Bengal Football Back Home to Take on The WOU Wolves Saturday

Bengal Football Press Conference | Gamenotes

 

Pocatello, Idaho – The Bengals are back home in the ICCU Dome for the first time of the 2024 season. Idaho State welcomes the Western Oregon Wolves for a battle at 4:00 PM on September 7.

 

The Orange and Black are set to hit the gridiron at  4:00 PM MT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+ and Scott Gross along with Kody Graves and Mitch Beckstead will have the call on KISU 91.1 FM and KISU.org and ESPN+.

 

Media Links

 

Video, Radio and Live Stats will all be available for the Bengals' contest with the Wolves.

 

Watch:	ESPN+
Listen:	KISU.org / 91.1 FM Pocatello, 91.3 FM Idaho Falls, 88.1 FM Rexburg
Live Stats:	Live Stats

 

Idaho State vs Western Oregon History

·      The Bengals and Wolves have faced off only once before, a 2017 contest that saw the Bengals defeat WOU 37-6 in Pocatello.

·      The Wolves weren't a slouch that game though, taking it to the Bengals and holding a 6-3 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

·      The Bengals came back out of the locker room and scored 34 straight points to earn the final 37-6 victory.

·      Tanner Gueller threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns in the game and Ty Flanagan led the Bengal backs with 103 yards on 14 touches.

 

Notes

·      The game marks the start of Cody Hawkins' 2^nd season at the helm of the Idaho State Bengal program.

·      Scott Gross will have the call on KISU 91.1 FM and ESPN+. KISU will be the home for Bengal football all season long.

·      Western Oregon is the only non-DI opponent for the Bengals this season and is the first for the Bengals since the 2019 season.

·      Since the turn of the century, the Bengals are 17-1 against non-DI opponents, the loss coming in 2009 to Central Washington. The Bengals have defeated their non-DI opponents with a +34.05 scoring margin average.

 

Numbers to Watch

6 – Idaho State has 6 home games on the schedule for the first time in a decade

7 – Idaho State had 7 Bengals selected to the Phil Steel preseason All Big Sky team, led by 1^st team pick Calvin Pitcher, who also got the nod on the Big Sky Conference preseason team.

21 – The Number of transfers the Bengals added in the 2024 offseason, including 11 DI and 10 non-DI

33 – Total freshmen added to the 2024 roster.

59.3 – Average number of rushing yards the Bengals had in 2023, The Bengals are looking to greatly improve that number in 2024

5 – The Bengals had 5 tackles for loss against the Oregon State Beavers, in 2023 ISU averaged 5.5 per game, can the Bengal defense up the numbers in 2024.

 

Preseason Recognition

 

The Bengals have received multiple preseason recognitions on Hero Sports Countdown lists this summer.

 

#96 David Rowe was named the best #96 returning player in the FCS by Hero Sports. Rowe ended the 2023 season with 36 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks. In the Bengals' win over Portland State, Rowe recorded back to back sacks to take away the Vikings momentum and secure the game for the Bengals.

 

#15 Christian Fredericksen was named one of the top-25 returning receivers in the FCS by Hero Sports. Fredericksen finished the 2023 season with a career-high 791 reception yards, ranking 30th in the nation. Fredericksen was vital as the Bengals held the No. 1 passing offense in the FCS last year.

 

#96 David Rowe earned his 2nd honor of the preseason by Hero Sports as they named him the Big Sky's best returning interior defensive lineman for the 2024 season.

 

#6 Calvin Pitcher has made a name for himself in the Big Sky Conference and the FCS at large. Hero Sports ranked the Bengal Safety the #20 returning Safety in the nation. Pitcher started in all 11 games last season and was named a team captain. Pitcher had a career-high 87 tackles during the regular season, 59th in the nation for total tackles.

 

The Throwin' Idahoans

 

The Idaho State Bengals channeled their predecessors in the 2023 season as the 'Throwin' Idahoans' returned under Head Coach Cody Hawkins offensive game planning during the season.

 

Idaho State finished the 2023 regular season with the No.1 passing offense in the nation, averaging 330.1 yards per game.

 

The Bengals had 325 completions on the season, 77 more than their opponents.

 

The Bengal offense had seven games during the season with 300+ passing yards and a season-high 523 against EWU on 10/14.

 

The Bengals passing game against the Eagles was the highest single-game performance

in the FCS during the 2023 season.

 

 

Tickets

Idaho State football tickets are on sale now, Click Here to purchase tickets for the Bengals' upcoming six games in the renovated ICCU Dome.

 

Follow Us

Follow the Bengals on social media for pictures and videos as the season goes on. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.