A blown call cost the Idaho Vandals dearly. Fans are paying the coach’s fine
The Idaho Vandals football team was left with a bad taste in its mouth this past weekend after an incorrect call contributed to a 23-20 loss to Sacramento State, and head coach Thomas Ford Jr. received a $2,500 fine as a result of postgame comments he made about the officiating.
The Vandals won’t be able to get that game back, but thanks to a group of Vandal fans, Ford Jr. at least won’t have a dent in his wallet.
Idaho Vandals sports podcast Tubs at the Club created a GoFundMe on Monday evening to help pay for Ford’s fine. The GoFundMe, titled “We’ve Got Your Back: Covering Coach Ford’s BS Fine,” received $2,600 in donations in less than 24 hours.
Ford criticized the officials because a Sacramento State catch that was clearly out of bounds was ruled in-bounds in the final seconds of the game for an 18-yard gain. Sacramento State went on to score a 2-yard touchdown on the next play to grab a 23-20 victory.
The Big Sky Conference has since acknowledged the incorrect decision and suspended several officials involved.
What happened and what was said?
Ford’s comments and subsequent fine are centered around a call made with 12 seconds left to play.
The Vandals led 20-16 and had the Hornets in a second-and-2 on the Idaho 20-yard line with no timeouts left. Quarterback Cardell Williams sent a pass toward the right-side boundary, which was caught by tight end Jordan Williams, and was called a completed catch on the 2-yard line.
However, video and image reviews showed Williams caught the ball with his right foot planted out of bounds. The Hornets scored on the next play, leaving the Vandals with no time to retaliate.
“Obviously, pretty frustrated with the result,” Ford said after the game. “I felt like at the end of the game there, we got one taken from us.
“I don’t think that’s the right call. It got reviewed, (and referees) said there wasn’t enough evidence (to overturn it). They definitely missed one on that call, and I believe they will see this and think the exact same.”
The Big Sky Conference issued a $2,500 fine for Ford, citing that he’d violated the conference’s “Sportsmanship Policy” by commenting publicly about officiating.
However, in a statement posted to social media on Monday morning, the conference acknowledged that the wrong call had been made.
“It is evident that incorrect judgment was applied to this play,” the statement said. “The Big Sky acknowledges and regrets this error in officiating, and as a result has suspended multiple officials who worked that contest. The conference office will have no further public comment on this matter.”
Despite acknowledging the error, the conference had not rescinded Ford’s fine as of Wednesday afternoon — or, perhaps more accurately, rescinded Vandal Nation’s fine.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM.
