Idaho begins FCS playoff push with ‘legacy game’ against Patriot League champion
There have been only two seasons in University of Idaho football history in which a team has finished with double-digit wins.
But the Vandals are on the cusp of another.
No. 8 Idaho hosts Lehigh in the second round of the FCS playoffs at 7 p.m. Mountain time Saturday at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
“I think this is another legacy game for our seniors,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said during his weekly press conference. “We talked about going undefeated at home when we played Weber State. Well, it doesn’t do any good to say we were undefeated at home until we lost in the playoffs.”
The Vandals have twice finished with 11 victories, going 11-2 in 1988 and 11-3 in 1993. Both of those seasons finished with a loss in what was then called the NCAA Division I-AA semifinals. Idaho enters Saturday’s playoff game against the Mountain Hawks (9-3) with a 9-3 record and a perfect 5-0 mark at home.
“It’s a huge game for our program,” Eck said. “I tell the team the story of this team is still being written, and we’ve got to do a good job of putting these last few final chapters in the book and hopefully making sure it has a good ending.”
Idaho had a first-round playoff bye and Lehigh is coming off a 20-16 upset of No. 9 Richmond Nov. 30 in Richmond, Virginia. The Mountain Hawks erased a 16-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to earn their first playoff win since 2011.
Lehigh, which is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, earned an automatic playoff berth after winning the Patriot League title just one season removed from a 2-9 campaign. The Mountain Hawks are making their first postseason appearance since 2017.
Lehigh coach Kevin Cahill was named the 2024 Dick Biddle Patriot League Coach of the Year and is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS Coach of the Year. The Mountain Hawks had the second-biggest turnaround in FCS football behind Stony Brook (0-10 to 8-4).
“It’s well-coached football, a lot of good fundamentals and good, physical football,” Eck said. “They like to run the ball and try to stop the run. We’ve got to play well. I think this time of the year, you better bring your A game every week, otherwise the season can be over pretty quick.”
The Mountain Hawks have won six straight games behind a dominant defense. Lehigh ranks 10th in FCS football against the pass (162.5 yards per game) and in total yards allowed (294.9). The team also was tops in the Patriot League in scoring defense (21.6), sacks (33) and interceptions (14).
Saturday’s game will be just the second meeting between the two programs and only the fourth game for the Mountain Hawks indoors. Idaho previously defeated Lehigh 77-14 in the Kibbie Dome on Nov. 13, 1993.
The winner will advance to the quarterfinals against either No. 1 Montana State (12-0) or UT Martin (9-4). The top-ranked Bobcats handed the Vandals a 38-7 loss on Oct. 12 in Bozeman.
“Everybody knows who’s seeded in the next game, and that’s a game that, you know, we got embarrassed. You got your butts kicked, and you’d love to have a shot at avenging that,” Eck said. “But we’ve got to take care of business this week. We can’t look ahead.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 3:21 PM.
