Idaho (0-0) vs. Cal Poly (0-0)
MOSCOW, Idaho - After a long offseason filled with meetings, lifts, and spring practices, Idaho Football is finally ready to get back on the field to play another opponent. Not only that, but the Vandals are starting the season off with a Big Sky game, taking on Cal Poly at Alex G. Spanos Stadium under the Friday Night Lights
The Vandals will be one of the first college football teams anywhere in the country to play a live game, kicking off week 1 on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7:00 PM. The eyes of the nation will be locked on San Luis Obispo as the game will be the first of three contests to be broadcast on a linear ESPN network for Idaho in 2026.
"Very excited about the way our group worked," said HC
Thomas Ford Jr. at the weekly press conference. "I think our guys did a phenomenal job staying disciplined, staying focused throughout [fall camp], and they're really ready to take on an actual opponent. Very excited for the season."
HEAR FROM THE COACHING STAFF
A LOOK AT CAL POLY
Cal Poly, coming off of a 4-8 2025 campaign, was projected 11th and ninth in the Big Sky's preseason coaches and media polls, respectively, and is led by Tim Skipper, who is a first-time full-time head coach but has stepped in and led the charge at the highest levels of college football. Skipper took the reins as the interim head coach at UCLA and promptly propelled the Bruins to an upset of No. 7 Penn State. Skipper also served as Interim Head Coach at Fresno State in 2024, and the Bulldogs earned a bid to the 2024 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, a game that current Vandal signal-caller
Joshua Wood got the start in.
The first-year leader will inherit arguably one of the best returning linebacking corps in the FCS. Mikey D'Amato and Kenny Olson combined for over 250 tackles, two First-Team All-Big Sky honors, and three All-American nods for D'Amato since the start of the 2025 campaign. The duo will be the heart and soul of a defense led by 25-year coaching veteran Sammy Lawanson.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR
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Week 1 will mark the Idaho debuts for all three coordinators, OC Ian Shoemaker, DC Lee Stalker, and ST Coord. Joe Begnal.
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Idaho currently holds a 5-0 lead in the series with Cal Poly, and will look to extend that advantage to six.
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Tim Skipper, Cal Poly's first-year head coach, will see a familiar face on the other sideline on Friday. As the interim head coach at Fresno State, he led the Bulldogs to the 2024 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, with Joshua Wood getting the start under center in that game and accounting for over 200 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
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QB Joshua Wood is set to make his return as the starting quarterback, directing the offense behind four of five returning starters on the offensive line: Charlie Vliem, Layton Vining, Leon Evans, and Kiegan Henson. All four returners started all twelve games for the Vandals in 2025, while Henson has accumulated 17 in his career and Vining has been the go-to center for 24 straight games.
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LC State shortstop turned Vandal linebacker Cruz Hepburn will lead Lee Stalker's defense as the team's top returning tackler. The Lewiston native racked up 71 tackles, a sack, and returned a fumble for a TD in 2025.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
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3: Idaho is one of three FCS teams to record multiple wins over FBS programs since 2023 (Idaho beat Nevada 33-6 in 2023, Idaho beat Wyoming 17-13 in 2024)
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17: This past offseason, the Vandals celebrated the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history and the second-best '25 class in the FCS, bringing in a total of 17 three-star prospects.
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8: Number of FBS, Preseason Top 25 FCS, and teams that received ranked votes that Idaho plays this year.
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3: Idaho's strength of schedule is rated per Massey.
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9: Nine of Idaho's twelve regular-season contests have received a regional or national broadcast assignment. The Vandals will face Cal Poly and Montana State on ESPN and Utah on ESPNU, while Lamar, Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Eastern Washington, and UC Davis have all been picked up by SWX, and the Battle of the Little Brown Stein with Montana will be broadcast on Scripps Sports
