tied up 14-14 with Jackson leading the Idaho defense with a single-game career high of four tackles and 1 TFL.
The Vandal offense continued to control the clock in the third, rattling off a 9:42 drive that ended in a
Ryan Jezioro toe-tapping 15-yard touchdown from Wood, to put the Vandals up 21-14. This drive was their longest scoring drive of the season.
Late in the fourth, the Mighty Vandals continued to be in a neck-and-neck battle with the Spartans, with the game knotted at 28 at the two-minute timeout and the Spartans holding possession.
Defensive lineman
Zach Krotzer snuffed out a quarterback keeper on third down at the Idaho 30. San Jose State ran the clock down to 12 seconds, trotting out their field goal unit, converting a 47-yard field goal to claim a 31-28 advantage and the win.
UP NEXT: Idaho makes its way to Missoula for the Little Brown Stein against the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday, Sept. 27. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m., with the game aired nationally on ESPN2.
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.
