MOSCOW, Idaho - On Saturday afternoon, the Idaho Fightin' Taters kicked off the first of their six home games in the comforts of the P1FCU Kibbie Dome, hosting the St. Thomas Tommies, who were fresh off a win over RV Lindenwood.
The Tommies came to play from the Fightin' Taters' first offensive snap, intercepting Joshua Wood on a 50-50 deep ball to begin the day. Idaho's defense held strong despite the sudden change, stalling momentum in the red zone and forcing a chip-shot field goal that sailed wide left.
On the Fightin' Taters' second drive of the game, Elisha Cummings ran for back-to-back first downs. Idaho put the first points on the board with a Cameron Pope 33-yard field goal with just over five minutes to go in the opening quarter. St. Thomas responded before the end of the first frame, scoring a touchdown with less than a minute remaining to move ahead.
In the second quarter, Wood kept the offense moving. Facing third-and-ten, he scrambled from sideline to sideline and uncorked a 43-yard dot to Emerson Cortez -Menjivar, setting the Fightin' Taters up deep in the red zone
Later in the half, Wood connected with
Tony Harste on a 21-yard strike, moving the Fightin' Taters inside the five-yard line. On the following play,
Jake Cox secured a one-handed touchdown grab, described on the broadcast as him "grabbing that tater out of the air."
Both teams traded punts to open the third quarter. St. Thomas moved the ball into opposing territory but missed their second field goal attempt from 49 yards out. Later in the quarter, the Tommies capitalized on a special teams error, earning favorable field position and converting a 44-yard field goal late in the period to trim the Idaho lead to 23–16.
The Fightin' Tater offense found a rhythm late in the quarter, with Wood connecting with
Tony Harste for a 37-yard gain, moving the chains and keeping a scoring drive alive. Idaho struck quickly at the start of the fourth quarter when the quarterback found
Ryan Jezioro on a 42-yard touchdown pass at the, extending the lead to 13 after the two-point attempt was short.
St. Thomas kept fighting, scoring from 38 yards out with a tightrope run along the sideline to make it a one-score game once again. Wood responded on the ensuing possession with an option keeper that broke loose for a 57-yard rushing touchdown—the longest run of his career—pushing Idaho ahead 37–23 following the two-point conversion on a floater to
Jake Cox.
St. Thomas responded with a touchdown of their own with 11 seconds left on the clock, but the ensuing onside kick rolled out of bounds and Idaho kneeled out the final ticks.
With the win, the first for head coach Thomas Ford at the helm in Moscow, the Fightin' Taters moved to 1-1 on the young season. They will return to action at home vs. Utah Tech on Saturday, Sep. 13, at 1:00 PM. The game will feature the celebration of the P1FCU Kibbie Dome's 50th anniversary.
UP NEXT: The Idaho Vandals will return to action at home vs. Utah Tech on Saturday, Sep. 13, at 1:00 PM. The game will feature the celebration of the P1FCU Kibbie Dome's 50th Anniversary and can be watched locally on SWX or streamed on ESPN+.
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TICKETS: Season tickets, mini plans, and single-game tickets are
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