Vandals face SEC foe Missouri
MOSCOW — Idaho hits the road for its final nonconference test of the regular season Saturday, at Missouri. Kickoff is set for 9 a.m. PST from Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo., and the game will be televised on the SEC Network. Saturday marks the third all-time meeting between the Vandals and Tigers, and the first since 1963.
AGAINST THE SEC: Idaho is 0-8 all-time against current Southeastern Conference member schools, including a 0-2 mark against Missouri. This will be the third time the Vandals play an SEC opponent under Paul Petrino. They are slated to face Florida next season.
HONOR THE PAST: Idaho will welcome three distinguished alums at Saturday’s game. Joe Dobson, Mike Monahan and Rich Naccarato all suited up for the Vandals the last time Idaho faced Missouri in 1963. Naccarato was the team’s leading rusher that season, amassing 426 yards on 86 carries. Monahan was the backup quarterback in 1963, but went on to earn the starting job the following season. Dobson was an all-conference offensive tackle and was selected by Pittsburgh in the 1966 NFL Draft. Idaho’s 1963 squad was coached by Dee Andros, later better known as “The Great Pumpkin” while coaching Oregon State. Andros passed away in 2003.
NO FLY ZONE: Idaho’s pass defense ranks among the nation’s best. The Vandals are allowing 162.3 yards per game through the air, the top mark in the Sun Belt and No. 6 in the country. Idaho has held four of its six opponents to fewer than 200 passing yards, and has allowed just six touchdown passes this season. The Vandals have given up just five “explosive plays” (30+ yards) in the passing game this year.
COFFEY COMING THROUGH: Freshman kicker Cade Coffey has earned Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week honors twice and is establishing himself as one of the top kickers and punters in the conference. Coffey is 9-for-11 on field goal attempts this season, making at least two in each of the last three games. He is among the Sun Belt leaders in punt average (1st; 46.4 yards), field goals per game (2nd; 1.5) and field goal percentage (4th; .818). His punt average ranks No. 7 nationally.
SUN BELT LEADER: Aaron Duckworth leads the Sun Belt with 552 rushing yards. The last Idaho running back to lead a conference in rushing yards was Joel Thomas in 1996 (Big West).
RACKING UP RECEPTIONS: Jacob Sannon eclipsed the 100-catch plateau for his career last week. Sannon needs three catches to crack Idaho’s all-time top-20 list. He already has single-season career highs in receptions (36) and yards (370). Sannon ranks No. 2 in the Sun Belt with 6.0 receptions per game and No. 7 in the league with 61.7 yards per game. His 11 catches against UNLV (Sept. 9) are tied for 16th most in school history for a single game.
For more on the Vandals, visit www.govandals.com.