# 2023 Idaho Vandals football team

The 2023 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Jason Eck, the Vandals were 8–3 (6–2 in Big Sky, 2nd) in the regular season, and played their home games on campus at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals drew an average home attendance of 11,737 in 2023.
Seeded fourth in the 24-team FCS playoffs, Idaho received a bye in the first round and hosted two games, but fell in the quarterfinals to Albany to finish at 9–4 (.692).

## Preseason
### Polls

On July 23, 2023, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Vandals were predicted to finish fifth in the Big Sky by the coaches and second by the 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 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 5:00 pm | at Lamar* | No. 8 | Provost Umphrey StadiumBeaumont, TX | ESPN+ | W 42–17 | 5,321 |
| September 9 | 4:00 p.m. | at Nevada* | No. 7 | Mackay StadiumReno, NV | KNSN-TV | W 33–6 | 19,852 |
| September 16 | 1:00 p.m. | at California* | No. 5 | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | L 17–31 | 36,810 |
| September 23 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 4 Sacramento State | No. 7 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID | ESPN+ | W 36–27 | 9,433 |
| September 30 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 19 Eastern Washington | No. 4 | Roos FieldCheney, WA | ESPN+ | W 44–36 | 8,347 |
| October 7 | 5:00 p.m. | at Cal Poly | No. 3 | Alex G. Spanos StadiumSan Luis Obispo, CA | ESPN+ | W 42–14 | 6,028 |
| October 14 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 16 Montana | No. 3 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID (Little Brown Stein) | ESPN2 | L 21–23 | 14,218 |
| October 28 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 2 Montana State | No. 9 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID | ESPN+ | W 24–21 | 13,073 |
| November 4 | 12:00 p.m. | at Northern Colorado | No. 3 | Nottingham FieldGreeley, CO | ESPN+ | W 27–13 | 3,608 |
| November 11 | 12:00 p.m. | at Weber State | No. 4 | Stewart StadiumOgden, UT | ESPN+ | L 29–31 | 8,741 |
| November 18 | 4:00 p.m. | Idaho State | No. 6 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID (rivalry) | ESPN+ | W 63–21 | 9,854 |
| December 2 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 14 Southern Illinois* | No. 4 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID (FCS Second Round) | ESPN2 | W 20–17 $^{OT}$ | 9,224 |
| December 9 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 9 Albany* | No. 4 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID (FCS Quarterfinal) | ESPN+ | L 22–30 | 9,372 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at Lamar

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Vandals | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
at Provost Umphrey Stadium • Beaumont, TX
* Date: August 31, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 97 °F (36 °C) • Wind: E 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 5,321
* Referee: Craig Hesler
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan Gresham, Bob Slovak, Lemont Williams
Game information :
First Quarter
UID – 7:54 Hayden Hatten 6 yd pass from McCoy,Gevani (Pope,Cameron kick) UID 7–0 Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 07:06
UID – 4:45 Woods,Anthony 9 yd run (Pope,Cameron kick) UID 14–0 Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, TOP 01:30
Second Quarter
UID – 7:30 Woods,Anthony 6 yd run UID 20–0 Drive: 11 plays, 96 yards, TOP 06:40
UID – 00:33 Hatten,Hayden 20 yd pass from McCoy,Gevani (Cox,Jake pass) UID 28–0 Drive: 4 plays, 90 yards, TOP 01:17
Third Quarter
UID – 12:39 Romano,Nick 45 yd pass from Hatten,Hayden (Prescott,Logan kick) UID 35–0 Drive: 2 plays, 47 yards, TOP 00:28
LU – 4:46 Esqueda,Chris 30 yd field goalUID 35–3 Drive: 10 plays, 37 yards, TOP 04:38
Fourth Quarter
UID – 9:08 Cox,Jake 15 yd pass from Layne,Jack (Prescott,Logan kick) UID 42–3 Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, TOP 03:06
LU – 4:55 Griffin,Khalan 2 yd run (Esqueda,Chris kick) UID 42–10 Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:13
LU – 3:29 Hall,Trae 12 yd pass from Coleman,Robert (Esqueda,Chris kick) UID 42–17 Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, TOP 01:16
Top passers
IDHO – Gevani McCoy – 14/19, 164 yards, 2 TD
LU – Robert Coleman – 15/24, 119 yards, INT
Top rushers
IDHO – Anthony Woods – 13 carries, 138 yards, 2 TD
LU – Khalan Griffin – 12 carries, 44 yards, TD
Top receivers
IDHO – Hayden Hatten – 6 receptions, 86 yards, 2 TD
LU – Andre Dennis – 1 reception, 34 yards :

### at Nevada

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Vandals | 14 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 33 |
| Wolf Pack | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV
* Date: September 9, 2023
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 19,852
* TV announcers (SWX NW/KTVB/KNSN-TV): Alex Margulies, Zack Madonick, Shannon Kelly

### at California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Vandals | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
* Date: September 16, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 36,810
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Guy Haberman, Shane Vereen
Game information :
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
IDHO – Gevani McCoy – 28/46, 279 yards, INT
CAL – Sam Jackson V – 12/23, 108 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
IDHO – Anthony Woods – 11 carries, 56 yards, TD
CAL – Isaiah Ifanse – 22 carries, 137 yards, TD
Top receivers
IDHO – Hayden Hatten – 8 receptions, 80 yards
CAL – Jeremiah Hunter – 5 receptions, 48 yards, TD :

### vs No. 4 Sacramento State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Hornets | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| No. 7 Vandals | 3 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 36 |
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID
* Date: September 23, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Sunny, Indoors
* Game attendance: 9,433
* Referee: Jake Iverson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Play-by-Play: Dennis Patchin • Analysis: Ryan Phillips
Game information :
First Quarter
(7:02) IDHO – Ricardo Chavez 29-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 49 yards, 7:58; Idaho 3–0)
(2:19) SAC – Zach Schreiner 36-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 4:39; Tied 3–3)
Second Quarter
(7:19) IDHO – Anthony Woods 2-yard run (Ricardo Chavez kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 7:03; Idaho 10–3)
(1:26) IDHO – Ricardo Chavez 50-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 32 yards, 4:08; Idaho 13–3)
(0:31) SAC – Austin Jarrard 5-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 0:55; Idaho 13–10)
Third Quarter
(10:39) IDHO – Turon Ivy Jr. 52-yard pass from Gevani McCoy (Ricardo Chavez kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards, 3:00; Idaho 20–10)
(7:35) SAC – Marcus Fulcher 2-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:04; Idaho 20–17)
(0:18) IDHO – Terez Traynor 60-yard pass from Gevani McCoy (Ricardo Chavez kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 91 yards, 3:04; Idaho 27–17)
Fourth Quarter
(11:00) SAC – Zach Schreiner 44-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 4:12; Idaho 27–20)
(4:54) SAC – Marcus Fulcher 11-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:13; Tied 27–27)
(0:01) IDHO – Ricardo Chavez 30-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 4:46; Idaho 30–27)
(0:00) IDHO – Turon Ivy Jr. 6-yard fumble return (Idaho 36–27)
Line
IDHO –2.5
Over/Under
57.5
Top passers
SAC – Kaiden Bennett – 15/29, 236 yards, 2 TD
IDHO – Gevani McCoy – 15/21, 234 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
SAC – Marcus Fulcher – 10 carries, 44 yards, TD
IDHO – Anthony Woods – 24 carries, 117 yards, TD
Top receivers
SAC – Jared Gipson – 3 receptions, 91 yards
IDHO – Hayden Hatten – 7 receptions, 72 yards :

### at No. 19 Eastern Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Vandals | 7 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 44 |
| No. 19 Eagles | 7 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 36 |
at Roos Field • Cheney, WA
* Date: September 30, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 8,347
* TV announcers (ESPN+/SWX NW): Dennis Patchin, Greg Peach

### at Cal Poly

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Vandals | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Mustangs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Mustang Memorial Field • San Luis Obispo, CA
* Date: October 7, 2023
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 6,028
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Chris Sylvester, John Kane

### vs No. 16 Montana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Grizzlies | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| No. 3 Vandals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID
* Date: October 14, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 14,218
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Jorge Sedano, Orlando Franklin, Marilyn Payne

### vs No. 2 Montana State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 9 Vandals | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID
* Date: October 28, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 13,073
* TV announcers (MTN-CW/SWX NW/ESPN+): Ben Creighton, Ty Gregorak, Scott Breen

### at Northern Colorado

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Vandals | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO
* Date: November 4, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. MDT
* Game attendance: 3,608
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Alvine, Nick Hager

### at Weber State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Vandals | 3 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 29 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
at Stewart Stadium • Ogden, UT
* Date: November 11, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 8,741
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Tony Parks, Riley Jensen

### vs Idaho State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| No. 6 Vandals | 28 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 63 |
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID
* Date: November 18, 2023
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 9,854
* TV announcers (KIVI/KSAW-LD/SWX NW/ESPN+): Dennis Patchin, Ryan Phillips

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS FCS | 8 | 7 | 5 (1) | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
| Coaches | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 4 | |