Football | 8/30/2016 4:44:00 PM
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POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State football team opens the 2016 season on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 2:35 p.m. vs. Simon Fraser inside Holt Arena.
Jerry Miller and
Mark Liptak will call the action on 102.5 KMGI. Fans can also log onto isubengals.com to follow online with live stats, video and audio.
About Simon Fraser
Simon Fraser is a Division II school in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference based out of Burnaby B.C., Canada. This is the second meeting between the two schools in the last three years. ISU defeated Simon Fraser 66-14 on Oct. 11, 2014 in Holt Arena.
Return of Manu and Jenkins
After suffering preseason season ending injuries in 2015,
Mario Jenkins and
Taison Manu return to the field for the 2016 season. Manu enters his senior year and has been a three-year starter at strong safety. As a junior in 2014 Manu was third on the team in tackles with 110 while Jenkins led the defense with 120 tackles as a freshman. Jenkins was also named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year.
Gueller Starting Quarterback
Tanner Gueller is the starting quarterback for the Bengals in 2016. As a redshirt freshman in 2015 he started three games and threw for 855 yards and five touchdowns. He was 92-172 with eight interceptions. Redshirt freshman
Robert Kvinsland will back up Gueller.
Ford Takes Over at RB
Despite the loss of ISU's all-time leading rusher,
Xavier Finney,
Jakori Ford is ready to take over as the starter in 2016. As a junior in 2015 he rushed for 450 yards on 84 carries and scored three touchdowns. He had a season-long run of 53 yards. He has three runs of 50 yards or more in his career. He had a 53-yard rush vs. Montana in 2015 and vs. Simon Fraser in 2014 he had touchdown runs of 72 and 69.
Experience at Inside Receivers
Senior
KW Williams is the top returning receiver for the Bengals. The slot receiver caught 52 balls in 2015 for 684 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight end
Josh Cook returns for his final season. As a junior he caught 31 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Williams has caught 124 passes for 1,682 yards for his career. He needs 22 receptions and 385 receiving yards to crack the Top 10 in the career record book. Cook has tallied 103 reception for 1,202 yards and he needs 43 receptions to crack the Top 10 for career receptions.
Strength in Linebackers
The linebacking trio of
Hayden Stout,
Mario Jenkins and
Jake Pettit are expected to lead the Bengal defense in 2016. Pettit started at linebacker in 2015 and was third on the team in tackles with 91. Stout led the defense with 113 tackles last year and with the return of Jenkins, who had 120 tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2014, the linebacking core will continue to lead the defense.
News and Notes
Wide receiver
Broc Malcom is academically ineligible for the 2016 season. Defensive lineman
JonRhyeem Peoples has returned to the team in full status.
Rasheed Williams and Chris Reynolds are unavailable for the season due to injury.
Bengals in the NFL
Idaho State is one of only three institutions who have two alums as NFL head coaches. Pete Carroll (Seattle) and Hue Jackson (Cleveland) are alums of Pacific while Jeff Fisher (L.A. Rams) and Jack Del Rio (Oakland) are alums of USC. Dirk Koetter (Tampa Bay) finished playing at Idaho State in 1981. After playing at ISU, Marvin Lewis started his coaching career in Pocatello, coaching linebackers from 1981-84 and he is now the Cincinnati Bengal coach.
Tough Schedule
After playing two teams in the Pac 12 Conference, ISU's conference schedule is not easy. Every team but one on the Bengals league slate finished with a winning record.
Sacramento State was the only team that finished with a losing record. The combined overall record for the eight conference teams is 53-39 and the combined conference mark is 40-24.
Coaching Pipeline
Here is a look at a handful of coaches who coached at Idaho State and who are now head coaches or coordinators.
Bruce Barnum- Portland State Head Coach
Coached at ISU from 1998-2006
Marvin Lewis- Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach
Coached at ISU from 1981-84
Andy Ludwig- Offensive Coordinator at Vanderbilt
Coached at ISU from 1989-91 (He's been OC at eight schools since 1997)
Kyle Whittingham- Head Coach at University of Utah
Coached at ISU from 1988-93
Gary Anderson- Oregon State Head Coach
Coached at ISU from 1992-93
Derek Mason- Vanderbilt Head Coach
Coached at ISU from 1997-98
Lance Anderson- Stanford Defensive Coordinator
Coached at ISU from 1997-98
James Franklin- Penn State Head Coach
Coached at ISU in 1999
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