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 PULLMAN, Wash., University of Idaho head coach Tom Cable was asked during his radio show Wednesday if he was offended by Washington State's homecoming
theme, "Vandal Victory, Ancient History." His reply was prophetic.
"You know what they say ... those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it," Cable said.
After the Vandals 38-34 heartstopping win in Pullman, those words rang true indeed. Idaho and the Cougars traded scores for
more than 59 minutes, but quarterback John Welsh plunged into the endzone from one foot out to give the Vandals the lead with just 40 seconds remaining.
The Cougars moved the ball to the 36-yard line on a spectacular throw from quarterback Jason Gesser to Marcus Williams on
fourth and ten which covered 45 yards. However, after an incomplete hail mary pass by Gesser to end regulation, Idaho's celebration was on. The final gun sounded and UI had won for the
second consecutive year against its Palouse rival.
The Vandals improved to 1-3 on the season while WSU fell to 1-2. For Cable, however, it was the first win in his career as a
head coach and he was quick to give credit to the players.
"It's incredible," Cable said. "The kids did it. They hung in there with us as coaches. We knew we were a good team, it just
solidifies our belief in each other."
The game was wild throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points after the first quarter. Idaho lit the
scoreboard first on a 36-yard Zach Gerstner touchdown run 12 minutes into the game. Washington State scored in the opening moments of the second quarter, but missed the extra point to
keep Idaho in the lead at 7-6.
A 50-yard Ben Davis field goal pushed the UI advantage to 10-6, but WSU answered with a 10-play, 81-yard drive to take its first
lead at 13-10, which it took into the intermission.
The second half remained true to the alternating scoring pattern, as Idaho found the endzone first in the second half. Welsh
connected with tight end Mike Roberg for a 3-yard strike and the Vandals led 17-13.
The Cougars later turned an Idaho mistake into points after intercepting Welsh at their own 45-yard line. WSU capitalized
quickly with a two completions in three attempts covering the 55 yards. The score was a trick play, as receiver Collin Henderson appeared to be taking a reverse, but instead connected on a 33
-yard pass to Milton Wynn for the 20-17 Cougar lead.
UI answered right back with nine-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a twisting, turning Willie Alderson run from four
yards away for a 24-20 edge through three quarters. The Cougars defense provided the next score as Billy Newman intercepted a deflected Welsh pass and returned it 10 yards for a
26-24 lead. For the second time on the day, the Cougars missed the extra point and the score remained 26-24.
The Vandals offensive line responded as they pounded away and Alderson ran on nearly every down. Welsh, however, shook
off the earlier interceptions and completed two crucial third down conversions. He then threw a 13-yard toss to Ethan Jones, who made a diving catch in the back of the endzone for the 31-26
Idaho advantage.
Washington State and Gesser would not be done quite yet. After a 25-yard pass to Wynn, the Cougars took a page out of the
Vandals playbook and ran on nearly every down. Dave Minnich for 35 yards on the drive, which was finished with Gesser leaping over cornerback Dennis Gibbs in true highlight reel fashion for a
32-31 lead. He then was chased from one end of the field to the other and back more than 25 yards away from the goal line before completing the two-point conversion for a 34-31 cushion
with three minutes remaining.
That's when the Vandals provided their theatrics with a 10-play drive that Welsh finalized. The junior signal-caller heaped praise
upon the big men in front of him paving the way.
"Our guys came through and made some big time plays," Welsh said. "The offensive line did a great job and gave me time for first
and second reads."
Cable and the Vandals now look to build on their first victory of the season as they face Montana State next week at Martin Stadium at 6 p.m.
"Today was a great start," Cable said. "We're not where we need to be yet. We're not a finished product ... but we kept coming
back. We answered the call."
Alderson led Idaho on the ground with 26 carries for 113 yards and Gerstner carried nine times for 73 yards. Welsh completed
22 of 36 passes for two touchdowns, spreading the ball to eight different receivers. Chris Lacy led the receiving corps with five catches and 70 yards. All told, the Vandals racked up 462 yards
of total offense and 27 first downs.
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