Joshua Wood and Ryan Jezioro Lead Idaho Past Portland State 38-14

Idaho had this one wrapped up by halftime. Joshua Wood threw three first-half touchdown passes, Ryan Jezioro turned the last of them into a 77-yard score with 44 seconds left before the break, and the Vandals rolled past Portland State 38-14 on Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium.

Idaho improved to 4-5 overall and 4-2 in the Big Sky, while Portland State fell to 2-7 and 2-4. Wood completed 16 of 25 passes for 303 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and ran for another score. Jezioro caught five passes for 194 yards, and an Idaho defense that held the Vikings to 13 rushing yards on 23 carries kept Portland State out of the end zone from the first quarter until the final minute.

A week after Owen Forsman's 53-yard field goal beat Southern Utah 31-28 at the Kibbie Dome, Idaho did not need any late drama. The Vandals scored on four of their seven first-half possessions, led 24-7 at halftime and never let Portland State back into it.

Wood Sets the Tone

Idaho went 75 yards in eight plays on its opening drive, and Joshua Wood finished it with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Zack Card at 12:08 of the first quarter. The Vandals' next possession ended on a failed fourth-and-2 at their own 35, when Wood was stopped for a 1-yard loss, and Portland State made Idaho pay. Five plays later, Gabe Downing hit Terence Loville for a 4-yard touchdown, and the game was tied 7-7 at 3:09.

That was as close as the Vikings would get. Idaho answered with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, and Wood threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Damonte Bias with 55 seconds left in the first quarter for a 14-7 lead.

A Late Flurry Before the Half

The second quarter was a punting contest for most of the way. Idaho punted twice, Portland State punted four times, and Downing was sacked twice on those Vikings drives. The Vandals finally broke through in the last two minutes. Owen Forsman made a 47-yard field goal with 1:55 left to make it 17-7, and after the Vikings punted again, Idaho needed just one play. Wood found Ryan Jezioro behind the defense for a 77-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left in the half, and the Vandals went to the locker room up 24-7.

Fourth Downs Go Idaho's Way

Portland State, which split first-half snaps between Downing and Tyrese Smith, went with Smith to open the second half, and the Vikings tried to make something happen on fourth down. It did not work. On their first possession of the third quarter, Smith was stopped for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-2 at the Portland State 31. Idaho needed two plays to score, with Bias running it in from 4 yards out at 13:07 for a 31-7 lead.

Portland State's next drive reached the Idaho 29, but on fourth-and-4 Smith was sacked for a 9-yard loss, and the Vikings came away empty again.

Wood's only mistake came late in the third quarter. Idaho drove 57 yards in nine plays to the doorstep, but Marcellous Ryan intercepted Wood at the Portland State 1 and returned it to the 8 with 4:46 left in the period.

A Long Drive to Close It

Portland State moved the ball after Ryan's interception, working from its own 8 into Idaho territory behind Smith and then John-Keawe Sagapolutele, the third Vikings quarterback of the day. The drive died early in the fourth quarter, when Frederick Lujan III sacked Sagapolutele for a 7-yard loss and a third-and-21 pass fell incomplete, and Portland State punted.

Idaho took over at its own 8 and answered with its longest drive of the game, 14 plays and 92 yards over 7:37. Ferrari Miller carried four times early, Wood converted a third-and-7 with a 10-yard run, and Kenny Golston broke a 47-yard run to the Portland State 3. Two runs left the Vandals at the 1, and on fourth-and-goal Wood kept it and scored with 6:25 left for a 38-7 lead.

The Vikings got a late touchdown. Sagapolutele found Terence Loville for 36 yards to the Idaho 1, and two plays later hit Loville again for a 2-yard score with 51 seconds left.

The Numbers That Mattered

Idaho outgained Portland State 469 to 294 and averaged 12.1 yards per pass attempt. Jezioro's 194 receiving yards came on just five catches, an average of 38.8 per reception, and Nolan McWilliams added three catches for 32 yards. Golston led the Vandals on the ground with 55 yards on eight carries, Bias ran 12 times for 50 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass, and Wood added 42 rushing yards and a score on eight carries. Idaho converted 7 of 13 third downs.

The Vikings threw for 281 yards, but it took three quarterbacks and 40 attempts to get there. Downing completed 14 of 21 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, Smith went 9 of 11 for 65 yards, and Sagapolutele was 6 of 8 for 76 yards and a score. Loville was the bright spot, with nine catches for 114 yards and both Portland State touchdowns, and Zui Shelton caught eight passes for 83 yards. Delon Thompson ran 11 times for 39 yards, but sacks and lost-yardage plays dragged the team total down to 13 yards on 23 carries. Portland State went 4 of 12 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down.

Hysan Dalton led Idaho with seven tackles, and Mitchel Jaskowiak had a sack. Isaac Redford made nine tackles for the Vikings, and Ryan's interception was Portland State's only takeaway. The teams split time of possession almost evenly, with the Vikings holding the ball for 30:17.

What It Means

Idaho has now won consecutive conference games and sits at 4-2 in the Big Sky, level with Montana, which won at Eastern Washington on Saturday. Montana State and Northern Arizona lead the league at 5-1, so the Vandals still have ground to make up, but they are firmly in the upper half of the standings. At 4-5 overall the Vandals still have work to do to finish above .500, and their next test comes at Eastern Washington on Nov. 7.

Portland State has now lost back-to-back games, and the Vikings are 2-7 overall and 2-4 in the league with conference play winding down. Coming off a 38-8 loss to Idaho State, a game in which the Vikings converted just 1 of 12 third downs, Portland State was better on third down this time at 4 of 12, but again could not generate a running game, and the quarterback rotation never found a rhythm until the outcome was settled.

The Take

This was the kind of game Idaho needed after last week's finish against Southern Utah, which came down to the final kick. Wood did not have to carry the offense every snap, because Jezioro gave the Vandals a big play whenever they needed one, and the defense took away everything Portland State tried on the ground. The 92-yard drive in the fourth quarter, built almost entirely on runs, showed a team that could also grind when the situation called for it.

For Portland State, the bright side is Loville, who kept producing no matter who was throwing to the receiver. The rest of the evening was a reminder of how far the Vikings have to go. They could not run the ball, they came up empty on both fourth-down tries, and by the time the third quarterback found the end zone, Idaho had long since put it away.

Full stats are in the official box score (opens in a new tab).

Sources: ESPN box score and play-by-play, Idaho Athletics. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Idaho Athletics (file photo).