PHOTO GALLERY
POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State football team started Big Sky Conference play strong by beating Portland State 51-24 on Saturday afternoon at Holt Arena.
The Idaho State offense tallied 509 yards of total offense and quarterback
Matt Struck threw six touchdowns and had no interceptions. He was 14-23 and had 332 yards of passing.
Tanner Conner led the offensive attach with four receptions, three being touchdowns and 117 yards receiving.
Michael Dean caught three passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns while
Mitch Gueller had two receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Idaho State rushed for 177 yards, led by
Ty Flanagans 119 on 21 carries.
Kody Graves led the defense with 10 tackles while
Luke Holloway,
Gilbert Varela and
Connor Wills each had nine.
Adkin Aguirre had eight and
Christian McFarland had five and an interception return 64 yards for a touchdown.
It took the Bengals a few drives to get going but on the fourth play of the third drive Struck found
Michael Dean open for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 7:08 left in the first quarter. From there in less than three minutes Idaho State quickly had a 20-0 lead with 4:21 to play in the first quarter.
On the ensuing Portland State possession, the Bengal defense forced a punt and the first play from scrimmage for the Bengals Conner scored on a 66-yard strike from Struck to give Idaho State a 13-0 lead with 5:15 to play in the first.
On the second play of Portland State's next possession, McFarland picked off Davis Alexander's pass and sprinted 64-yards for a touchdown.
Portland State kicked a field goal with 14:55 left in the first half but Gueller quickly extended the lead when he scored on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Struck with 13:59 to play in the half.
Idaho State led 41-10 at halftime as Conner caught his second touchdown pass on a 35-yard receptions with 32 seconds remaining in the first half.
In the second half, Conner scored on a four-yard reception in the third quarter and
Kevin Ryan kicked a 35-yard field goal.
Idaho State returns to the field to play at Montana on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on Root Sports.
Notes
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Jacob Angel earned his first start of his career at left tackle.
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Tanner Conner's 66-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was the 19
th longest offensive play since 2011. That touchdown reception was a career-best.
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Christian McFarland had his second interception of his career in the first quarter. His 64-yard pick six was the first of his career and the first for a Bengal since
Caleb Brown returned a ball 28-yards for a touchdown.
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Michael Dean's 45-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and
Mitch Gueller's 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter moved them into a tie for sixth place for career touchdowns with 22. Akilah Lacey and Brett Fowler each have 25 receiving touchdowns and tied for fourth place.
- 41 first half points is the most scored by a Bengal team since scoring 42 vs. Black Hills State on Sept. 5, 2015. It is the most in a half against a Division I team since at last 2000.
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Matt Struck's six touchdown passes ties for the most by an FCS quarterback. He is one of only three quarterbacks to throw six this season.
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Connor Wills nine tackles was a season-high.
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Gilbert Varela had a career-high nine tackles and 1.5 sacks.
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Luke Holloway had a career-high nine tackles.
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Mitch Gueller is 56 receiving yards away from becoming the Idaho State All-Time leader in receiving yards. He currently has 2,808 yards after his 75 yards receiving on Saturday.
Rodrick Rumble holds the record with 2,863 yards.
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Ty Flanagan's 119 rushing yards is the most rushing yards in a game by a Bengal since he rushed for 136 at Liberty in 2018.
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Tanner Conner's three receiving touchdowns is the first time a Bengal had three receiving touchdowns in a game since
Mitch Gueller caught three touchdowns at Northern Colorado in 2017.
- The 51 points is the 10
th most points scored by a Bengal offense since 2002.
