Denim Millward
Sports Editor
As a non-traditional student (a nice way of saying “a lot older than most of you”) and Pocatello native, I’ve experienced considerably more disappointment and heartache at the hands of ISU athletics than the average traditional college student. Though I attended my fair share of Bengal sporting events of all varieties, I was primarily a fan of ISU football. I’ve been cognizant of the Bengal football program through the tenure of five different head coaches: Brian McNeely, Tom Walsh, Larry Lewis, John Zamberlin and current head coach Mike Kramer. I estimate that I’ve attended somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 ISU football games.
The two most recent performances by the Bengals, a statement 44-24 victory of Sac State and a thrilling 56-53 loss to the second ranked team in the FCS, Eastern Washington, are two of the three best performances I have ever seen. The third game in my top three occurred in 2003, the last time the Bengals defeated the Montana Grizzlies. That team featured current NFL All-Pro Jared Allen and ISU all-time leading rusher Isaac Mitchell among other several notable talents.
The vibe I’ve been getting surrounding the ISU football team, “finally they’re decent again,” is more than understandable. With as little success the Bengals have had since the early 2000’s, playing the second-best FCS team in the nation even all game even after losing three top receivers and soundly defeating an offensively dynamic Sac State team is the breath of fresh air figuratively asphyxiating Idaho State football fans have been yearning for since midway through the George W. Bush administration.
The vibe I get from the team is much stronger and more optimistic than that. This is not a team that’s merely improved enough to get a few more tick marks in the win column: if they can avoid catastrophic injuries, the Bengals could be headed for their first winning season since the Allen-led 2003 campaign.
While a winning season for many programs isn’t rare enough to be reason for celebration, it’s a huge accomplishment for Idaho State and a tremendous testament to the job head coach Mike Kramer has done turning this program around. Kramer took the reins of a team for which his predecessor, John Zamberlin, had not done an especially good job recruiting, to phrase it politely. The Bengals were in rough shape overall, but were especially poor on the defensive end. Though it’s taken three years of sub-par seasons to get to this point, Kramer appears by all accounts to have righted the defensive ship, transforming it from a sieve to a hard-nosed, bend-but-don’t-break unit chock-full of solid playmakers who can swing the momentum of any particular game at the drop of a hat.
Though the team may be more improved defensively than offensively, it’s the offensive unit that’s reason for the most giddy optimism. Redshirt senior quarterback Justin Arias has been on fire for the last two games for the Bengals. In a post-game interview with radio announcers Jerry Miller and Mark Liptak following the close loss to Eastern Washington, Kramer heaped praise on Eagle quarterback Vernon Adams, who is almost universally considered to be the best quarterback in the Big Sky Conference and who already holds the record for most career touchdown passes in the Big Sky. He then went on to say that Arias actually outplayed Adams. Though that assertion by Kramer is certainly an arguable one on both sides, he certainly wasn’t off base in saying that. Arias threw for over 400 yards and a whopping six touchdowns, tying the ISU record for touchdown passes in a game.
After favorite Arias targets Luke Austin and Cam Richmond graduated last year, the state of the wide receivers for the Bengals was in serious doubt. BYU transfer Madison Mangum and redshirt sophomore Broc Malcom have eliminated that doubt tout de suite. Mangum especially has stepped up to the plate and outperformed expectations. Sophomore KW Williams has also been a pleasant surprise in the receiving game, with multiple Sportscenter-top-10-play-worthy catches already on his resume. The two-pronged rushing attack of workhorse Xavier Finney and redshirt senior Daniel McSurdy earn chunks of yardage regularly and serve to keep opposing defenses honest.
If the previous two games, which are two of the best I’ve ever seen the Bengals play, are any indication of where this season is headed, the immediate and distant future are exceedingly bright for the Bengals.
And we’re all lucky enough to be witnesses to it.
