LARAMIE, Wyo. — In his first ever collegiate start, redshirt freshman Jack Wagner and a stellar Idaho defense stunned Wyoming in 17-13 in front of a sellout crowd at War Memorial Stadium.
The Vandals (1-1) are the first FCS team to deal the Cowboys (0-2) a loss since North Dakota State accomplished the feat back in 2015. This marks Idaho’s first win against the Cowboys since 1921.
No Jack Layne? No problem.
Wagner looked comfortable and confident filling in for his counterpart, who underwent surgery after the Vandals’ 24-14 loss at Oregon last week.
Wyoming opened the scoring on their first drive of the game, connecting on a 48 yard field goal.
After the Vandals’ offense stalled on their opening drive, their defense picked up the slack, pouncing on a loose fumble caused by a high snap on Wyoming’s 37 yard line.
Seven plays later, Idaho running back Elisha Cummings found the endzone on a three yard touchdown run, giving Idaho a 7-3 lead.
On Wyoming’s ensuing possession, quarterback Evan Svoboda dropped a 20 yard touchdown pass to a wide open Devin Boddie Jr., capping off a 9 play, 72 yard drive.
Idaho would respond with a run-heavy, 75 yard drive, cashing in on a 2 yard touchdown pass by Wagner, his first ever in a college uniform.
The Vandals would drill a 49 yard field goal to and take a 17-10 lead into the half.
After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Wyoming settled for a field goal to claw within 4, but that was as close as it’d get.
The Vandals clamped down on defense, securing the upset with a sack on the final play of the game; their fourth on the day.
Idaho’s defense was rock solid, holding the Cowboys to just 264 total yards.
Wagner was efficient, finishing the day 12/21 for 101 yards and a touchdown on the day.
Wagner left the game after taking a shot late in the 4th quarter, prompting 3rd string quarterback Nick Josefick to close out the game.
The Vandals will head back home to face Albany, who knocked Idaho out of the playoffs last season.
Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. at the Kibbie Dome.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
