Don’t look now but the Bengals could be a winning football team
Published at | Updated at
POCATELLO — The 2024 Bengals have been nothing if not inconsistent.
They scrapped their way to a comeback victory at Cal Poly on Oct. 5, then surrendered Portland State’s first win of the season one week later. That has how the season has gone for the Idaho State University football team — one week, they look like they can compete with any team in the FCS, then another week, they struggle with Southern Utah.
For all the inconsistency though, this year’s Bengals have a chance to do something the program has not done since 2018 — finish with a .500 (or better) record.
With a thrilling 43-35 win at Weber State Saturday, ISU improved its season record to 5-5 overall (3-3 in conference). Not only did the win give the Bengals a program-best win total since the 2018 season, it marks the first time the Bengals have won in Ogden since 1984 — four years before second-year head coach Cody Hawkins was born.
And, as Hawkins noted during his weekly press conference Wednesday, two of his team’s five losses have been decided by one score — meaning ISU is a few plays from being 7-3 (and 5-1 in conference).
Hawkins said of the team’s performance that he has not been surprised, but is incredibly proud of how the team has played — dealing with a litany of injuries. The coach said that, prior to the season, he and Athletic Director Pauline Thiros discussed their expectations for the team, and that the “benchmarks” the two set for the this year’s group are “all within reach.”
That being said, this weekend — and next — will have a lot to say.
“We’ve got the game of the year on Saturday,” Hawkins said.
The Bengals went 1-10 in back-to-back years, under different head coaches, before Hawkins was hired prior to the 2023 season, when they went 3-8 — meaning the five wins earned this year have already matched the past three seasons’ output combined.
Now, the “Thowin’ Idahoans” have an opportunity to finish in the top half of the Big Sky Conference standings.
The Throwin’ Idahoans moniker is well-earned.
ISU is currently second in the conference, passing for 294.9 yards per game. They’re also second in passing touchdowns (26) — trailing conference leader UC Davis by one. The prolific passing game drives what has been the conference’s fifth-highest scoring offense, which averages 32.6 points per game.
In 2022, under head coach Charlie Ragle, Idaho State compiled 2,182 passing yards for the season — second-fewest in the conference — and were the lowest-scoring Big Sky team, averaging 13.7 points per game.
Last season, Hawkins’ first in command, the Bengals threw for a conference-leading 3,631. They’re on pace for 3,539 this season.
Chubbuck-native and Highland High School graduate Kobe Tracy has been the commander of that attack.
Despite not being named QB1 until after the first game of the season, and still splitting time with Hunter Hays under center, Tracy is currently 10th in the FCS in passing yards (2,458) — second in the Big Sky.
In leading his team to a shootout victory over the Wildcats last Saturday, Tracy completed 27 of 37 pass attempts for 348 yards and four touchdowns, and ran in yet another score.
For his efforts, Tracy has been named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Kobe➡️ Tsion BENGAL TD!!#ROAR pic.twitter.com/aL9FBVvSnA
— Idaho State Football (@BengalGridiron) November 9, 2024
When he was hired, Hawkins, a former D1 quarterback — playing for the University of Colorado from 2006 until 2009 — was expected to bring in a more effective offensive approach. But no one could have expected the efficiency to uptick so drastically, so quickly.
Between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, ISU scored 28 or more points just three times — in 22 games. They matched that total in 2023, Hawkins first season. They’ve matched or exceeded the 28-point threshold five times already this season, with two games remaining.
A win this Saturday at Eastern Washington (3-7, 2-4) will guarantee a .500 record. With a pair of wins to finish the campaign, the Bengals would finish with a 7-5 record, and may garner some playoff consideration.
Hawkins said Wednesday that playoff consideration may be a bit premature this year, but that the program is on the correct path for that sort of thinking in the not-so-distant future.
“Your goal, as we kinda try to build the program, is, you want to be a playoff team,” he said. “In order to do that, you’ve got to beat the guys at the top an you’ve got to win the games you’re supposed to win, and I don’t know if we’ve quite done that this year. We’re getting better, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Win or lose against the Eagles though, this newly invigorated ISU team will feel extra meaning when it closes its season at home against the Vandals.
With its potent offense, the Bengals will look to revitalize a fantastic Gem State rivalry with the University of Idaho — the “Battle of the Domes,” on Nov. 23.
The Vandals dominate the all-time matchup, with a 32-13 record, and have won the last three meetings.
But this year, with ISU boasting its best team in years, it means even more, as the two in-state conference foes will battle for possession of newly commemorated hardware — The Potato State Trophy.
For those who plan to attend the first annual Potato State game, to see which Idaho school will take ownership of The Potato State Trophy, ISU has a special request: