Boise State’s next opponent struggled Saturday vs. the No. 7 team in the country.
The No. 7 team in the FCS Top 25.
Oregon, ranked No. 3 in the preseason AP Top 25, used a good defensive effort to post a 24-14 win over Idaho in Eugene — in the same stadium where the Ducks will welcome the Broncos next Saturday night.
The Vandals were a 44-point underdog, but they stood strong to put a genuine scare into Oregon. They trailed just 14-7 late in the third quarter and were within 17-14 with 9:45 to play before the Ducks were able to secure the victory.
Oregon transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, previously the starter at UCF and Oklahoma, completed 41-of-49 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns, but Idaho’s defense did not break often. The Vandals had four sacks and pressured Gabriel regularly, caused the Ducks to turn the ball over on downs twice and forced a fumble by Gabriel to end another drive.
Linebacker Jaxton Eck, son of Idaho coach Jason Eck, had 14 tackles and a tackle for loss to lead the defensive effort. Defensive back Tommy McCormick had 11 tackles, and all nine of DB Andrew Marshall’s tackles were solo. Lineman Keyshawn James-Newby had two sacks.
Idaho trailed 14-0 at halftime but got TD drives on back-to-back possessions in the second half, one covering 36 yards after a turnover on downs and one covering 75 yards. QB Jack Layne was 11-for-25 for 168 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, and also ran for a score.
The Vandals had just 217 yards of offense.