Surging Bengals Back Home to Host Challenger Toreros

POCATELLO, Idaho – Coming off a historic upset of the Utah State Aggies in Logan, the surging #17/24 Idaho State Bengals (2-0) return home to the ICCU Dome to host the University of San Diego Toreros (0-1) in an exciting non-conference FCS Clash.

Game 1 Information
Kickoff: 4:00 PM MT
Location: ICCU Dome - Pocatello, Idaho

TV: ESPN+

·       Play by Play : Scott Gross

·       Color: Mitch Beckstead

 Radio: KISU (KISU.org, 91.1 FM

Live Stats: Statbroadcast

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·       X: @BengalGridiron

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Series vs San Diego

·       This is just the 2^nd meeting ever of the Bengals and Toreros, USD leads the all-time series 1-0

·       The first meeting occurred on November 23, 1958 in San Diego, USD won 24-0

·       There was a heavy fog during the game that was so bad "Fans couldn't see the field, officials could hardly see the game and the players could barely find each other" according to the Idaho State Journal article from that time.

Bengal Bites

• HISTORIC WIN OVER AN FBS OPPONENT
  Idaho State picked up its first win over an FBS opponent since 2017 (a 30-28 win at Nevada), and its first win over Utah State since 2000, holding off the Aggies 29-17 on Saturday in Logan. The win also gives the Bengals a 2-0 start against Division I opponents for the first time since 1995.
• FOUR TURNOVERS, ZERO GIVEN BACK
  Idaho State's defense forced four interceptions and committed zero turnovers of its own — a plus-4 turnover margin — while converting 4 of 4 red-zone chances into points.
• LINDBERG'S PERFECT NIGHT
  Kicker Mason Lindberg went a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals (28, 48, 25, 43, 41 yards) against Utah State, with the 48-yarder a career best for the junior. Lindberg is now a perfect 6-for-6 on the season and ranks No. 2 nationally in field goals per game (3.00).
• SHORTY'S SIGNATURE NIGHT
  TreShawn Shorty hauled in two interceptions against Utah State — the first a 42-yard return that set up a go-ahead touchdown — marking the first multi-interception game for a Bengal since Charles Ike against Cal Poly in 2022. Shorty ranks No. 3 nationally in interceptions per game (1.00).
• A BALANCED PASSING ATTACK
  Four different Bengal receivers caught a pass against Utah State — Julian Mason (7-75), Chedon James (5-27, 1 TD), Eli Aragon-Cruz and Jimmy Trilla — reflecting a more spread-out attack after Julian Mason and Chedon James combined for the bulk of the production against VMI.
• FESILI'S FAST START
  Freshman defensive lineman Trehsyn Fesili followed his Week 1 breakout (a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery vs. VMI) with  another sack against Utah State. Fesili now ranks No. 4 nationally in sacks (1.50/game) and No. 7 in tackles for loss (2.00/game).
• A GOAL-LINE STAND FOR THE AGES
  With Utah State threatening at the Idaho State 1-yard line late in the third quarter, the Bengal defensive line stood up a fourth-and-1 attempt to preserve the lead — a stop head coach Cody Hawkins called one of the game's turning points after a Utah State drive that consumed 16 plays and 8:38 of clock.
• A TOP-15 DEFENSE NATIONALLY
  Idaho State ranks No. 10 nationally in passing yards allowed (128.0/game), No. 9 in team passing efficiency defense (85.10) and No. 13 in scoring defense (13.5 points/game) through two weeks.
• FREEMAN IV'S FIRST START
  Robert Freeman IV made his first career start at running back against Utah State, leading the Bengals with 32 net yards on 10 carries, with strong work in pass protection.
• COOKE CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK
  With his performance against Utah State, quarterback Jordan Cooke moved to 6th all-time in program history in passing yards (6,041), 4th in career completions (491), 10th in passing touchdowns (33), and tied for 5th in passing attempts (842).
• UNDEFEATED THROUGH TWO
  Idaho State is 2-0 for the first time since 2013, when the Bengals opened that season with wins over Dixie State and Western State — though both were non-Division I opponents. Saturday's win over Utah State gives Idaho State its first 2-0 start against Division I competition since 1995. The 2013 start followed a 1-10 finish in 2012, marking a similar early-season turnaround for the program.
• A TOP-30 DEFENSE, TOP-15 IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES
  Through two weeks, Idaho State ranks No. 29 nationally in total defense (323.5 yards/game) and No. 13 in scoring defense (13.5 points/game).
• NATIONAL LEADER IN TURNOVER MARGIN
  Idaho State is tied for the national lead in turnover margin (+1.50) and turnovers gained (5), tied with Northern Arizona.
• BIG SKY'S BEST PASS DEFENSE
  Idaho State leads the Big Sky Conference — and ranks No. 10 nationally — in passing yards allowed (128.0/game), and leads the conference in team passing efficiency defense (No. 9 nationally, 85.10 rating).
• A DISCIPLINED FRONT
  Idaho State ranks No. 12 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Sky in team tackles for loss (8.0), a total built by contributions across the front seven. Trehsyn Fesili leads the way with a Big Sky-best 2.00 tackles for loss per game, while Nathan Reynolds (1.00/game, No. 81 nationally) and a rotation featuring Jake East, Grant Hessler, Collin Lewis, Sani Tuala and Nate Abbott have all logged at least a half-tackle for loss through two games.
• PRESSURE PACKAGE
  Idaho State's 2.50 sacks per game rank No. 23 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Sky Conference, with the pressure spread across the defensive front. Trehsyn Fesili paces the group with 1.50 sacks per game (No. 4 nationally, No. 1 in the Big Sky), and Jake East and Nate Abbott have each added a sack of their own — East's coming against VMI and Abbott's first career sack coming against Utah State.
• FREEMAN'S RETURN GAME
  Robert Freeman IV ranks No. 18 nationally in punt returns (12.6 avg) after his combined effort across two games — a group that includes his 8-return, 101-yard day against VMI, with a long of 30.
• COOKE AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS
  Cooke ranks No. 9 nationally in passing touchdowns (5) and No. 13 in points responsible for (36) through two games.
• SIX BENGALS ON PHIL STEELE'S PRESEASON ALL-BIG SKY
  Six Idaho State players were selected to Phil Steele's preseason All-Big Sky team — offensive linemen Stryker Rashid and Will Davis, wide receiver Chedon James and running back Dason Brooks on offense, with linebacker Nathan Reynolds and defensive lineman Bronson Childs earning nods on defense.
• BROOKS, RASHID AND CHILDS ON THE LEAGUE'S PRESEASON TEAM
  Idaho State placed three players on the Big Sky Conference's preseason team, as voted by conference coaches and officials — running back Dason Brooks and offensive lineman Stryker Rashid on offense, and defensive lineman Bronson Childs on defense. Brooks led the Bengals with over 1,000 rushing yards in 2025, one of just eight Bengals in program history to do so, while Childs ranked top-5 in the Big Sky in tackles for loss last season.
• MASON'S STEADY HANDS
  Julian Mason ranks No. 35 nationally in receiving yards (152) and No. 41 in receiving yards per game (76.0) — tops on the team in both categories.
• A HISTORIC RETURN FOR JAMES
  Chedon James, who returned to Pocatello this offseason after stops at Fresno State and Incarnate Word, ranks No. 15 nationally in receiving touchdowns with 2.
• REYNOLDS ANCHORS THE MIDDLE
  Nathan Reynolds ranks No. 6 nationally in total tackles per game (12.5), highlighted by a 17-tackle effort against Utah State.
• A BALANCED TURNOVER HAUL
  Idaho State's four interceptions against Utah State came from three different players — TreShawn Shorty (2), Jacob Perez and Troy Wilkey — with Perez's and Wilkey's picks both being the first of their respective careers as Bengals.
• A RARE MATCHUP
  Saturday's game is just the second all-time meeting between Idaho State and San Diego. The Toreros won the only previous matchup, 24-0, in San Diego on Nov. 23, 1958 — and Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs in Pocatello.
• A STRUGGLING START FOR THE TOREROS
  San Diego enters Saturday 0-1 after a 49-17 loss to No. 6 UC Davis in its season opener, a game in which the Toreros led 7-0 to start before allowing 28 unanswered points in the second quarter.
• TURNOVER TROUBLE FOR SAN DIEGO
  San Diego turned the ball over three times (two interceptions from Dom Nankil, one lost fumble) in its loss to UC Davis, while Idaho State's defense enters the week with a nation-leading turnover margin.
• A CONTRAST TO 2023
  Idaho State's win over Utah State comes three years after the Aggies routed the Bengals 78-28 in the same building — a Logan trip head coach Cody Hawkins pointed to directly, calling this year's result "fun for our guys to see the progress and the contrast of '23."