Lentils and Football Part 28: PIZZA PIZZA! Defense Stifles Huskies as Idaho Wins Little Caesars Bowl
It was a slow start, but QB Chad Chalich and the offense kicked into gear in the 2nd half and the defense made things look like a typical Idaho Vandal win as Coach Gibbs and the boys ran away with the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, with a 31–14 victory over Northern Illinois.
Welcome to Lentils and Football, an alternate history of the Idaho Vandals. In the early 2010s events occurred that lead to the Vandals to be the first college football team to voluntarily drop from FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) to FCS (Football Championship Subdivision); Lentils and Football imagines a world where these events went very differently with the hiring of fictional coach Merlin Gibbs. This story is told via the NCAA 14 video game and a bit of imagination.
“Yeah things went a little slow early. I don’t think we’re gonna play in many games in my time here when we don’t score in the 1st quarter.” Coach Gibbs said on the field after the game.
“It’s not often you get to play an opponent twice in the same year. We weren’t out looking for revenge since you know, we beat them last time. It was just nice to play them in a neutral environment with no outside elements for them to blame their loss on. No excuses for them. Just us dragging their skull across the field for 60 minutes. And we had Chad for the whole game this time. He was obviously a big scale-tipper.”
Quarterback Chad Chalich did indeed play the whole game this time. After missing almost all of the Week 10 matchup due to injury, Chalich made his presence felt in a big way. He was 19/28 for 199 yards passing and a TD, and ran for 117 yards and 2 scores. Pair that with an Idaho defense that pitched a shutout for three full quarters and it was a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience for Vandal Nation.
A scoreless 1st quarter from both sides gave way to a 1 yard Jerrel Brown TD run early in the 2nd quarter. Northern Illinois would respond with a drive of their own that would stall in the red zone as they would be stopped on 4th down. Idaho took control and drove the ball for the rest of the quarter until Austin Rehkow hit a 20 yard field goal on the last play of the half for a 10–0 halftime advantage.
Chalich would start the 2nd half by connecting with WR Dezmon Epps three times on the opening drive, with the last one being a 12 yard TD. The teams would trade 2 TDs apiece the rest of the way; Chalich would run both of the Vandal’s TDs in, giving him a team-high 18 rushing TDs on the season.
“It was really just a great way to end the season. We won 11 games this year. And I loved every god damn one of ‘em. I never like the end of the season because there’s always a group of players I have to say goodbye to. There are 19 guys in that locker room that I won’t get to coach again. They gave me a part of themselves that’ll get used as a brick in the foundation of our future. We’re gonna win multiple National Championships here, and these boys will always be a part of it.”
Senior WR Chris Featherstone ended his Vandals career with an 8 catch, 103 yard performance, which included a 39 yard reception after Chalich broke free from a sack and found Featherstone open along the sideline.
“I’m gonna go celebrate with the boys and soak this one up. I never wanted this season to end but I also am already looking forward to next year. That’s college football. Lentils and football baby. Someone get me a slice.”
News and Notes: Idaho still has some scholarships to fill in the offseason signing period, and after 2 surprising seasons it’s only a matter of time before other teams come calling about Coach Gibbs and his staff and potentially moving on to bigger schools for more recognition. Gibbs has consistently said that he has no intentions of leaving Moscow, but that won’t stop the offers from being made. Stay tuned for our 2014 season wrap-up and 2015 preview.
