Idaho State Gamenotes | Utah Tech Gamenotes | Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Tickets
No. 23 Idaho State (5-3, 2-3 Big Sky) at Utah Tech (1-7, 1-4 Big Sky)Â |
St. George, UT | 1:00 PM MT - Kickoff on ESPN+
Listen: KISU 91.1 FM | KISU.org (Scott Gross)
POCATELLO, Idaho - No. 23 Idaho State travels to St. George, Utah, to face Utah Tech on Saturday in St. George, Utah. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM MT on ESPN+.
The Bengals are coming off a 38-8 win over Portland State that ended a three-game losing streak and returned them to both national polls at No. 23. Jordan Cooke threw for 334 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Tytan Mason ran for 101 yards, and the defense held the Vikings to 56 rushing yards. Idaho State is 2-1 on the road this season.
Idaho State leads the all-time series 1-0. The only previous meeting was a 40-14 Bengal win in Pocatello on Sept. 7, 2013, when the school was known as Dixie State. Saturday is the first meeting between the teams in St. George and Idaho State's first Halloween game since 2009.
Quick Look at Utah Tech
Utah Tech enters 1-7 overall and 1-4 in league play and is 0-3 at home. It opened with a 54-0 loss to Montana State, then lost at BYU (63-7), at Montana (35-14), to Northern Arizona (35-23), at Northern Colorado (37-13), to Southern Utah (46-33) and at Portland State (30-14). After an open date, Utah Tech won 43-26 at Cal Poly last week, forcing six turnovers and scoring a season-high 43 points.
Ace Chatman leads Utah Tech with 427 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, five rushing and four receiving. Bronson Barben has thrown for 1,275 yards and four touchdowns, and Deacon Hill has thrown for 489 yards and two touchdowns in three games, including two rushing scores at Cal Poly. Darnell O'Quinn leads the receivers with 23 catches for 341 yards, and Mike Williams averages 20.9 yards per catch. Punter Ryan Marks leads the Big Sky at 46.6 yards per punt.
Brevin Czosnyka leads the defense with 51 tackles and two interceptions. Will Alovao has 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, and Ryan Tillman has three fumble recoveries, tied for the Big Sky lead.
Utah Tech averages 18.4 points and 109.5 rushing yards per game, both last in the Big Sky. It allows 40.8 points and 436.4 yards per game and is minus-5 in turnover margin.
Bengal Bites
Idaho State returned to both national polls this week at No. 23 in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 and the AFCA Coaches Poll. Six Big Sky teams are ranked in the STATS Perform poll.
Jordan Cooke was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the week and Trehsyn Fesili was named co-Defensive Player of the Week for their efforts against Portland State.Â
Idaho State is 5-7 all-time on Halloween, including 4-4 on the road. Its last Halloween win was 24-14 at Idaho in 1981.
The teams share four common opponents. Cal Poly beat Idaho State 25-24 in Pocatello on Oct. 10, two weeks before Utah Tech won 43-26 at Cal Poly.
Idaho State is plus-5 in turnover margin in its five wins and minus-3 in its three losses.
Opponents have converted 2 of 24 third-down attempts against Idaho State in the first quarter this season.
Idaho State leads the Big Sky in passing yards allowed (180.9 per game) and pass efficiency defense, which ranks eighth nationally. Its two defensive touchdowns rank third nationally.
Idaho State averages 292.3 passing yards per game, sixth nationally and first in the Big Sky. Utah Tech opponents have completed 68.3 percent of their passes.
Jordan Cooke moved past Russel Hill into fourth in program history with 7,595 career passing yards. His 44 career touchdown passes and 7,768 yards of total offense lead all active Bengals.
Tytan Mason's 101 rushing yards against Portland State were Idaho State's first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Trehsyn Fesili, on the Jerry Rice Award watch list, had two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble against Portland State. Idaho State leads the Big Sky with 2.13 sacks per game, and Utah Tech has allowed nine sacks, the fewest in the league.
Mason Lindberg's 1.75 field goals per game lead the Big Sky and rank fourth in the FCS. He is 8-of-9 from 40 to 49 yards.
Utah Tech allows 28.0 yards per kickoff return and has given up two kickoff return touchdowns.
NUMBERS TO WATCH
1-0: Idaho State's all-time series lead.
23: Idaho State's ranking in both national polls.
5-7: Idaho State's all-time record on Halloween.
292.3: Passing yards per game for Idaho State, first in the Big Sky and sixth nationally.
7,595: Career passing yards for Cooke, fourth in program history.
2.13: Sacks per game for Idaho State, first in the Big Sky.
1.75: Field goals per game for Lindberg, first in the Big Sky.
40.8: Points allowed per game by Utah Tech.
0-3: Utah Tech's home record this season.
