Game 7 Preview: Idaho State Hosts No. 8 Eastern Washington

Game Notes | Audio | Video | Tickets | Live Stats

POCATELLO, Idaho- After four straight road games, the Idaho State football team returns home for Homecoming against No. 8 Eastern Washington. Kickoff is at 2:35 p.m. and Jerry Miller and Mark Liptak will call the action live on 101.1 KEIR. To follow the game online fans can log onto isubengals.com. Fans inside Holt Arena can log onto bengalstats.com to follow the contest.

About Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is 3-2 overall and 2-0 in Big Sky Conference play. The Eagles are averaging 546.4 yards of total offense but giving up 557.4 yards a game. Quarterback Jordan West has thrown for 1,767 yards,19 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Cooper Kupp has caught 50 passes for 780 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Eagle offense averages 128.6 rushing yards a game and 417.8 passing yards. Miquiyah Zamora is the top tackler for Eastern Washington with 45.

Series vs. Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington leads the series 27-9 and has won eight straight contests against the Bengals. Last year, ISU lost a shootout to No. 2 Eastern Washington 56-53. ISU's last win over the Eagles was a 34-30 on Homecoming in 2005. Eastern Washington was ranked No. 5 at the time.
 
Notes From North Dakota Game
- Game captains were Tyler Kuder, Erik Collins, Tyler Wright and Terrence Carey.
- Erik Collins first quarter interception was his fourth of his career and it was the first turnover forced by the defense since a Kurt Karstetter interception at the end of the third quarter against Portland State.
- Joe Martin made his first career-start at linebacker.
- Idaho State forced two first quarter turnovers and recovered a fumble in the second quarter. It was the first time this season the Bengals forced two turnovers or more in a game. The last time ISU forced two turnovers or more in a game was Nov. 1, 2014 at Portland State. ISU forced six turnovers in that game (five interceptions and one fumble). In that game Collins had two interceptions.
- Zak Johnson's 35-yard second-quarter field goal was his first made field goal of the season.
- Madison Mangum's second quarter touchdown moved him into a tie for eighth place for career receiving touchdowns with 16. Justin Young (1994-96) had 16 touchdowns.
- Xavier Finney surpassed the 3,000 yard mark for rushing yards. He currently has 3,035 yards. Josh Barnett holds the career record with 3,408 yards.
- KW Williams had 12 receptions for a career-high 204 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It is the third time in his career he has scored two touchdowns in a game with the most recent outing coming against SUU on Oct. 18, 2014.
- Madison Mangum had his first 100-yard receiving game of the season.
- KW Williams 204 receiving yards was the sixth best single-game performance in school history.
- Michael Sanders had his first 300-yard plus passing game. His 427 passing yards ranked as the 13th best passing performance in ISU history.
- The last time ISU beat a league team on the road with a winning record was in 2002 at Eastern Washington. ISU won 21-14 and Eastern was 3-1 at the time.
- The game-winning scoring drive was a 12-play 87-yard drive. The 87-yard drive was the longest scoring drive of the season for the Bengal offense.
- Tyler Kuder tied his career high in tackles with 11.

Bengal Bites
- Idaho state is 1-12 at home vs. ranked teams since beating No. 5 Eastern Washington 34-30 in Holt on Sept. 24, 2005.
- The highest ranked team ISU has beaten is No. 5 Montana, 28-23 in 1994, No. 5 Montana in 2003 (43-40 in 2 OT) and No. 5 Eastern Washington 34-30 in 2005.
-  Josh Cook has caught a pass in 25 straight games.
- Madison Mangum has caught a pass in 18  straight games. His three receptions vs. Portland State was his fewest since the 2013 season.
- CJ Hatchett has caught 12 passes in his career. Four of the 12 have been for touchdowns. He also caught a two-point conversion at UNLV.
- Mario Jenkins and Taison Manu are unavailable for the 2015 season.
- Jakori Ford's 201 rushing yards in a game is the most by a Big Sky Player this season.
- Xavier Finney has 12 100-yard rushing games, tied for the most out of any active Big Sky player.
- Madison Mangum has  eight 100-yard receiving games, the second most among active players in the Big Sky.

Did You Know....
Idaho State is the least penalized team in the Big Sky Conference and Eastern Washington is the most penalized team in the conference.

Bengals vs. Ranked Opponents
Idaho State has now defeated two ranked teams in two years. ISU won at home vs. No. 21 Cal Poly last year. Prior to that win, ISU was 0-24 vs. ranked teams. Before the win over Cal Poly, the  last win over a ranked opponent was a 34-30 win over No. 5 Eastern Washington in Pocatello in 2005.

Sorensen Receiving National Honors for Academic Success
For the second straight year an Idaho State Bengal is a semi-finalist for the Campbell Trophy, an honor that goes to college football's premier scholar athlete.  In 2014, Austin Graves earned the honor and Cody Sorensen was announced on Thursday as a semi-finalist for the award.  This honor is sponsored by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame. Sorensen is one of 135 semi-finalists and the 15 finalists will be announced on Oct. 29. Each one of the 15 finalists will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF Scholar-Athlete Class.

Road Warriors
This year is only the sixth time in program history ISU has played four straight road games. Prior to this season, the Bengals played four straight road games in 2011, 1994, 1988, 1984 and 1968.  This season, 1988 and 1968 ISU played the four straight road games without a bye.