# 2018 Idaho Vandals football team

The 2018 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Vandals played their home games on campus at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, and are members of the Big Sky Conference, which they rejoined for football this season. A charter member of the Big Sky in 1963, Idaho was previously a football member from 1965 through 1995. They were led by sixth-year head coach Paul Petrino and finished the season at 4–7 (3–5 in Big Sky, ninth).

## Preseason
### Polls

On July 16, 2018 during the Big Sky Kickoff in Spokane, Washington, the Vandals were predicted to finish in fourth place in the coaches poll and fifth place in the media poll.
Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 134 (6) |
| 2 | Weber State | 124 (3) |
| 3 | Northern Arizona | 121 (3) |
| 4 | Idaho | 101 (1) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | 94 |
| 6 | Southern Utah | 91 |
| 7 | Montana | 82 |
| 8 | Montana State | 76 |
| 9 | UC Davis | 64 |
| 10 | Cal Poly | 40 |
| 11 | Northern Colorado | 30 |
| 12 | Idaho State | 29 |
| 13 | Portland State | 21 |
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 651 (27) |
| 2 | Weber State | 636 (19) |
| 3 | Northern Arizona | 535 (1) |
| 4 | Montana | 496 (2) |
| 5 | Idaho | 483 (3) |
| 6 | Southern Utah | 449 (1) |
| 7 | Sacramento State | 415 |
| 8 | Montana State | 391 (1) |
| 9 | UC Davis | 331 (1) |
| 10 | Idaho State | 170 |
| 11 | Cal Poly | 169 |
| 12 | Northern Colorado | 166 |
| 13 | Portland State | 103 |

### Preseason All-Conference Team

The Vandals had three players selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Noah Johnson – Jr. OL
Kaden Ellis – Sr. LB
Cade Coffey – So. P

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | at Fresno State* | Bulldog StadiumFresno, CA | Stadium | L 13–79 | 31,170 |
| September 8 | 2:00 p.m. | Western New Mexico* | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID | Pluto TV 242 | W 56–10 | 10,566 |
| September 22 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 21 UC Davis | Aggie StadiumDavis, CA | ELVN | L 21–44 | 8,179 |
| September 29 | 2:00 p.m. | Portland State | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID | SWX | W 20–7 | 10,566 |
| October 6 | 2:30 p.m. | at Idaho State | Holt ArenaPocatello, ID (Battle of the Domes) | Pluto TV 243 | L 28–62 | 11,015 |
| October 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at Montana State | Bobcat StadiumBozeman, MT | RTNW | L 23–24 | 19,177 |
| October 20 | 2:00 p.m. | Southern Utah | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID | SWX | W 31–12 | 12,798 |
| October 27 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 5 Eastern Washington | Roos FieldCheney, WA | RTNW | L 14–38 | 10,023 |
| November 3 | 2:00 p.m. | North Dakota | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID | SWX | W 31–27 | 7,899 |
| November 10 | 3:30 p.m. | Montana | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID (Little Brown Stein) | RTNW | L 27–46 | 14,571 |
| November 17 | 9:00 a.m. | at No. 15 (FBS) Florida* | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | ESPNU | L 10–63 | 81,467 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time |||||||

## Game summaries
### At Fresno State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Bulldogs | 16 | 28 | 14 | 21 | 79 |

### Western New Mexico

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Vandals | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 | 56 |

### At UC Davis

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| No. 21 Aggies | 14 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 44 |

### Portland State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Vandals | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 20 |

### At Idaho State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Bengals | 14 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 62 |

### At Montana State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
| Bobcats | 7 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 24 |

### Southern Utah

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thunderbirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Vandals | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |

### At Eastern Washington

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 5 Eagles | 14 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 38 |

### North Dakota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Hawks | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
| Vandals | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 31 |

### Montana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Grizzlies | 14 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 46 |
| Vandals | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 27 |

### At Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 15 (FBS) Gators | 28 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 63 |

## NFL Draft

| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL club |
| Kaden Elliss | LB | 7 | 244 | New Orleans Saints |
* List of Idaho Vandals in the NFL draft