# 2023 Idaho State Bengals football team

The 2023 Idaho State Bengals football team represented Idaho State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Cody Hawkins, the Bengals played their home games on campus at Holt Arena, an indoor facility in Pocatello, Idaho.

## Preseason
### Polls

On July 23, 2023, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Bengals were predicted to finish last in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.
Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Montana State | 120 (10) |
| 2 | UC Davis | 96 (1) |
| 3 | Sacramento State | 94 (1) |
| 4 | Weber State | 91 |
| 5 | Idaho | 89 |
| 6 | Montana | 84 |
| 7 | Eastern Washington | 52 |
| 8 | Portland State | 45 |
| 9 | Northern Arizona | 44 |
| 10 | Northern Colorado | 37 |
| 11 | Cal Poly | 25 |
| 12 | Idaho State | 15 |
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Montana State | 447 (26) |
| 2 | Idaho | 410 (8) |
| 3 | Montana | 359 (2) |
| 4 | Sacramento State | 334 (3) |
| 5 | UC Davis | 330 |
| 6 | Weber State | 320 |
| 7 | Eastern Washington | 216 |
| 8 | Northern Arizona | 178 |
| 9 | Portland State | 167 |
| 10 | Northern Colorado | 109 |
| 11 | Cal Poly | 103 |
| 12 | Idaho State | 69 |

### Preseason All–Big Sky team

The Bengals had no players selected to the Preseason All–Big Sky team.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 8:30 p.m. | at San Diego State* | Snapdragon StadiumSan Diego, CA | CBSSN | L 28–36 | 22,345 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | at Utah State* | Maverik StadiumLogan, UT | MWN | L 28–78 | 20,034 |
| September 16 | 4:00 p.m. | Northern Iowa* | Holt ArenaPocatello, ID | ESPN+ | L 17–41 | 1 |
| September 23 | 4:00 p.m. | Northern Colorado | Holt ArenaPocatello, ID | ESPN+ | W 35–21 | 8,012 |
| September 30 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Montana | Washington–Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT | ESPN+/Scripps | L 20–28 | 26,678 |
| October 14 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 21 Eastern Washington | Holt ArenaPocatello, ID | ESPN+ | W 42–41 | 6,763 |
| October 21 | 2:00 p.m. | at Portland State | Hillsboro StadiumHillsboro, OR | ESPN+ | W 38–24 | 2,174 |
| October 28 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Sacramento State | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA | ESPN+ | L 16–51 | 13,733 |
| November 4 | 4:00 p.m. | Weber State | Holt ArenaPocatello, ID | ESPN+ | L 21–33 | 8,233 |
| November 11 | 4:00 p.m. | UC Davis | Holt ArenaPocatello, ID | ESPN+ | L 14–21 | 7,001 |
| November 18 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Idaho | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID (rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 21–63 | 9,854 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Mountain time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at San Diego State (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 3 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 28 |
| Aztecs (FBS) | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 36 |
at Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, California
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 8:30 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: N at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
* Game attendance: 22,345
* Referee: Michael Cuttone
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Michael Grady (play-by-play) and Donte Whitner (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | IDST | SDSU |
| First downs | 24 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 70–344 | 67–389 |
| Rushes–yards | 17–22 | 47–304 |
| Passing yards | 322 | 85 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 31–63–3 | 13–20–1 |
| Time of possession | 25:32 | 34:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 19/42, 177 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Hunter Hays | 9 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Christian Fredericksen | 5 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD |
| San Diego State | Passing | Jalen Mayden | 13/19, 85 yards |
| San Diego State | Rushing | Jalen Mayden | 8 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD |
| San Diego State | Receiving | Martin Blake | 3 receptions, 40 yards |

### at Utah State (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Aggies (FBS) | 7 | 44 | 14 | 13 | 78 |
at Maverik Stadium • Logan, Utah
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: W at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 20,034
* Referee: Gary Leeper
* TV announcers (MWN): Dave Fox (play-by-play), Alema Harrington (analyst), and Frank Dolce (sideline reporter)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | IDST | USU |
| First downs | 28 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 83–424 | 69–591 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–101 | 41–380 |
| Passing yards | 323 | 211 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 34–53–2 | 22–28–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:27 | 26:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 20/30, 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Soujah Gasu | 6 carries, 30 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Christian Fredericksen | 8 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Passing | Cooper Legas | 14/16, 125 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Rushing | Robert Briggs Jr. | 9 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah State | Receiving | Terrell Vaughn | 11 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TD |

### vs Northern Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 14 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
| Bengals | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 1
* Referee: Joe Don
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Carder (play-by-play) and Kody Graves (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UNI | IDST |
| First downs | 32 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 79–527 | 61–346 |
| Rushes–yards | 39–139 | 17–28 |
| Passing yards | 388 | 318 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 29–40–0 | 30–44–1 |
| Time of possession | 36:27 | 23:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Iowa | Passing | Theo Day | 29/39, 388 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Iowa | Rushing | Josh Jenkins | 11 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| Northern Iowa | Receiving | Sam Schnee | 7 receptions, 174 yards, 2 TD |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 23/35, 249 yards, 1 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Hunter Hays | 3 carries, 24 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Chedon James | 8 receptions, 121 yards |

### vs Northern Colorado

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Bengals | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 8,012
* Referee: Jim C.
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Carder (play-by-play) and Kody Graves (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UNCO | IDST |
| First downs | 25 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 72–365 | 72–429 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–242 | 30–103 |
| Passing yards | 123 | 326 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–32–2 | 26–42–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:13 | 28:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Colorado | Passing | Jacob Sirmon | 22/32, 123 yards, 2 INT |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing | Darius Stewart | 14 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving | Ty Arrington | 5 receptions, 42 yards |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 14/23, 218 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Hunter Hays | 13 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Christian Fredericksen | 7 receptions, 108 yards |

### at No. 18 Montana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| No. 18 Grizzlies | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, Montana
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 50 °F (10 °C)
* Game attendance: 26,678
* Referee: Jeff Reid
* TV announcers (ESPN+/Scripps): Jay Kohn (play-by-play), Marty Mornhinweg (analyst), and Kyle Hansen (sideline reporter)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | IDST | MONT |
| First downs | 19 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 60–334 | 76–394 |
| Rushes–yards | 13–45 | 51–174 |
| Passing yards | 289 | 220 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 31–47–2 | 18–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:06 | 34:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 31/47, 289 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Jordan Cooke | 5 carries, 22 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Chedon James | 7 receptions, 79 yards, 2 TD |
| Montana | Passing | Clifton McDowell | 13/20, 160 yards, 1 TD |
| Montana | Rushing | Clifton McDowell | 20 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD |
| Montana | Receiving | Junior Bergen | 7 receptions, 100 yards |

### vs No. 21 Eastern Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 Eagles | 14 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 41 |
| Bengals | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 42 |
at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho
* Date: October 14
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 6,763
* Referee: Scott Root
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Carder (play-by-play) and Kody Graves (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | EWU | IDST |
| First downs | 32 | 29 |
| Plays–yards | 79–553 | 75–572 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–150 | 20–49 |
| Passing yards | 403 | 523 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 33–47–0 | 38–55–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:29 | 26:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Washington | Passing | Kekoa Visperas | 33/47, 403 yards, 3 TD |
| Eastern Washington | Rushing | Michael Wortham | 6 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| Eastern Washington | Receiving | Efton Chism III | 13 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TD |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 25/39, 389 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Soujah Gasu | 8 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Chedon James | 15 receptions, 206 yards, 1 TD |

### at Portland State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 14 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 38 |
| Vikings | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Hillsboro Stadium • Hillsboro, Oregon
* Date: October 21
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: E at 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h)
* Game attendance: 2,174
* Referee: Robert Quello
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Richert (play-by-play) and Scott Hermo (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | IDST | PRST |
| First downs | 27 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 67–462 | 68–365 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–165 | 28–100 |
| Passing yards | 297 | 265 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–32–0 | 26–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:03 | 31:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 16/25, 259 yards, 1 TD |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Hunter Hays | 10 carries, 93 yards, 2 TD |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Alfred Jordan Jr. | 5 receptions, 133 yards |
| Portland State | Passing | Dante Chachere | 25/39, 218 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Portland State | Rushing | Andrew Van Buren | 12 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD |
| Portland State | Receiving | Marquis Spiker | 6 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD |

### at No. 6 Sacramento State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| No. 6 Hornets | 14 | 10 | 20 | 7 | 51 |
at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, California
* Date: October 28
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: N at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
* Game attendance: 13,733
* Referee: Jeff Rink
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | IDST | SAC |
| First downs | 16 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 75–334 | 81–587 |
| Rushes–yards | 19–42 | 49–273 |
| Passing yards | 292 | 314 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 30–56–4 | 21–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 24:55 | 35:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho State | Passing | Hunter Hays | 17/31, 193 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Hunter Hays | 7 carries, 22 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Chedon James | 10 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD |
| Sacramento State | Passing | Carson Conklin | 14/21, 235 yards, 3 TD |
| Sacramento State | Rushing | Zeke Burnett | 9 carries, 143 yards |
| Sacramento State | Receiving | Marshel Martin | 6 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD |

### vs Weber State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 21 | 0 | 12 | 33 |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 8,233
* Referee: Kelly Holman
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Carder (play-by-play) and Kody Graves (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WEB | IDST |
| First downs | 21 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 78–406 | 71–324 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–184 | 16–-30 |
| Passing yards | 222 | 354 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 26–42–1 | 30–55–1 |
| Time of possession | 35:40 | 24:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Weber State | Passing | Richie Munoz | 26/41, 222 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Weber State | Rushing | Clarence Butler | 10 carries, 57 yards |
| Weber State | Receiving | Jacob Sharp | 6 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 23/45, 277 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Aiden Taylor | 1 carry, 6 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Chedon James | 9 receptions, 86 yards |

### vs UC Davis

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Bengals | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho
* Date: November 11
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 7,001
* Referee: John Doe
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Carder (play-by-play) and Kody Graves (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UCD | IDST |
| First downs | 17 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 61–394 | 80–410 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–268 | 24–77 |
| Passing yards | 126 | 333 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–24–1 | 33–56–2 |
| Time of possession | 32:11 | 27:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UC Davis | Passing | Miles Hastings | 14/23, 126 yards, 1 INT |
| UC Davis | Rushing | Lan Larison | 31 carries, 264 yards, 3 TD |
| UC Davis | Receiving | Samuel Gbatu Jr. | 4 receptions, 62 yards |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jordan Cooke | 27/46, 297 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Soujah Gasu | 6 carries, 55 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Chedon James | 13 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD |

### at No. 6 Idaho (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| No. 6 Vandals | 28 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 63 |
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, Idaho
* Date: November 18
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 9,854
* Referee: Gregg Wilson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dennis Patchin (play-by-play) and Ryan Phillips (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | IDST | IDHO |
| First downs | 14 | 30 |
| Plays–yards | 62–304 | 77–579 |
| Rushes–yards | 22–50 | 46–263 |
| Passing yards | 254 | 316 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–40–4 | 24–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 21:16 | 38:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho State | Passing | Jackson Sharman | 11/21, 124 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Soujah Gasu | 6 carries, 24 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Chedon James | 10 receptions, 145 yards |
| Idaho | Passing | Jack Layne | 20/26, 275 yards, 6 TD |
| Idaho | Rushing | Anthony Woods | 18 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD |
| Idaho | Receiving | Jordan Dwyer | 3 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD |