Bye-bye, Big Sky title hopes. Idaho falls at Weber State, still has FCS playoffs in sight
The Idaho football team still is likely to make the FCS playoffs for the second year in a row, but the Vandals’ season lost some luster Saturday when they face-planted at Weber State, losing 31-29.
By beating a team that entered the game with a losing record, No. 4-ranked Idaho would have had a shot at the Big Sky regular season championship next week. Now the Vandals (7-3, 5-2) will try to beat in-state rival Idaho State at the Kibbie Dome to head into the postseason with some momentum, their conference title hopes gone.
The score was tied late in the third quarter when Adrian Cormier put Weber State (5-5, 3-4) ahead with a 13-yard touchdown run that was set up by a 71-yard punt return, and the Wildcats added a field goal for a 31-21 lead.
The Vandals drove for a touchdown and 2-point conversion, with quarterback Gevani McCoy hitting Hayden Hatten from 3 yards out on the score, but that came with just 12 seconds to play. Weber State recovered the onside kick that followed.
McCoy was 33-of-51 passing for 346 yards, tying his career high. With leading rusher Anthony Woods out, running back Nick Romano carried 22 times for 84 yards. Hatten caught a career-best 14 passes for 175 yards for Idaho.
The Vandals had 418 total yards to just 291 for the Wildcats, but they lost a pair of fumbles that killed drives, and that made the difference.
Idaho will close the regular season Saturday with a 4 p.m. game against Idaho State. A victory could mean a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
Either Montana (9-1, 6-1) or Montana State (8-2, 6-1) will win the Big Sky title; those two rivals play next week. The Vandals played both teams in Moscow this season, losing 23-21 to the Grizzlies and beating the Bobcats 24-21.
