POCATELLO, Idaho – Jordan Cooke threw for 334 yards and ran for two touchdowns, the Bengal defense held Portland State to 57 yards in the first half, and Idaho State ended a three-game losing streak with a 38-8 win over the Vikings on Saturday at the ICCU Dome.
Idaho State (5-3, 2-3 Big Sky) led 24-0 at halftime and outgained Portland State (2-6, 2-3) 488-276 in front of 5,747 fans. The Bengals ran for a season-high four touchdowns and scored a touchdown on all four trips inside the red zone. The defense held the Vikings to 56 rushing yards, allowed one third-down conversion in 12 tries and recovered two fumbles.
How it happened
Trehsyn Fesili set the tone immediately after the opening kickoff as he sacked Tyrese Smith on Portland State's first snap, and the Vikings went three-and-out. Idaho State's next possession went 42 yards in 10 plays, with Cooke hitting Julian Mason for 31 yards on third-and-16, and Mason Lindberg kicking a 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:26 left in the first quarter.
After another Portland State punt, Tytan Mason ran 14 yards and a Viking unnecessary roughness penalty moved the ball to the Portland State 38. On the next play, Cooke threw deep down the right side to Poe for a 38-yard touchdown, his third of the sesaon, and the Bengals led 10-0 at 4:36.
Cooke closed the first quarter with a 46-yard completion to Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio who was stopped just short at the PSU 1. Cooke then scored his first rushing TD of the game on a 1-yard run two plays into the second quarter to make it 17-0.
With 5:17 left in the half, Fesili, completely uncovered came across the outside and sacked Smith for an 11-yard loss on third-and-4 and knocked the ball loose, and Jackson Irwin recovered at the Portland State 45. On the second play of the drive, Cooke found Poe for 31 yards to the 13, and Tytan Mason ran in from 7 yards out for a 24-0 lead with 3:15 left in the half.
Portland State gained 57 yards in the first half and went 0-for-7 on third down.
Gabe Downing took over at quarterback for the Vikings in the second half and opened the third quarter with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard Delon Thompson touchdown run at 8:44. The Bengals stopped the two-point pass to keep it 24-6. A Portland State punt later pinned Idaho State at its own 1, and Avery Ducsik sacked Cooke in the end zone for a safety that made it 24-8 with 3:09 left in the quarter, the Vikings wouldn't score again.
Portland State had the ball again near midfield after a 37-yard kickoff return and converted a fourth-and-3. On the next play, Downing hit Tanner Beaman on a 35-yard completion, but Nathan Reynolds never gave up on the play. he chased the ball carrier down and punched the ball loose at the Idaho State 11 and recovered it himself at the 8 with 42 seconds left in the third.
The Vikings had one more chance to make it a one-score game early in the fourth quarter, going for it on fourth-and-2 at the Idaho State 47. Collin Lewis stopped Downing for no gain.
Idaho State took over and drove 53 yards in 10 plays, overcoming a first-and-25 after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Cooke converted a fourth-and-5 with a 14-yard throw to Julian Mason, hit Mason again for 16 yards to the 6, and ran it in from 4 yards out, trucking the Portland State defender to make it 31-8 with 7:07 to play.
Portland State drove to the Idaho State 28 on its next possession, but Nathan Abbott and Irwin pressured Downing into an incompletion on fourth-and-12. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Tytan Mason broke a 54-yard run to the Portland State 15 his career long. Carson Sudbury finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left putting the exclamation point on the Bengal blowout win.
What they said
On the win: "I don't know how to describe how awesome this feels after the past couple weeks. We know that this is a quality football team, and to drop three one-possession games in a row and have an opportunity to win it, and not finishing the job, that was a tough pill to swallow for a lot of guys."
On Cooke's touchdown run: "It was a called run. I think it's pretty evident that I love Jordan Cooke, right? He's awesome, which doesn't mean he's infallible. … The dude has grown up a lot. … Even tonight wasn't perfect, but just to see his resiliency and his composure, super impressive. … I told him, 'Hey, if we win and you have a touchdown run on this play,' the play we ran, I was like, 'I'll buy you an Oreo milkshake.' And he's a sucker for an Oreo milkshake, so milkshakes all around."
On Reynolds' forced fumble: "They have an opportunity to bring it within a one-score game. … Just to see Nate coming in there and just him punch with everything he has, I mean, that's clinic tape stuff. … That's gonna be on the teach tape. And doesn't surprise me because Nate's really become such an unbelievable leader for this team."
On Julian Mason: "He could drop 10 passes in a row and not be fazed. He could see a look that we never saw on tape, and he's not gonna be fazed. He just has that experience and that confidence, and he's just a coach's dream."
On the defense: "Our defense is playing really, really good football, and they have been. … Love our defensive guys, love our defensive staff."
On Lindberg: "He was chosen by his teammates as a captain after the Weber game, and he's just such a well-liked guy who does a really good job handling his process."
On Utah Tech: "We ain't taking nobody lightly. … We got to get on a plane, we're gonna go down there, and we got to play good football 'cause they're gonna be ready."
On ending the streak: "Obviously losing three straight is really tough after we started 4-0, but the belief never wavered in this program, and we know we're capable of great things, and I'm super proud of the team."
On his runs: "Just running tough and being physical. I'm a big guy, and just using my legs I know is a little secret weapon, I guess, and will definitely help us win and be better on offense."
On the Big Sky: "We always talk about, like, this is the SEC of FCS football, and there's no break. Every week it's a tough matchup no matter who you're playing, and anybody can get beat any week."
On the touchdown: "I was able to get him stacked, and then JC put it in the right place. I was able to go out and get it."
On Portland State's coverage: "They did a lot of soft press, which we haven't really seen yet. So my releases, I was able to have a little more time and just able to work what I've been working on these past couple weeks."
On the forced fumble: "You always got to think, you got to secure the tackle and get the ball out. And he had it a little loose, and that was my thought process. Just get it out, get the momentum for the Bengals. … I just went in there and started the lawnmower, rip it out, you know?"
On third down: "If we get to third down, we got a lot of exotic stuff that we can do. … Every position group knows when third down comes. We got a lot of fun stuff we can do. … So yeah, we love third downs."
On the team: "This team, we're capable of a lot. This is one of the best teams that I've ever been on, I would say."
On the strip sack: "To be honest, there's nothing really going through my mind. I came in free. I was shocked a little bit, but I just did my job and got to the quarterback and made a play."
On stopping the run: "Our main objective as a D-line, as a front line, is to stop the run, and I feel like we did a pretty good job of that."
Bengal Bites
Game stats
- Jordan Cooke completed 29 of 45 passes for 334 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He ran 16 times for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
- Tommy Poe led the Bengals with 121 receiving yards on seven catches, including the 38-yard touchdown. Julian Mason had a game-high 10 catches for 115 yards, and Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio added nine catches for 83 yards, with a long of 46.
- Tytan Mason ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, with a long of 54. Carson Sudbury had 15 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
- Nathan Reynolds led the defense with nine tackles and forced and recovered a fumble. Titan Saxton had eight tackles, and Jacob Perez had seven.
- Trehsyn Fesili had seven tackles, two sacks for 15 yards, a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries.
- Jackson Irwin had five tackles, a fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries. Isaiah Cook broke up two passes.
- Parker Graham had four tackles and a pass breakup.
- Mason Lindberg made a 41-yard field goal, went 5-for-5 on extra points and had four touchbacks on seven kickoffs.
- Jordan Rucker averaged 45.3 yards on three punts, with a long of 51.
- Idaho State had 23 first downs to Portland State's 16 and held the ball for 31:43.
- Portland State ran for 56 yards on 22 carries.
Notables
- The 38-8 final was a scorigami, a final score that had never happened before in Idaho State history.
- Idaho State has scored at least 38 points in six of its last seven meetings with Portland State.
- Idaho State leads the all-time series with Portland State 28-20-1, including 17-7-1 at home.
- The 30-point margin was Idaho State's largest against Portland State since a 51-6 win in 1972, and the eight points were the fewest the Bengals have allowed the Vikings since that game.
- Idaho State led 24-0 at halftime. Portland State had 57 yards of offense in the first half, the lowest of any opponent this season.
- The Vikings went 1-for-12 on third down, including 0-for-7 in the first half.
- The Bengals went 4-for-4 in the red zone, scoring a touchdown each time.
- Idaho State's four rushing touchdowns were a season high. Cooke's two rushing touchdowns were the most by a Bengal this season.
- Five Bengals scored: Lindberg, Poe, Cooke, Tytan Mason and Sudbury.
- Tytan Mason's 101 rushing yards were the most by a Bengal this season and the first 100-yard rushing game by a Bengal since Dason Brooks ran for 106 against Cal Poly on Nov. 8, 2025. His 54-yard run was Idaho State's longest of the season.
- Poe and Julian Mason both went over 100 receiving yards, the first time two Bengals have done it in the same game since Tsion Nunnally and Michael Shulikov against Montana on Oct. 4, 2025. It was Poe's second 100-yard game in three games, following his 108 yards against Cal Poly on Oct. 10.
- Fesili's two sacks were the most by a Bengal this season and the first two-sack game by a Bengal since David Rowe at Portland State on Oct. 21, 2023. His strip sack was Idaho State's first since Camron Willis against UC Davis on Nov. 1, 2025.
- Fesili's strip sack set up a four-play, 45-yard touchdown drive that put Idaho State ahead 24-0.
- The defense recorded 14 quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles, recovering both.
- Portland State went 1-for-3 on fourth down. Both stops came in the fourth quarter.
- Cooke completed all five of his fourth-quarter passes.
Up Next
Idaho State travels to St. George, Utah, to face Utah Tech on Saturday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+, with radio coverage on KISU 91.1 FM.
