Idaho defeats Lehigh 34-13 in second round of FCS playoffs

MOSCOW, Idaho – For Idaho’s redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Layne, the deep ball was consistent and reliable against Lehigh on Saturday night.

With just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half and coming off of two defensive stops by Lehigh to keep a one-score game, Layne launched the ball downfield over the heads of multiple defenders. The last of those fell over trying to defend sophomore wide receiver Jordan Dwyer, who turned around to run backward into the end zone as he faced and stared down the fallen defender after a 62-yard reception.

Calm, coordinated drives by the Idaho (10-3, 5-2 Big Sky) offense were often interrupted by these explosive plays. 

Just a few minutes later, the Vandals redshirt first-year receiver Mark Hamper faked a slant route before bolting down the left sideline. He found a weakness in the Lehigh (9-4, 5-1 Patriot) zone coverage for a wide-open 45-yard score.

The two passes weren’t just the longest that Lehigh had given up all game, they’re the two longest the Mountain Hawks defense had given up all season.

By then, the damage had been done. Idaho’s six-point lead became 16. They steadily outscored Lehigh 18-10 the rest of the way to take a commanding 34-13 win in the Kibbie Dome to advance to the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal.

Layne completed more long passes throughout the second half, including another 41-yard shot to Dwyer, who finished with 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Layne completed 16 of his 22 passes for 318 yards.

“It’s just a really explosive passing offense,” senior defensive back Jordan Adderley said. “We knew the whole week that this was going to be the most talented receiving core we went against this season.”

Idaho’s offense also kept mistakes to a minimum, finishing the game without conceding a turnover. Combined with converting over 50% of their third down plays, Idaho kept the ball moving down the field and did not do much to stop their progress.

Lehigh coach Kevin Cahill made evident his admiration for Idaho’s style of play and the type of team they developed, referring to it as a great test for a Lehigh team mostly composed of underclassmen.

“They’re a program we want to emulate,” Cahill said. “They’ve very well coached. They have a very good scheme. They’ve got the depth, they’ve got the skill together and they play very well both offensively and defensively.”

The defensive pressure that Idaho put on Lehigh resulted in four punts and the Mountain Hawks having to settle for field goals on two drives that got within the Idaho 30. 

But explosiveness for Idaho was not just exclusive to the offense. 

Faced with a fourth down from the Idaho 35, Lehigh’s first-year quarterback Hayden Johnson had two receivers, sophomore Mason Humphrey and first-year Matt D’Avino, turn to face Johnson just past the first down marker.  

Idaho’s redshirt first-year linebacker Zach Johnson, originally covering Humphrey in the middle of the field, made the correct decision to jump toward D’Avino on the right side to intercept the pass. He returned it 76 yards to give Idaho their final score of the game and an insurmountable 28-point lead.

“He read my eyes and he saw what was coming,” Johnson said.

The all-around outclassing of the Mountain Hawks is at the end of a season where the team scored seven more wins than they did in 2023. It is statistically the largest single-season turnaround by win total in the program’s 130-year history.

Lehigh’s 2023 season ended at home. Losing to Lafayette, who lifted the Patriot League title on their home field.

Kevin Cahill said after that game that he was tired of the program being considered as a rebuilding phase, he said he was ready to use 2024 to shred the label.

Their 2024 season did not end at home. Instead, it ended 2,100 miles away. To a team who has lost three games, two of them to undefeated programs Oregon and Montana State. 

Cahill certainly acknowledged his team’s hard work at length following the game, but after making a bold claim that he backed up in 2023, he raised the stakes in a similar fashion in 2024.

“We want to be hosting this game in Goodman,” Cahill said. “(It’s one thing) to be here in the second round in Moscow, Idaho, but we want to be hosting, that’s the goal.”