The Idaho Vandals (3-5, 1-3 Big Sky) are back in the national spotlight on Halloween night when they take on the No. 19 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-3, 2-2) in a rare Friday night game (7:30 p.m., ESPN2) at Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz.
The two Big Sky opponents first played each other in 1975. Idaho holds a 19-6 overall record against the NAU and is 10-3 all-time in Flagstaff.
The Vandals have beaten the Lumberjacks in the last two matchups and have won 12 of the last 14 contests. NAU’s last victory over Idaho in Flagstaff was in the 2021 spring season; before that, the Lumberjacks’ last win in Flagstaff over the Vandals was in 1981.
It will be Idaho’s second nationally televised game of the season after it fell to No. 4 Montana 41-30 on ESPN2 on Sept. 27.
The Vandals broke their winning drought with a 45-6 victory over the Portland State Vikings on Saturday. It was the most points that the Vandals have scored since their 63-21 win over Idaho State on Nov. 18, 2023.
Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. said that the Vandals hope to maintain their momentum, although he realizes that Northern Arizona will be a team that challenges Idaho both offensively and defensively. He said that the team is excited for the opportunity to play a top team in the Big Sky.
“Very excited to get back to the winning side of things,” Ford said. “I think it just really showed the resolve of this group. This group cares a lot about one another. They care a lot about this program, and they’re going to keep fighting no matter the circumstances.”
Carrying momentum into a short week
Idaho is coming off a win on Saturday and has a quick turnaround to play NAU on Friday night.
Coming off such a large win against Portland State, the Vandals are doing their best to carry that groove into Friday’s game.
Ford said that the confidence built up in the huge win will spill over into the this week.
“It just reminds them that the process is working,” Ford said. “Their hard work isn’t going unrewarded. And I think those things that we talked about — staying together as a team, you feeling confident because we’re prepared and executing all those things — just kind of magnify when you do those things in the week and then you get a win on Saturday. So I definitely think it helps the momentum and getting these guys to remember how good we really are and how good we’ve been really most of the season.”
With the short week comes some fundamental changes to the practice schedule. Preparation time is condensed dramatically because there is a full day less to prepare. The Vandals do not usually meet on Mondays, yet they practiced on Monday.
Ford said that the plan is to “shrink the menu,” meaning simplifying play-calling and schemes for the players.
“You’ve got to be a lot more detailed in what you’re doing,” Ford said. “You just can’t do quite as much because you don’t have as many practice reps. And then obviously the physical toll. Those guys are used to having a full day off on Monday, and now they’re going to work now. They did have Sunday night off, so we tried to balance it a little bit, but the short turnaround definitely has an effect on the preparation.”
Improvement on both sides of the ball
Both the offense and defense played perhaps the best game of the season on each side against PSU.
With starting quarterback Joshua Wood back and behind center after missing two weeks with a lower-body injury, the offense was spotless. Wood finished the game 15-for-22 passing for 259 yards and four touchdowns.
He threw all of his scores in the first half.
After a missed field goal on the first drive, the Vandals scored on six straight drives.
