Bengals Blank Lincoln in Record-Setting Home Opener

POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State delivered a historic performance in its 2025 home opener, rolling to a 90–0 shutout victory over Lincoln (CA) on Saturday afternoon inside ICCU Dome. The Bengals broke multiple program and venue records, including most points in a game, largest margin of victory, and most passing touchdowns by a freshman.

Head Coach Cody Hawkins praised his team's focus while also emphasizing perspective.

"I'm proud of 'em, but I would've said that before the game," Hawkins said. "These are probably your least favorite kind of games because things can only go wrong. For us, it wasn't about the scoreboard, it was about how we played and giving our depth guys an opportunity to get reps."

How It Happened

How It Happened

Idaho State's defense set the tone immediately, stopping Lincoln on downs at the Bengal 31 to open the game. The offense needed just a handful of plays to march the other way, and redshirt freshman quarterback Davis Harsin delivered the first blow, a 47-yard strike to Michael Shulikov for the game's opening touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Bengals surprised Lincoln with an onside attempt that they recovered near midfield. Four plays later, Harsin zipped a 17-yard touchdown pass to Damien Morgan to make it 13–0. The defense quickly added to the momentum when safety Mason Young intercepted a pass and returned it to the 35. That takeaway set up a three-play drive capped by Carson Sudbury's 12-yard rushing score, stretching the margin to 20–0.

Special teams pushed it even further when Lincoln muffed a punt at its own goal line and the Bengals recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. By the end of the first quarter, Idaho State held a commanding 27–0 lead.

The second quarter brought more of the same. Dason Brooks finished off a Cooke-led drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown to push the lead to 34–0. On Lincoln's next play, Young forced a fumble that was recovered by  Childs at the 30. Sudbury immediately took advantage, bursting up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown to make it 41–0.

Cooke returned on the next drive and directed a march that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tsion Nunnally. Just two minutes later, Harsin capped a short possession with an 11-yard scoring toss to Shulikov for his second touchdown grab of the half.

The fireworks continued. After a Lincoln punt return touchdown was wiped out by penalty, Harsin went deep again, this time finding Raiden Brown for a 45-yard score on the very next play to make it 62–0. Moments later, Isaiah Cook intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards to the 26, and Harsin wasted no time connecting with Brown again, this time from eight yards, for his fifth touchdown of the half. Lincoln threatened late, driving inside the 10, but the defense held firm to preserve a 69–0 halftime lead.

After the break, Harsin picked up right where he left off. The redshirt freshman tied for the second-most touchdown passes in a single game in program history with his sixth, a 15-yard strike to Aiden Garcia midway through the third quarter. With a 76–0 lead in hand, Idaho State turned to its depth. Backup quarterback Logan Gonzalez entered late in the period, and after Brett Spencer raced 19 yards down to the three, Spencer finished the drive himself with a short touchdown run to make it 83–0 heading to the fourth.

Lincoln mounted its best drive of the night to start the final quarter, reaching the red zone before the Bengal defense stiffened. Zion Toʻotoʻo recorded a sack and the secondary swarmed, forcing another turnover on downs. Idaho State responded with one last scoring drive. Zach Homan opened it with consecutive runs before Matt Mason broke loose for a 46-yard gallop down the sideline. Mason capped the possession with a one-yard plunge to push the score to 90–0 with just over a minute to play.

The defense closed the door with one final stand, sealing Idaho State's first shutout since 2015 and the largest margin of victory in program history.

"The biggest thing was creating turnovers," Hawkins said. "That's a habit we want to carry over regardless of opponent. You've got to force 20 turnovers throughout the season if you want to be a playoff football team, and we stacked a few more tonight."

Hawkins on the Win

• On tempo and game plan: "We wanted to stay simple, go fast, and let our guys play football. Running basic stuff at a fast pace let us use our depth to our advantage."

• On playing returning starters: "It was important for Jordan [Cooke] and Dason [Brooks] to get some reps, take a couple pops, and trust their bodies heading into conference play."

• On areas to improve: "Pass rush lanes are an important one with our younger guys. And communication on offense – if we're all on the same page, we'll be successful."

Bengal Bites

• Passing: Davis Harsin – 10-for-13, 195 yards, 6 TD; Jordan Cooke – 4-for-5, 43 yards, TD.

• Rushing: Dason Brooks – 83 yards, 2 TD; Carson Sudbury – 75 yards, 2 TD; Jackson Irwin – 1 TD.

• Receiving: Raiden Brown – 3 rec, 70 yards, 3 TD; Michael Shulikov – 2 rec, 62 yards, 2 TD; Aiden Garcia – 34-yard TD; Damien Morgan – 17-yard TD; Tsion Nunnally – 26-yard TD.

• Defense: Mason Young – INT; Isaiah Cook – INT (32-yard return); 4 team sacks.

• Special Teams: Trajan Sinatra – 9 PATs (program record); Mason Lindberg – 3 PATs, 9 touchbacks.

Records & Milestones

• Most Points Scored: 90 vs Lincoln (CA), 2025 — surpasses the previous record of 77 vs Colorado College in 1960.

• Largest Margin of Victory: 90 points (90–0) — surpasses the previous record margin of 69 vs Colorado College in 1960 (77–8).

• First Shutout Since 2015: 55–0 vs Black Hills State.

• Most Passing Touchdowns by a Freshman: Davis Harsin threw 6 TDs, the most ever by a Bengal freshman QB.

• Second-Most Passing Touchdowns Overall: Harsin's 6 ties for second-most in ISU history, trailing only Tanner Gueller's 8 vs Idaho in 2018.

• Single-Game Kicking Record – Extra Points Made (Individual): Trajan Sinatra converted 9 PATs, surpassing the previous single-game mark of 7.

• Single-Game Kicking Record – Extra Points Made (Team): ISU converted 12 PATs (Sinatra 9, Lindberg 3), a new program record.

ICCU DOME Records

• Most Points Scored in Dome History: 90 vs Lincoln (CA), breaking the previous high of 64 vs UNLV on Sept. 26, 1970.

• Most Passing Touchdowns by a Freshman in Dome History: Davis Harsin threw 6.

• Second-Most Passing Touchdowns in Dome History: Harsin's 6 trails only Tanner Gueller's 8 vs Idaho (Oct. 6, 2018).

Next Up

Idaho State (1-3) opens Big Sky Conference play on the road at Northern Colorado next Saturday, Sept. 27. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

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