Idaho outlasts North Texas to give new coaching staff a 'W' in their first game
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Idaho (0-0) / 14 / 14 / 3 / 10 / 41
NT (0-0) / 3 / 14 / 3 / 12 / 32
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Michael LaGrone started his senior season off right, scoring an early TD that helped Idaho establish momentum
Denton, TX -- Today, the Paul Petrino era at the University of Idaho began on a high note, with the Vandals taking down the North Texas Mean Green in a high scoring affair in Texas. Petrino, the brother of infamous college coach Bobby Petrino, has started his building of the Idaho program with a much needed positive first step.
The Vandals came out of the gates firing, using two quick scores to establish the lead and set the tone for the day. While North Texas came roaring back several times to make the game close again, Idaho never lost their early lead, much to the chagrin of the gathered crowd. Whenever the Mean Green would mount a serious threat, the Vandals were able to retaliate and burn enough clock in the process to kill the North Texas comeback hopes.
The Idaho offense, under new OC Isaac Butcher, showcased their comfort in their first game running their new balanced spread offensive scheme by racking up over 500 yards of total offense. The team spread the ball around, with 9 different players touching the ball on a run or pass. The game for the offense wasn't all positive, however, with the team struggling to sustain drives. "Converting only 2 third downs in 11 tries isn't going to cut it." said Coach Butcher, "We need to be able to reliably pick up crucial yards. We relied on chunk yardage plays today, so everything turned out well for this game, but those are not something we can count on on a consistent basis."
Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Chad Chalich played rather well in his college debut, all things considered. He paced the Vandals by throwing for over 300 yards and 3 scores. With a sub-50% completion percentage and a rather unfortunate pick-six, however, Chalich showed he still has a lot to learn as the helmsman of the Idaho O. Chalich is the face of the building youth movement at Idaho, starting over redshirt senior Taylor Davis, who was the starter at the end of last year. Petrino and Co are showing that they are ok with playing the young players to deserve it. The Vandals have a sizable number of true and redshirt freshmen receiving playing time this year. "We like to make sure the best players are getting playing time, whether its a freshman or a senior or anywhere in between" said Petrino. "We liked what we saw of Chalich today. He's got a lot to work on, but he showed some toughness and grit today in making amends for his mistakes."
Next week, Idaho travels to Wyoming to play the Cowboys, who are fresh off a thrilling 36-33 upset victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, while North Texas is traveling to Athens, Ohio to play the Ohio Bobcats.
Scoring Summary:
| Scoring Team | Quarter | Time | Play Summary | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 1st | 6:59 | J. Baker, 62 yard pass from C. Chalich (A. Rehkow kick) | 7-0 |
| Idaho | 1st | 4:19 | N. LaGrone, 15 yard pass from C. Chalich (A. Rehkow kick) | 14-0 |
| North Texas | 1st | 1:01 | Z. Olen, 27 yard FG | 14-3 |
| Idaho | 2nd | 5:35 | J. Brown, 8 yard run (A. Rehkow kick) | 21-3 |
| North Texas | 2nd | 3:02 | B. Byrd, 1 yard run (Z. Olen kick) | 21-10 |
| North Texas | 2nd | 2:16 | B. Byrd, 6 yard pass from D. Thompson (Z. Olen kick) | 21-17 |
| Idaho | 2nd | 0:36 | K. Olugbode, 3 yard run (A. Rehkow kick) | 28-17 |
| North Texas | 3rd | 5:11 | Z. Olen, 17 yard FG | 28-20 |
| Idaho | 3rd | 1:50 | A. Rehkow, 33 yard FG | 31-20 |
| Idaho | 4th | 7:48 | N. Lovett, 71 yard pass from C. Chalich (A. Rehkow kick) | 38-20 |
| North Texas | 4th | 6:53 | J. Jones, returned interception 61 yards (2-Pt failed) | 38-26 |
| Idaho | 4th | 2:03 | A. Rehkow, 28 yard FG | 41-26 |
| North Texas | 4th | 0:54 | D. Smith, 36 yard pass from D. Thompson (2-Pt failed) | 41-32 |
Team Stats
| Stat | Idaho | North Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 41 | 32 |
| First Downs | 14 | 20 |
| Total Offense | 503 | 409 |
| Rushes - Yards - TD | 36-200-2 | 29-93-1 |
| Comp - Att - TD | 13-27-3 | 21-46-2 |
| Passing Yards | 303 | 316 |
| 3rd Down Conv | 2-11 (18%) | 7-19 (36%) |
| 4th Down Conv | 2-2 (100%) | 2-3 (66%) |
| 2-Point Conv | 0-0 (0%) | 0-2 (0%) |
| RedZone - TD - FG | 6-3-2 (83%) | 3-1-2 (100%) |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 0 |
| Intercepted | 1 | 0 |
| PR Yards | 13 | 23 |
| KR Yards | 60 | 101 |
| Total Yards | 576 | 533 |
| Punts - Average | 4 - 44.3 | 6 - 39.8 |
| Penalties - Yards | 4 - 37 | 1- 5 |
| T.O.P. | 17:58 | 14:02 |
Players of the Game:
| Team | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | Chad Chalich | QuatShawne Buckley |
| North Texas | Derek Thompson | Kenny Buyers |
Idaho Player Stats
Chad Chalich, 13-27, 303 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 8 carries, 28 yards
James Baker 15 carries, 115 yards, 2 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD
Jerrel Brown 9 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD, 2 receptions, 50 yards
Kristoffer Olugbode 2 carries, -2 yards, 1 TD
Najee Lovett 3 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 carry, 11 yards
Michael LaGrone 3 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD
QuayShawne Buckley 7 tackles, 3 TFL, 2.0 sacks
Maxx Forde 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 1.0 sacks
North Texas Player Stats
Derek Thompson 21-46, 316 yards, 2 TD
Brandin Byrd 21 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 7 yards, 1 TD
Darnell Smith 9 receptions, 124 yards, 1 TD
Lynrick Pleasant 5 receptions, 96 yards
Zach Orr 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
Kenny Buyers 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 BLK
James Jones 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD
Up Next:
@ Wyoming (1-0)
you know it fam
It's an interesting start, for sure. Got a couple of talented seniors, a few good freshmen, and a lot of garbage. Should be fun
