TUESDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: A great defense heals all wounds for Vandals

Sep. 10—It is Monday again, which means time to write another Tuesday Morning Quarterback column about the Idaho Vandals. In 2024, it also means that it is time to once again make an update on the quarterback situation in Moscow.

Last week the news was grim. Starting quarterback Jack Layne suffered a broken collarbone and will be out for several weeks with hope that he can return before the end of the season. Layne left the game in the fourth quarter in a 24-14 loss to Oregon.

This time around, it was redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Wagner who had an upper-body injury in another game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. Wagner left the 17-13 victory against Wyoming with about seven minutes remaining and was seen visibly upset on the sideline.

The news coming out of Idaho's Monday news conference was that there is, well, no concrete news for now. Eck said that Wagner has not been ruled out for the Saturday home opener against UAlbany (1 p.m., SWX/ESPN+), and that he does not believe the injury is of any serious nature.

Eck noted that he hopes to have a better idea over the upcoming days on Wagner's status during the week and that it should not get pushed to a game-time decision.

If Wagner is not cleared to participate against the Great Danes in the rematch of the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal game at the Kibbie Dome last season, where UAlbany earned a 30-22 victory, then the job will go to redshirt freshman Nick Josifek.

Josifek did not attempt a pass in the final seven minutes against the Cowboys. Freshman Rocco Koch from University Place, Wash., would move to the backup position and freshman defensive back Matt Irwin would move into the scout team, third-string QB spot. Eck said that Irwin has already been included in quarterback meetings as the "in-case-of-emergency, pull-cord" option.

With all of that said, I am here to tell you that while quarterback is still the most important position in football, whoever takes that spot on Saturday may not matter for the Vandals — and that is simply because the defense is that good.

Wyoming had high hopes behind junior quarterback Evan Svoboda, who made 10 appearances last season. While the Cowboys have not gotten off to the best of starts, part of the reason is because of what the Idaho defense was able to do last Saturday.

The Vandals held Wyoming to 3.9 yards per play and Svoboda only completed 41.7% of his passes. The numbers get even more impressive when you look at the fourth quarter when the Idaho lead was just four.

If you watched the TruTV coverage of the Idaho/Wyoming game, you heard over and over how the altitude was going to play a factor. That opponents would run out of gas in the final quarter.

The Cowboys had four drives and a total of minus-1 yards combined.

As Eck put it in his postgame interview, "altitude schmaltitude."

It was the first time since 2015 that Wyoming was held to 13 points or less when facing an FCS opponent.

Go back a week prior when the Vandals had Oregon on the ropes in the fourth quarter.

Over the past 20 years, the Ducks had defeated every FCS opponent they had faced by an average score of 60-13. Idaho held Oregon to 24 points and was within three points in the fourth quarter.

The key to the Idaho defense, through two games, feels like its endurance and conditioning.

Oregon was able to move the ball in the season opener, totaling 487 yards of offense and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game.

In most situations, for a defense to be on the field that long, giving up that many yards, it would gas out. Idaho got stronger.

The Vandals did not allow a point in the third quarter and had the Ducks stopped on a fourth-and-7 in the red zone before an encroachment penalty made the conversion more manageable and Oregon ended up scoring a touchdown on the next play.

Keyshawn James-Newby has been the standout on a unit that has been solid this season. The senior defensive lineman told me at Big Sky media day that he had aspirations of playing in the NFL, and after two games he is off to a fantastic start.

James-Newby had three sacks against Wyoming — and it could have been four but one was called offsides on a close play — after collecting two sacks against Oregon. His five sacks through two games matches his five in all of 2023.

Sophomore linebacker Jaxton Eck has led the Vandals in tackles each of the first two weeks. The son of the coach has worked hard in the middle of the field with 23 total tackles this season. Senior safety and team captain Tommy McCormick has totaled 14 tackles on the year, including a hit-stick style tackle in the red zone against Wyoming.

Those three are a big reason for the success of this Vandal defense, but it is the depth that has made the biggest difference. Idaho has used 11 different defensive linemen in each of the first two games. Fresh legs are a key focus for the Vandals this season and the fact that the defense has gotten better in the second half against both FBS opponents proves that fact.

So while I will be waiting to hear if Wagner is able to go or not along with everyone else, I still have confidence in the Vandals to be in any game because this defense will not allow for any other option.

Isbelle can be reached at 208-848-2268, [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyIsbelle.