Idaho beat rival Eastern Washington for the second time in a row and has now defeated the Vandals five times in eight matchups since UI returned to the Big Sky Conference in 2018.
Saturday, quarterback Jack Layne returned to the lineup after missing the last eight weeks with a broken collarbone. The sophomore captain threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Vandals to a 38-28 victory in front of 13,277 last night at the Kibbie Dome.
Redshirt freshman Deshaun Buchanan sparked an Idaho run game that rushed for 255 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry by rushing for 116 yards on eight carries, including a 72-yard burst. He scored the first two touchdowns of his career. He had 91 career rushing yards entering the game.
The Idaho defense, led by senior safety Tommy McCormick (18 tackles) had a few crucial stops, including one at the goal line in the third quarter. UI followed up that stop with Buchanan’s 72-yard run to spark a 98-yard drive and put 24-13.
Blake Hempstead of Skyline Sports was on hand for the action in Moscow, Idaho.
Efton Chism caught seven passes for 114 yards, becoming the second EWU wide receiver (Cooper Kupp) to surpass 300 catches in his career/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsSophomore Jack Layne returned to the lineup after breaking his collarbone week 1 against Oregon to throw for 235 yards and two touchdowns/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsDeshaun Buchanan rushed for a career-high 116 yards and scored his first two career touchdowns against Eastern Washington/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsJordan Dwyer caught a first half touchdown to help Idaho to an early lead/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsXavier Slayton spearheaded a crucial goal line stand for the Vandal defense early in the third quarter/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsEastern Washington quarterback Kekoa Visperas threw for 156 yards and rushed in this touchdown before leaving the game with an ankle injury/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsJared Taylor came off the bench to fill in for Visperas. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 17 yards and rushed 13 times for 61 yards as EWU fell to 2-6/by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsIdaho tight end Mike Martinez catches a ball over the middle/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsIdaho moved to 22-12 under Jason Eck, including 15-6 against the Big Sky Conference/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline SportsEastern Washington is 50-38 under 8th-year head coach Aaron Best, including 36-23 in Big Sky play. EWU is 9-21 since the beginning of 2022, including 6-14 in Big Sky play/ by Blake Hempstead, Skyline Sports
Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.
