The Idaho Vandals experienced a late stumble in a 38-27 Big Sky Conference loss to Weber State at Stewart Stadium on Saturday, according to a October 10 report. Coming off a significant upset of top-ranked Montana State, the Vandals were unable to maintain momentum against the Wildcats.
Weber State, now 4-3 and 3-1 in conference play, utilized a potent rushing attack to secure the win. The Wildcats recorded a season-high 305 rushing yards on 35 carries. Spencer Ferguson contributed 153 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard score on the game's first play. Seth Rigtrup added 129 yards and two touchdowns, including a 16-yard run to reestablish a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood completed 32 of 50 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns despite throwing two interceptions. Wood's interceptions were both caught by Weber State safety Trevian Tribble. Wood's scoring targets included Ryan Jezioro, Noah West-Baranco, and Tony Harste. Other notable performers for the Vandals included Gus Donnerberg, who recorded 91 yards on eight receptions, and Tony Harste, who finished with 96 yards on six catches.
The game featured an hour-long lightning delay after Weber State had taken a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter. Idaho responded by cutting the deficit to 14-7 by halftime, aided by an interception from Luca Moore. Vandals kicker Owen Forsman missed two field-goal attempts from inside 40 yards during the first half and missed a 37-yard attempt early in the third quarter. Vandals coach Thomas Ford Jr. noted that the team was stifled in the red zone and that the offense struggled to keep pace with an opponent averaging 38 points per game.
The Vandals enter their next matchup against No. 2 Montana for the Little Brown Stein. Montana recently suffered a 49-44 loss to Northern Arizona, a game in which Ty Pennington recorded 322 passing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
