Idaho is taking on Indiana football for the second straight season after the Hoosiers took down the Vandals 56-14 on September 11th, 2021. Notching their first win of the season, Indiana football tallied up 179 total rushing yards and 338 total yards on its way to a route against the Vandals in Bloomington.
We take a look at the Idaho Vandals and preview their team before they come to Bloomington on September 10th:
Opponent: Idaho Vandals
Date/Time: Saturday, September 10th at 8:00pm E.T.
TV: Big Ten Network
Location: Memorial Stadium – Bloomington, Indiana
All-time Head-to-Head Record: 1-0-0 (1.000)
Offensive Key Player(s)
J’Bore Gibbs – #2 – QB
Gibbs is a Chicago native that has struggled to stay healthy for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits football program and has now transferred and followed his offensive coordinator, Jason Eck, who now serves as the Idaho head man in charge. When healthy, Gibbs has played a strong role as a starting quarterback, and in 2019, completed 58.9% of his passes for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Hayden Hatten – #80 – WR
The only bright spot for the Vandals against Indiana football last season was Hayden Hatten, who pulled in 10 catches for 94 yards and scored the only two touchdowns for Idaho at Memorial Stadium. The junior from Scottsdale appeared in just four games as a sophomore, but really showed his abilities when going against a power conference school and defense.
WHAT A CATCH BY HAYDEN HATTEN!!! #SCTop10 #GoVandals pic.twitter.com/nMZ6W4vAlw
— Barstool Idaho (@BarstoolUIdaho) September 14, 2019
Defensive Key Player(s)
Paul Moala – #13 – LB
Moala is a transfer from Notre Dame that comes to Idaho having not played a snap since 2020 after finishing three seasons with the Fighting Irish with 22 total tackles and one forced fumble. The redshirt junior has the stature to be a force for the Vandals this season as long as he stays healthy.
Been a tough 2 years to say the least, nonetheless my love for the game stays the same… pic.twitter.com/RspoxHk1hr
— Paul Moala (@PaulMoala) December 22, 2021
Fa’Avae Fa’Avae – #2 – LB
The redshirt senior had the second most tackles (11) against the Hoosiers last season. Though he appeared in eight games in 2021, Fa’Avae finished second on the team in total tackles (72) and had one forced fumble. Fa’Avae has earned preseason All-Big Sky honors and was all over the field against Indiana last season, so expect much of the same in his second matchup.
Overall Outlook
Indiana football could be looking at a 2-0 start to the season with its conference opener against Illinois and non-conference opening game against Idaho. Though stranger things have happened in the past two seasons, expect much of the same when it comes to the Hoosiers routing Idaho and securing hopefully their second win of the season.