POCATELLO, Idaho—Trailing 6-3 at the half, NCAA FCS D-I Idaho State scored 34 unanswered points in the second half to fend off a pesky Western Oregon University football team in the season opener held at Holt Arena on Thursday.
Western Oregon (0-1), looking to defeat a team from the Big Sky Conference for the second straight season, grabbed an early lead behind steady defense and a pair of
Adrian Saldana field goals.
Idaho State (1-0) managed a field goal with five second to play in the first half to get on the board and set up momentum in the second half to avoid the same fate as Sacramento State, WOU's NCAA D-I victim in the 2016 season opener.
The Wolves outgained the Bengals 193 to 152 yards in the first half, but struggled after the break with its lone sustained drive in the third quarter ending in a missed field goal and a 13-play and 70-yard drive stopped on downs in the fourth.
Senior
Paul Revis led the WOU attack with 13 catches and 137 yards for his 16th 100-yard game of his career. Quarterback
Nick Duckworth, another senior, passed for 232 yards for his third highest single-game total of his WOU career.
Nathan Jones paced the defesne with nine tackles, including four solo stops.
Tyler Johnson provided eight tackles and a second quarter interception while
Nathaniel Proctor, Jr. chipped in with 1.5 sacks, part of four that the WOU defense posted on the night.
Tanner Gueller led ISU with 299 passing yards with three touchdowns and two picks.
The Wolves will return to action on Sept. 9 when the team opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on the road against Central Washington University. Kick off against the Wildcats is set for 1 p.m. in Ellensburg, Wash.
