American college football season
The 2023 Idaho State Bengals football team represented Idaho State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season . Led by first-year head coach Cody Hawkins , the Bengals played their home games on campus at Holt Arena , an indoor facility in Pocatello, Idaho .
On July 23, 2023, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Bengals were predicted to finish last in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]
Coaches poll Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Montana State 120 (10) 2 UC Davis 96 (1) 3 Sacramento State 94 (1) 4 Weber State 91 5 Idaho 89 6 Montana 84 7 Eastern Washington 52 8 Portland State 45 9 Northern Arizona 44 10 Northern Colorado 37 11 Cal Poly 25 12 Idaho State 15
Media poll Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Montana State 447 (26) 2 Idaho 410 (8) 3 Montana 359 (2) 4 Sacramento State 334 (3) 5 UC Davis 330 6 Weber State 320 7 Eastern Washington 216 8 Northern Arizona 178 9 Portland State 167 10 Northern Colorado 109 11 Cal Poly 103 12 Idaho State 69
Preseason All–Big Sky team[ edit ] The Bengals had no players selected to the Preseason All–Big Sky team.[2]
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 2 8:30 p.m. at San Diego State * CBSSN L 28–3622,345 September 9 6:00 p.m. at Utah State * MWN L 28–7820,034 September 16 4:00 p.m. Northern Iowa * ESPN+ L 17–411 September 23 4:00 p.m. Northern Colorado ESPN+ W 35–218,012 September 30 2:00 p.m. at No. 18 Montana ESPN+/Scripps L 20–2826,678 October 14 4:00 p.m. No. 21 Eastern Washington ESPN+ W 42–416,763 October 21 2:00 p.m. at Portland State ESPN+ W 38–242,174 October 28 7:00 p.m. at No. 6 Sacramento State ESPN+ L 16–5113,733 November 4 4:00 p.m. Weber State ESPN+ L 21–338,233 November 11 4:00 p.m. UC Davis ESPN+ L 14–217,001 November 18 5:00 p.m. at No. 6 Idaho ESPN+ L 21–639,854
[3] [4]
Pregame line Over/under SDSU –34.5 51.5
Idaho State Bengals (0–0) at San Diego State Aztecs (0–0) – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 3 10 0 15 28 Aztecs 10 10 9 7 36
at Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, California
Date : Game time : 8:30 p.m. MDT Game weather : Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)Game attendance : 22,345Referee : Michael CuttoneTV announcers (CBSSN ) : Michael Grady (play-by-play) and Donte Whitner (analyst)
Game information First quarter 8:49 ISU – Thomas Kopcho 32-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 3:10; Idaho State 3–0 ) 6:50 SDSU – Jack Browning 43-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 1:48; Tied 3–3 ) 2:54 SDSU – Jalen Mayden 24-yard run (Jack Browning kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 32 yards, 0:44; San Diego State 10–3 ) Second quarter 14:50 ISU – Thomas Kopcho 33-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 3:04; San Diego State 10–6 ) 6:35 SDSU – Jaylon Armstead 4-yard run (Jack Browning kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 7:12; San Diego State 17–6 ) 1:10 SDSU – Jack Browning 41-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 3:22; San Diego State 20–6 ) 0:14 ISU – Christian Fredericksen 24-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 0:50; San Diego State 20–13 ) Third quarter 8:48 SDSU – Team safety (San Diego State 22–13 ) 6:09 SDSU – Martin Blake 3-yard run (Jack Browning kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 2:32; San Diego State 29–13 ) Fourth quarter 13:34 ISU – Chedon James 8-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Alfred Jordan Jr. pass from Hunter Hays) (Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 4:59; San Diego State 29–21 ) 6:50 SDSU – Jalen Mayden 56-yard run (Jack Browning kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:22; San Diego State 36–21 ) 0:39 ISU – Hunter Hays 2-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 3:01; San Diego State 36–28 )
Statistics Idaho State San Diego State First downs 24 18 Plays–yards 70–344 67–389 Rushes–yards 17–22 47–304 Passing yards 322 85 Passing: comp–att–int 31–63–3 13–20–1 Turnovers 3 3 Time of possession 25:32 34:28
Team Category Player Statistics Idaho State Passing Jordan Cooke 19/42, 177 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing Hunter Hays 9 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD Receiving Christian Fredericksen 5 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD San Diego State Passing Jalen Mayden 13/19, 85 yards Rushing Jalen Mayden 8 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD Receiving Martin Blake 3 receptions, 40 yards
Pregame line Over/under USU –23.5 61.5
Idaho State Bengals (0–1) at Utah State Aggies (0–1) – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 7 7 7 7 28 Aggies 7 44 14 13 78
at Maverik Stadium • Logan, Utah
Date : Game time : 6:00 p.m. MDT Game weather : Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)Game attendance : 20,034Referee : Gary LeeperTV announcers (MWN) : Dave Fox (play-by-play), Alema Harrington (analyst), and Frank Dolce (sideline)
Game information First quarter 14:33 USU – Robert Briggs Jr. 58-yard run (William Testa kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:27; Utah State 7–0 ) 10:59 ISU – Christian Fredericksen 9-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:34; Tied 7–7 ) Second quarter 14:51 USU – Davon Booth 8-yard run (William Testa kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:40; Utah State 14–7 ) 12:09 USU – Davon Booth 40-yard run (William Testa kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:25; Utah State 21–7 ) 6:35 USU – Terrell Vaughn 4-yard pass from Cooper Legas (William Testa kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:02; Utah State 28–7 ) 5:44 USU – Ike Larsen 47-yard interception return (two-point run failed) (Utah State 34–7 ) 5:24 USU – Jalen Royals 20-yard pass from Cooper Legas (Elliott Nimrod kick) (Drive: 1 play, 20 yards, 0:07; Utah State 41–7 ) 4:08 USU – Rahsul Faison 60-yard run (Elliott Nimrod kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 60 yards, 0:19; Utah State 48–7 ) 0:16 ISU – Christian Fredericksen 15-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:52; Utah State 48–14 ) 0:01 USU – Elliott Nimrod 37-yard field goal (Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:05; Utah State 51–14 ) Third quarter 8:58 USU – Terrell Vaughn 5-yard pass from Levi Williams (Elliott Nimrod kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 3:48; Utah State 58–14 ) 3:58 USU – Micah Davis 47-yard pass from Levi Williams (Elliott Nimrod kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 46 yards, 0:32; Utah State 65–14 ) 0:00 ISU – Michael Shulikov 12-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:58; Utah State 65–21 ) Fourth quarter 9:15 ISU – Raiden Hunter 1-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 4:34; Utah State 65–28 ) 4:25 USU – Cooper Jones 1-yard run (Elliott Nimrod kick failed) (Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:44; Utah State 71–28 ) 0:54 USU – Jaiden Francois 75-yard interception return (Elliott Nimrod kick) (Utah State 78–28 )
Statistics Idaho State Utah State First downs 28 23 Plays–yards 83–424 69–591 Rushes–yards 30–101 41–380 Passing yards 323 211 Passing: comp–att–int 34–53–2 22–28–0 Turnovers 3 0 Time of possession 33:27 26:33
Team Category Player Statistics Idaho State Passing Jordan Cooke 20/30, 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Soujah Gasu 6 carries, 30 yards Receiving Christian Fredericksen 8 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD Utah State Passing Cooper Legas 14/16, 125 yards, 2 TD Rushing Robert Briggs Jr. 9 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD Receiving Terrell Vaughn 11 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TD
Pregame line Over/under UNI –22.5 68.5
Northern Iowa Panthers (0–2) vs Idaho State Bengals (0–2) – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 14 13 7 7 41 Bengals 3 0 7 7 17
at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho
Date : Game time : 4:00 p.m. MDT Game weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 1Referee : Joe DonTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Dylan Carder (play-by-play) and Kody Graves (analyst)
Game information First quarter 5:46 UNI – Tyjahree Edwards 2-yard run (Matthew Cook kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 91 yards, 5:47; Northern Iowa 7–0 ) 4:33 UNI – Sam Schnee 53-yard pass from Theo Day (Matthew Cook kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:38; Northern Iowa 14–0 ) 2:24 ISU – Thomas Kopcho 49-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 2:02; Northern Iowa 14–3 ) Second quarter 12:13 UNI – Matthew Cook 26-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:11; Northern Iowa 17–3 ) 3:53 UNI – Matthew Cook 47-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 58 yards, 5:37; Northern Iowa 20–3 ) 0:12 UNI – Sam Schnee 14-yard pass from Theo Day (Matthew Cook kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 1:25; Northern Iowa 27–3 ) Third quarter 6:17 UNI – Harrison Bey-Buie 3-yard run (Matthew Cook kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:36; Northern Iowa 34–3 ) 0:27 ISU – Aiden Taylor 1-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:50; Northern Iowa 34–10 ) Fourth quarter 9:05 UNI – Josh Jenkins 12-yard run (Matthew Cook kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 6:22; Northern Iowa 41–10 ) 5:40 ISU – Michael Shulikov 34-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:25; Northern Iowa 41–17 )
Statistics Northern Iowa Idaho State First downs 32 22 Plays–yards 79–527 61–346 Rushes–yards 39–139 17–28 Passing yards 388 318 Passing: comp–att–int 29–40–0 30–44–1 Turnovers 0 2 Time of possession 36:27 23:33
Team Category Player Statistics Northern Iowa Passing Theo Day 29/39, 388 yards, 2 TD Rushing Josh Jenkins 11 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD Receiving Sam Schnee 7 receptions, 174 yards, 2 TD Idaho State Passing Jordan Cooke 23/35, 249 yards, 1 INT Rushing Hunter Hays 3 carries, 24 yards Receiving Chedon James 8 receptions, 121 yards
vs Northern Colorado [ edit ] Pregame line Over/under ISU –6.5 66.5
Northern Colorado Bears (0–3) vs Idaho State Bengals (0–3) – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bears 7 0 14 0 21 Bengals 7 14 7 7 35
at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho
Date : Game time : 4:00 p.m. MDT Game weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 8,012Referee : Jim C.TV : ESPN+
Game information First quarter 7:04 UNC – Darius Stewart 16-yard run (Hunter Green kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 4:37; Northern Colorado 7–0 ) 0:07 ISU – Alfred Jordan Jr. 32-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:37; Tied 7–7 ) Second quarter 5:31 ISU – Jordan Cooke 1-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 4:25; Idaho State 14–7 ) 0:20 ISU – Chedon James 1-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 1:14; Idaho State 21–7 ) Third quarter 10:32 UNC – Jacob Sirmon 1-yard run (Hunter Green kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:22; Idaho State 21–14 ) 5:09 UNC – David Afari 18-yard run (Hunter Green kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 4:00; Tied 21–21 ) 2:45 ISU – Aiden Taylor 8-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:24; Idaho State 28–21 ) Fourth quarter 5:05 ISU – Hunter Hays 2-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:56; Idaho State 35–21 )
Statistics Northern Colorado Idaho State First downs 25 26 Plays–yards 72–365 72–429 Rushes–yards 40–242 30–103 Passing yards 123 326 Passing: comp–att–int 22–32–2 26–42–1 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 31:13 28:47
Team Category Player Statistics Northern Colorado Passing Jacob Sirmon 22/32, 123 yards, 2 INT Rushing Darius Stewart 14 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD Receiving Ty Arrington 5 receptions, 42 yards Idaho State Passing Jordan Cooke 14/23, 218 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Hunter Hays 13 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD Receiving Christian Fredericksen 7 receptions, 108 yards
Pregame line Over/under MONT –21.0 56.5
Idaho State Bengals (1–3) at No. 18 Montana Grizzlies (3–1) – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 7 0 7 6 20 No. 18 Grizzlies 7 0 14 7 28
at Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, Montana
Date : Game time : 2:00 p.m. MDT Game weather : Cloudy, 50 °F (10 °C)Game attendance : 26,678Referee : Jeff ReidTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Jay Kohn (play-by-play), Marty Mornhinweg (analyst), Jon Stepanek (analyst), and Kyle Hansen (sideline)
Game information First quarter 9:21 MONT – Clifton McDowell 8-yard run (Grant Glasgow kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 5:34; Montana 7–0 ) 0:38 ISU – Chedon James 4-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 4:29; Tied 7–7 ) Second quarter Third quarter 12:40 MONT – Aaron Fontes 2-yard pass from Clifton McDowell (Grant Glasgow kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 2:14; Montana 14–7 ) 9:44 ISU – Chedon James 28-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:56; Tied 14–14 ) 5:09 MONT – Evan Shafer 15-yard pass from Sawyer Racanelli (Grant Glasgow kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:35; Montana 21–14 ) Fourth quarter 14:11 ISU – Cyrus Wallace 6-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (two-point conversion failed) (Drive: 12 plays, 82 yards, 5:52; Montana 21–20 ) 7:37 MONT – Eli Gillman 3-yard run (Grant Glasgow kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 6:29; Montana 28–20 )
Statistics Idaho State No. 18 Montana First downs 19 24 Plays–yards 60–334 76–394 Rushes–yards 13–45 51–174 Passing yards 289 220 Passing: comp–att–int 31–47–2 18–25–0 Turnovers 2 0 Time of possession 25:06 34:54
Team Category Player Statistics Idaho State Passing Jordan Cooke 31/47, 289 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Rushing Jordan Cooke 5 carries, 22 yards Receiving Chedon James 7 receptions, 79 yards, 2 TD No. 18 Montana Passing Clifton McDowell 13/20, 160 yards, 1 TD Rushing Clifton McDowell 20 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD Receiving Junior Bergen 7 receptions, 100 yards
vs No. 21 Eastern Washington [ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total No. 21 Eagles 14 21 6 0 41 Bengals 0 14 7 21 42
1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 14 14 0 10 38 Vikings 7 10 7 0 24
At No. 6 Sacramento State [ edit ] Idaho State Bengals (3–4) at No. 6 Sacramento State Hornets (5–2) – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 0 16 0 0 16 No. 6 Hornets 14 10 20 7 51
at Hornet Stadium , Sacramento, CA
Date : October 28, 2023Game time : 6:00 p.m. PST Game weather : 65 °F (18 °C) • N 14 mph • SunnyGame attendance : 13,733Referee : Jeff RinkTV announcers (KMAX-TV/ESPN+) : Play-by-Play: Jason Ross • Analysis: Darren ArbetSources:[5] [6]
Game information First Quarter (11:17) SAC – Jared Gipson 23-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:43; Sacramento State 7–0 ) (0:45) SAC – Coleman Kuntz 1-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:12; Sacramento State 14–0 ) Second Quarter (14:05) ISU – Chedon James 25-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick failed) (Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 1:36; Sacramento State 14–6 ) (7:14) ISU – Thomas Kopcho 27-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:14; Sacramento State 14–9 ) (5:46) ISU – Alfred Jordan Jr. 16-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 1:28; Idaho State 16–14 ) (3:13) SAC – Devin Gandy 13-yard pass from Carson Conklin (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:27; Sacramento State 21–16 ) (0:00) SAC – Zach Schreiner 30-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 1:12; Sacramento State 24–16 ) Third Quarter (7:53) SAC – Carlos Hill 69-yard pass from Carson Conklin (two-point run conversion failed) (Drive: 2 plays, 73 yards, 0:34; Sacramento State 30–16 ) (3:04) SAC – Elijah Tau-Tolliver 4-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:34; Sacramento State 37–16 ) (1:17) SAC – Michael Johnson 8-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 29 yards, 1:16 ; Sacramento State 44–16 ) Fourth Quarter (8:30) SAC – Marshel Martin 6-yard pass from Carson Conklin (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 53 yards, 6:57; Sacramento State 51–16 ) Line Over/Under
Statistics ISU SAC First downs 16 26 Total yards 334 587 Rushing yards 42 273 Passing yards 292 314 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 30–56–4 21–32–1 Time of possession 24:55 35:05
Team Category Player Statistics Idaho State Passing Hunter Hays 17/31, 193 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing 7 carries, 22 yards Receiving Chedon James 10 receptions, 77 yards, TD Sacramento State Passing Carson Conklin 14/21, 235 yards, 3 TD Rushing Zeke Burnett 9 carries, 143 yards Receiving Marshel Martin 6 receptions, 103 yards, TD
1 2 3 4 Total Wildcats 0 21 0 12 33 Bengals 0 0 7 14 21
1 2 3 4 Total Aggies 0 7 7 7 21 Bengals 7 0 7 0 14
Idaho State Bengals (3–7) vs No. 6 Idaho Vandals (7–3) – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 0 0 7 14 21 No. 6 Vandals 28 28 0 7 63
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID
Date : November 18, 2023Game time : 4:00 p.m. PDTGame attendance : 9,854TV : ESPN+
^ Big Sky Conference (July 23, 2023). "Montana State Tabbed Preseason Football Favorites" . Retrieved July 26, 2023 . ^ "7 Bobcats, 5 Grizzlies tabbed for preseason All-Big Sky Conference team" . MontanaSports.com . July 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023 . ^ "2023 Idaho State Football Schedule" . isubengals.com . Retrieved April 18, 2023 . ^ "2023 Idaho State Football Schedule" . FBSchedules.com . Retrieved June 22, 2023 . ^ "Football vs Idaho State on 10/28/2023 - Box Score - Sacramento State" . October 28, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 . ^ "Football Blows Past Idaho State, 51–16" . October 28, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries People Seasons National championship seasons in bold