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Oct. 4—MOSCOW, Idaho — Northern Arizona (3-2, 1-0) will look to defeat another Big Sky Conference foe and ranked opponent.
In its homecoming game, Idaho (3-2, 0-1) will look for its first Big Sky win.
The Lumberjacks upended Sacramento State 34-16 a week ago. The Hornets were ranked 10th at the time in the American Football Coaches Association Football Championship Subdivision poll, and NAU leveraged itself into the top 25 with the victory.
Idaho is occupying the 10th spot after being upset by UC Davis 28-26. The Vandals had cruised into the game with a fourth-place ranking.
At his weekly news conference, UI coach Jason Eck said the Vandals and their coaches weren’t on their game against the Aggies.
Specifically, he said, Idaho had difficulty getting defensive substitutions in against UC Davis’ up-tempo offense.
Oregon, which Idaho took into the fourth quarter before falling 24-14, and Abilene Christian, which Idaho outlasted 27-24, tried to speed up the game to freeze Idaho’s substitutions.
It’s something the Vandals had to correct in preparation this week, Eck said. Their ability to do so may have a bearing on the outcome against the Lumberjacks.
Here are three other story lines to watch.
1. Idaho’s defense versus Northern Arizona’s run-pass option. Vandals defensive linemen Jahkari Larmond (three tackles, one for loss); Malakai Williams (five tackles, 1.5 for loss); and Xavier Slayton (two tackles, .5 for loss), all stepped up against UCD’s potent offense, Eck said. But Idaho’s premier defensive linemen, Keyshawn James-Newby and Dallas Afalava, were hampered against the Aggies by lingering injuries. If they are back to their dominant selves and can get NAU into third-and-long situations, Lumberjacks quarterback Ty Pennington may repeat the passing line he had against Sacramento State (21 for 25 for 240 yards and two…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/things-watch-stout-idaho-defense-020300939.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-10-05 02:03:00
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