With 49 seconds left on the clock, Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood led an 80-yard drive to secure a touchdown and then ran in the 2-point conversion, lifting the Vandals to a 35-34 upset over No. 1 Montana State at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow on Friday night.
Idaho trailed 34-27 after Montana State punted for a touchback, leaving the Vandals at their own 20-yard line with no timeouts remaining. Wood took control, scrambling for 22 yards and completing passes totaling 58 yards on the final drive. His 25-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Ryan Jezioro tied the game with zero seconds left.
Rather than settle for overtime, Idaho went for the win. Wood dropped back, dodged a defender, and sprinted left before leaping into the end zone for the conversion, putting Idaho ahead 35-34.
Coach Thomas Ford Jr. said earlier in the week his team wasn’t concerned by the odds, as Idaho entered the game as 16½-point underdogs. “We knew we had a really talented football team, we knew we had guys that could make plays and we knew that we matched up really well with this team,” Ford said. “When we beat this team, everyone in the country will be surprised. But not one single person in that room will be surprised.”
The win ended Idaho’s seven-game losing streak dating to October 2025, while snapping Montana State’s 19-game winning streak and handing the Bobcats their first loss since September 2025.
Jezioro finished with six receptions for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns. Wood completed 19 of 26 passes for 315 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception. He also contributed 44 rushing yards on 14 carries, including the game-winning conversion.
Idaho overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the final quarter. After opening the second half with a stalled drive, Montana State extended their lead to 34-20 on a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Patrick Duchien early in the fourth quarter.
Montana State had controlled much of the second half, including a lengthy 15-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal by kicker Myles Sansted. Sansted later missed a 52-yard field goal attempt that gave Idaho the ball back with just over three minutes remaining.
Idaho’s penultimate drive featured mistakes—a snap infraction, a backward pass out of bounds, an incomplete pass, and a collision between running back Hayden Kincheloe and Wood during a handoff—that squandered a chance to tie the game.
The first half saw six lead changes. Montana State’s Sansted opened scoring with a 21-yard field goal. On Idaho’s first offensive play, Wood connected with Jezioro for a 75-yard touchdown, giving the Vandals an early lead.
Montana State responded with a touchdown pass from Duchien to freshman Carter Dahlke. Idaho answered with two field goals from Owen Forsman before Montana State took a 17-13 lead on a 32-yard touchdown run by running back Jared White.
Idaho regained a 20-17 lead before halftime on a 15-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back Damonte Bias, who carried the ball seven times in the game.
Montana State’s offense had opportunities, but penalties and turnovers hampered their efforts. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Idaho’s senior tackle Charlie Vliem helped Montana State gain better field position before Duchien’s touchdown run.
Wood said the team’s resilience was the difference. “When adversity hit, we stayed together and we got over that hump and we were able to come out with a win,” he said.
Friday’s result stunned the Big Sky Conference and ended Montana State’s pursuit of an undefeated season. Idaho improved to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while Montana State fell to 5-1 and 2-1 in the Big Sky. The game drew a crowd of 9,231 and was broadcast nationally on ESPN.
According to Yahoo Sports.
