Seiji Wood - Sports Editor

Hope on the horizon: ISU ends its 2018 season

ISU football player lays on ground after being tackled by opposing team player. Two other ISU player look on.Seiji Wood

Sports Editor

The Idaho State football team finished its season over the Thanksgiving break with a home loss to Weber State.

The Bengals ended with a 6-5 overall record and finished 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference, marking the first winning season since 2014.

The Bengals were picked to finish 12th by coaches and 10th by the media before the 2018 season began.

“The guys had a great season and a great year,” said Rob Phenicie, ISU head coach. “I said hold your head high after the game. Where we’ve taken this from two years ago…we’re on the ascent but now we need to push it a little further.”

All-Conference Players

Idaho State had 14 players earn Big Sky All-Conference honors, the second-most in program history. The 2002 team, the last time ISU won the conference, also had 14 players receive all-conference recognitions. The 2014 team set the record with 16.
Wide receiver Mitch Gueller and offensive tackle Brian Fineanganofo earned first-team all-conference. Tanner Gueller, Michael Dean and James Madison earned second-team all-league while Paea Moala, Kody Graves and Andy Whittier earned third-team recognitions.

Dallen Collins, Austin Campbell, Ty Flanagan, Treven Aloi, Kainoa Fuiava and Adkin Aguirre earned honorable mention honors.

This is the second straight year M. Gueller has earned first-team honors. M. Gueller finished the year with 1,259 receiving yards, the third best single-season mark in program history. He also caught nine touchdown passes and had 62 receptions. He averaged 114.5 receiving yards a game. M. Gueller had 2,639 receiving yards, a mark that ranks third all-time. He only needs 225 yards to break Rodrick Rumbles record of 2,863. He will return to the field next season.
After earning an honorable mention in 2017, Fineanganofo’s was awarded with first-team honors for the first time in his career this season. He was also selected to attend the Senior Bowl, marking the second straight year ISU will send an offensive lineman to an event that draws NFL scouts.

This is T. Gueller’s first all-conference recognition. The senior quarterback threw for 3,101 yards and 27 touchdown passes. He leaves Idaho State ranked first or second in the majority of school career record categories. He finished his career ranked first in career touchdown passes with 74 and second for passing attempts (1,341), completions (708) and passing yards (9,061).

Madison led the Bengals rushing attack with 974 yards and 11 touchdowns on 194 carries. He averaged 88.5 yards a game and five yards a carry. He finished his career with 2,104 yards, good for seventh in the school career record book.

Dean had 863 yards receiving in 2018 on 49 receptions. He scored 10 touchdowns and averaged 78.5 yards a game. He had a career-high 210 receiving yards against Liberty. The 10 touchdowns ties for fifth with other Bengals.

Moala had 70 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks while starting all 11 games. Graves finished the year with 83 tackles, two interceptions and one sack while playing and starting in 10 games.

Whittier earned honorable mention all-conference last year and he recorded 13 special teams tackles while playing on all kick team units.

Aloi played and started in all 11 games and had 24 tackles and two tackles for loss. Fuiava played in all 11 games and had 50 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Aguire had 77 tackles and three interceptions.

Flanagan rushed for 803 yards and eight touchdown on 132 carries. He also caught 13 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown.

Campbell caught 14 passes for 131 yards and five touchdowns and Collins played and started in all 11 games at center.

ISU players and opposing players pile upDefining Moments and Big Wins

The Bengals had a lot of great moments throughout the season, including a victory over North Dakota on the road, who was then ranked 22nd in the FCS.

“I point it back to the halftime of the North Dakota game where it kinda all started,”  Phenicie said. “That half was gonna define us as a team, the game, our season, and our team moving forward. We responded and then that propelled us into a three game winning streak with some big wins there.”

Those big wins came against Northern Arizona on homecoming week, 56-42, and Idaho in the Battle of the Domes where ISU won convincingly, 62-28.

Another big win came against Portland State, 48-45, which put ISU in the top 25 in the FCS rankings for the first time since 2015.

Numerous Crowds

During those games, Holt Arena gained some of the biggest crowds it has ever seen. This season, four of the five home games had attendances that exceeded 8,000.

The only home game with less than 8,000 was the season-opener against Western State of Colorado, which was largely due to the timing of the game being before Labor Day weekend.

Tough Losses and Missed Opportunities

Idaho State lost two close games in back-to-back weeks against UC Davis and Liberty. The loss to UC Davis in overtime, 37-44, hurt ISU’s chances to make the FCS playoffs and a win against Liberty, even though it wasn’t a conference game, would’ve helped ISU’s chances to earn a bid in the playoffs.

Despite the early losses, the Bengals still had an opportunity to make the playoffs and ranked as high as 22nd in the FCS media poll.

That all went down the drain after a road loss to Cal Poly, 37-14, which was the most shocking and disappointing loss of the season.

To end the season, ISU lost to highly-ranked Weber State, 26-13. A win would’ve also given ISU a chance to earn a spot in the playoffs.

“We obviously made some noise and did a lot of good things,” said Mitch Gueller, wide receiver. “It kinda makes it hurt a lot more at the end of the season like this coming up short when you have that type of leadership and those type of guys who are willing to fight for you. It sucks but I think we showed a lot of improvement.”

Three opposing team players tackle ISU player.What’s to come

ISU will be without 12 seniors next season.

Weber State was the final home game for Anthony Ricks, Kieran Yancy, James Madison, Joe Martin, Andy Whittier, Fondereaux Wilson, Christian Holland, Paea Moala, Tanner Gueller, Koby Lowe, Ryan Gray, Brian Fineanganofo, and  Treven Aloi.

“[The seniors] left a mark on this program that hopefully they can come back in a few years and see that they created something,” said Kody Graves, linebacker.

Even with the departure of some key seniors, the Bengals are confident for the future.

“We’re looking forward to next year,” Mitch Gueller said. “We’re excited about next year. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. We’re not done yet. We’re gonna keep doing what we do, keep building, and get a lot better.”

“Hope,” was M. Gueller’s response to what Phenicie brings for the future of ISU football.

“We can do big things, we’re capable of winning football games, and we’re capable of being in the race for a Big Sky title,” he said. “We’re a good football team and Coach Phenicie has instilled that in us and he’s made us fighters.”