Idaho, Oregon State, Share Similarities in Entering Saturday’s Non-Conference Game | University of Idaho

MOSCOW, Idaho – Oregon State looks in a mirror and sees Idaho.

The links between schools are unusually close, from their shared histories as rural universities with land grants in the northwest, to sports programs where eras of football literacy have been undermined by long periods of loss, and programs that have been mutually beneficial for decades. The Great Pumpkin, Dee Andros, was Idaho’s football coach from 1962-64 and retired as OSU athletics director after leading the Beavers football team from 1965-70. A few decades later, Dennis Erickson, who revived a battered Idaho football program from 1982-85 and ushered in a decade of Big Sky Conference dominance for the Vandals, had similar success at OSU between 1999 and 2002. Current Beavers coach Jonathan Smith was Idaho quarterbacks coach from 2004 to 2009, and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren played quarterback for the Vandals from 2001 to 2003.

Idaho also sent current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jake Luton to OSU in 2017 after a year-long detour to Ventura College, and the Vandals in return came back to Caleb Lightbourn, who fought for OSU last season and now does so as a graduate transfer for . does Idaho.

Even after a tough 56:14 loss to Indiana a week ago, the 1-1 Idaho will travel to Corvallis for their Saturday game against OSU, in the expectation of meeting a team that is not that far away and a 1-1 – Has a record after a 30-21 loss to Purdue and a 45-27 win against Hawaii.

OSU “is a better offensive team than Indiana,” said Idaho coach Paul Petrino. Redshirt quarterback Chance Nolan, who passed 537 yards and six touchdowns in a breakout game against Hawaii last season, hit 21 of 29 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns and stormed seven times for 38 yards.

According to Petrino, Nolan has in Trevon Bradford, a senior who at OSU with 109 catches for 1,273 yards and nine touchdowns on 23rd. He caught 12 passes for 142 yards last season, including a notable four receptions for 56 yards against Washington State. Beavers’ running back BJ Baylor leads the Pac-12 with five dazzling touchdowns this season.

Petrino also praised the previous performance of the Beavers in special teams this year.

The punt game was tough for Idaho against Indiana. The Vandals had returned a blocked punt 4 yards for a touchdown; they gave up an 81-yard punt return for a score; and a second blocked punt resulted in another touchdown. Idaho quarterback Mike Beaudry also lost a fumble that resulted in a Hoosiers score. The mistakes can be corrected, says Petrino, and without 28 points on incorrect entries, Idaho would only have lost two touchdowns against Indiana, Petrino emphasized.

Petrino highlighted defensive lineman Noah Elliss, linebackers Tre Walker, Charles Akanno and Fa’Avae Fa’Avae and recipient Hayden Hatten as outstanding games against the Hoosiers. Elliss made four tackles and carried internal pressure against Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Walker led Idaho with 11 tackles. Akanno had four tackles and a sack. Fa’Avae had nine tackles and Hatten caught 10 passes for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Reliable Nick Romano led Idaho in rushing with 20 yards on four carries. He also caught two passes for 18 yards and returned two kicks for 41 yards.

Since the preseason camp began, Petrino has announced that it will use Idaho’s first three games to find a quarterback starter for the remainder of the season. On the way to the Big Sky Conference league game against UC Davis on October 2nd, Beaudry and freshman CJ Jordan have one last chance to advance their arguments against OSU. After a rocky opening against Indiana, Beaudry, a graduate transfer from Connecticut, improved, Petrino said. He finished the day with 23 of 36 passes for 196 yards and the two touchdowns. Jordan only played about half a dozen downs and passed 0-3.

“It just wasn’t the game for him,” said Petrino of his decision to keep Jordan under wraps.

But the Beavers could be a showcase for Jordan, a Portland product set in prep at Jefferson High in Portland and across the Columbia River at Washington’s Union High School in Vancouver, where he played eight games as a senior before he got injured.

“They will both play this weekend and we look forward to seeing them both play better,” Petrino said of Beaudry and Jordan.

Idaho has to do without Connor Whitney against the state of Oregon. He injured his elbow against Indiana, but the season is unlikely to end. Roshaun Johnson, who was carried 4 yards for the Vandals before being injured against the Hoosiers, is 50-50 to be available against the Beavers, Petrino said this week.

To create a surprise against Oregon State, Petrino said Idaho needs to significantly improve the performance of its specialty teams. Then “we have to stay on the offensive, give ourselves the chance to win in the fourth quarter”.