Jack is Back: Vandals beat rival EWU in Layne’s return at QB

MOSCOW — The Idaho Vandals welcomed back starting quarterback Jack Layne with a strong team win against rival Eastern Washington in front of a packed home crowd.

Not a bad Saturday evening at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome for Layne and the black-and-gold-clad faithful.

Idaho (6-3, 3-2) retained the ‘Che-Scow Cup’ with a 38-28 victory over its foe from up the road in Cheney, Wash.

Sophomore quarterback Layne returned from a broken collarbone and threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. It was his first game back since Aug. 31 against now-No. 1 Oregon in the team’s season opener.

“It was great to have (Layne) back,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “He was very accurate, did a nice job. But I think our best football’s still ahead of us. I think we can keep getting better here.”

Idaho relied on a plethora of runners in the backfield as the team continued to battle injuries, but freshman Deshaun Buchanan broke out with a 116-yard performance to lead a Vandal team that finished with 252 rushing yards.

The Vandals outgained Eastern Washington (2-6, 1-3) on the day 487-388.

Senior safety Tommy McCormick was all over the field on defense and led the team with 18 tackles. The Vandal defense contained FCS-leading receiver Efton Chism III to seven receptions for 114 yards, most of that in the first half.

“Disappointed in the ones I missed. I had more opportunities out there, and I could have hit 20 if I would have just made a few more, but I’m happy with how I played out there,” McCormick said. “I felt like it was one of my best effort games, and I think it showed.”

Layne quickly worked through rust

The first two pass attempts by the returning quarterback were off the mark. The first was overthrown over 6-foot-6 tight end Mike Martinez on a screen pass. The second throw was a miscommunication with sophomore Jordan Dwyer that ended up being an air mail 10 yards over the wide receiver’s head.

Then, Layne settled in and worked off the rust.

On a third-and-6, Layne stood strong in the pocket and connected with a streaking Dwyer across the middle for a 23-yard gain. Six plays later, the QB found tight end Alex Moore for a 4-yard score and Idaho had a touchdown on its first possession for the first time in four games.

The Vandal defense looked to force a turnover on EWU’s first drive. Edge Keyshawn James-Newby chased Eagles quarterback Kekoa Visperas out of the pocket and knocked the ball out of the QB’s hand as he attempted to throw it away. Idaho jumped on the loose ball and the call on the field was a fumble, but the replay review reversed the call.

The Eagles drove down the field to tie the game on an 11-play drive capped by a Visperas 1-yard quarterback keeper.

Layne went back on the field and led Idaho on a 12-play drive that drained the remaining five minutes and 30 seconds off the first quarter clock.

On the first play in the second quarter, Layne found Dwyer for a 15-yard reception to cash in on the 83-yard drive for a 14-7 lead.

Throughout the game, Layne showed that he was not worried about reinjuring his recovered collarbone as he continuously dove forward on quarterback runs and stood in the pocket as defenders rushed in to give his teammates every possible second to get open.

“Man, it was awesome,” Layne said. “It’s funny, when you get hurt, you really get a new perspective for just how awesome this game is, and how awesome it is just to be out there with your brothers, even just the practice field.”

Layne finished the day 17-of-28 passing for 235 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Momentum-shifting defensive stand

Idaho led by three points at halftime and the Eagles started the second half with the ball and a chance to take their first lead of the game.

On a second-and-9, James-Newby was fingertips away from breaking out of his sack slump when Visperas barely got the ball away in time. Running back Tuna Altahir converted a third down on the next play with a 17-yard run.

Visperas and Altahir methodically moved the ball down the field as EWU collected five first downs on a drive that lasted nearly eight minutes.

The Eagles had two plays from inside the 2-yard line, but Idaho came up with another signature defensive stand.

“I thought the turning point was our defense making such a great goal line stand there, which is kind of a calling card for our defense,” Eck said. “We were really good in those situations.”

Big-play Buchanan

Freshman Deshaun Buchanan saw the Idaho backfield in only three games this season. The running back had 20 total carries for 91 yards on the season. He nearly doubled his total on one play.

Two plays after the defensive goal-line stand, Buchanan broke a run right up the middle and sprinted past the secondary. The Chandler, Ariz., native was caught at the EWU 26-yard line for a 72-yard run.

“Don’t get caught, and I didn’t do a good job with that,” Buchanan said when asked what he was thinking during the run.

The Vandals were pushed back 15 yards after a coach was called for sideline interference when he got so excited from seeing his player sprint down the field that the coach ran into the sideline referee.

Buchanan would punch it in for a 1-yard touchdown later in that drive. The freshman broke a 12-yard touchdown run later to ice the game.

Eastern Washington’s Michael Wortham returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to cut the Idaho lead back to 10. The Vandals were able to run out the clock on the ensuing drive.

Home sweet home

Idaho is now 4-0 at home this season. The Vandals have one more game inside the Kibbie Dome on Nov. 16 when they host Weber State.

A win by Idaho in that game against the Wildcats would give the Vandals their first undefeated regular season at home since 1996.

Up next

Idaho will enjoy a bye week before traveling to Hillsboro, Ore., to face Portland State (1-6, 1-3) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9.

EWU 7 6 0 15—28

Idaho 7 10 7 14—38

First quarter

IDA — Moore 4 pass from Layne (Pope kick), 9:32.

EWU — Visperas 1 run (McKee kick), 5:35.

Second quarter

IDA — Dwyer 15 pass from Layne (Pope kick), 14:51.

EWU — FG 23 McKee, 12:15.

IDA — FG 34 Pope, 4:26.

EWU — FG 44 McKee, 1:24.

Third quarter

IDA — Buchanan 1 run (Pope kick), 4:11.

Fourth quarter

IDA — Koch 2 run (Pope kick), 14:25.

EWU — Murphy 3 pass from Taylor (Chism pass from Taylor), 8:18.

IDA — Buchanan 12 run (Pope kick), 5:06.

EWU — Wortham 100 kick return (McKee kick), 4:54.

RUSHING — Eastern Washington, Altahir 13-67, Taylor 13-67, Yetts 7-51, Visperas 9-29, Wortham 2-10, Cronquist 1-0; Idaho, Buchanan 8-116, Williams 11-59, Cummings 7-38, Koch 9-37, Layne 3-7, Cortez-Menjivar 2-(minus-1).

PASSING — Eastern Washington, Visperas 11-14-0-156, Taylor 3-4-0-17; Idaho, Layne 17-28-1-235.

RECEIVING — Eastern Washington, Chism 7-114, Garrett 3-25, Altahir 1-12, Cronquist 1-12, Wortham 1-7, Murphy 1-3; Idaho, Dwyer 4-78, Hamper 3-61, Martinez 3-42, Moore 3-25, Cortez-Menjivar 1-13, Mini 2-11, Buchanan 1-5.

A: 13,277.

Isbelle can be reached at 208-848-2268, risbelle@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyIsbelle.