Football | 09/24/2019

Paul Petrino

Eleven Sports / Pluto TV Idaho football opens Big Sky Conference play Saturday, at Northern Colorado. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT/noon PT from Nottingham Field and will be televised on Eleven Sports and streamed on Pluto TV. It is the first all-time meeting between the teams.The Vandals (2-2) knocked off No. 11 Eastern Washington 35-27 Saturday, in a nonconference game at the Kibbie Dome. Idaho raced out to a 28-0 lead at halftime and conquered its highest-ranked foe in 20 years. Wide receiverand linebackerlead the way on their respective sides of the ball. Cotton paces the Big Sky in receptions (9.5 per game) and yards (107.3 per game), while Walker's 11 tackles per game are tops in the league.The Bears (0-4) enter Big Sky play seeking their first win of the season after a narrow 14-6 defeat last week at the hands of South Dakota. Northern Colorado won back-to-back Division II national titles in 1996 and 1997, before transitioning to FCS in 2006. Idaho defensive coordinatorwas the Bears' defensive coordinator on both title teams.First meeting.Redshirt junior linebackerwas named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week by STATS LLC and College Sports Madness after helping the Vandals to a 35-27 victory over No. 11 Eastern Washington. Akanno was also selected as the ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week. He recorded career highs with nine tackles and three pass breakups to go with a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries, while assisting on a tackle for loss.Idaho has controlled the tempo of its last three games, dominating the time of possession. For the season, the Vandals are averaging 33:53 time of possession, the top mark in the Big Sky and No. 6 nationally. On a related note, Idaho also ranks No. 1 in the conference and sixth in the country in third-down conversion defense. The Vandals are allowing opponents to convert third downs at just a 23.4 percent clip.Idaho's 35-27 win against Eastern Washington marked its first victory over a team ranked No. 11 or better in the national polls since 1999. The Vandals are now 30-35 all-time against nationally-ranked FCS/I-AA opponents, including a 27-29 mark when the Vandals are also playing at the FCS/I-AA ranks.Idaho came out swinging against Eastern Washington last week. The Vandals surrendered just 103 yards of offense in the first half and took a 28-0 lead into the locker room against the No. 11 Eagles.accounted for three touchdowns in the game, including his pass toin the fourth quarter that sealed the 35-27 win.The Vandals have won each of the last 13 games in which they scored 30 points.Sophomore linebackermatched his career high with eight tackles in the season opener at Penn State. Walker has improved that mark every game since - nine tackles against Central Washington, 13 at Wyoming and 14 in Idaho's win over No. 11 Eastern Washington. Walker's 44 tackles through four games eclipse his season total from 2018 and at 11 tackles per game, he leads the Big Sky and ranks eighth nationally.Redshirt sophomore linebackerhas stepped up the last two weeks, adding to an embarrassment of riches the Vandals enjoy at the position. Perry has seven tackles over the last two games, including two for loss and one sack. He entered the game at Wyoming with three career tackles.