The first look at Idaho didn’t do much to calm the nerves for what’s coming next Thursday.
While Utah is still waiting to open its season against the Vandals, Idaho already took the field Friday night at Cal Poly and came away with a brutal one-point loss. The game turned on a 34-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left, a finish that left the Mustangs celebrating and the Vandals staring at a defeat they’ll have to shake off fast. Less than a week later, they’re headed into a matchup with a top-25 Utah team.
And if Morgan Scalley and the Utes were watching, the most obvious takeaway was this: the battle in the trenches looks rough for Idaho.
That’s usually the case when an FCS team lines up against a Power Four opponent, but Idaho’s opener suggested the gap could be even wider than expected. The Vandals bring back four starters from last season on the offensive line, yet that experience didn’t show up in the season opener. Idaho managed only 3.5 yards per rush and didn’t have a single player reach 45 rushing yards.
Even in the closing moments, Cal Poly was able to lean on the run to try to finish things off, calling three straight rushing plays and still not getting the push it wanted. On the other side, quarterback Joshua Wood spent much of the night under pressure unless Idaho added extra help in protection.
It was not the kind of first impression that makes a trip to Salt Lake City feel any easier.
In Other News...
Semi Taulanga Could Be Even More Important In Utahs New Era
Semi Taulanga has already become the kind of tight end Utahs offense can lean on without always making a highlight reel. The sophomore has built his reputation on blocking first and catching the occasional pass, and he was a meaningful part of last years rushing attack, helping set a tone that fit what the Utes wanted to do on the ground.
Now he enters the upcoming season in a different sort of spotlight under new head coach Morgan Scalley, with the program shifting into its next era. Taulanga has pointed to the teams cultural focus and the goals it is chasing, which is a reminder that his value may be measured as much by what he helps create around him as by anything he does with the ball in his hands. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs 2026 Opener Will Offer The First Real Scalley Clues
Morgan Scalleys first full season as Utahs head coach will open with a familiar kind of early test, the sort that should tell the Utes plenty about where they stand before the schedule starts tightening. Utah will host Idaho at Rice-Eccles Stadium in the 2026 season opener, bringing back a team ranked No. 21 and leaning on key returners such as quarterback Devon Dampier and running back Wayshawn Parker.
It also happens to be a rare crossover on the calendar, with Utah and Idaho meeting for the first time since 1993. For Scalley, the matchup offers an immediate chance to show how this version of the Utes looks under his watch, but the bigger takeaway may come from how much of the old identity carries over once the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Week 1 Opponent Just Raised Expectations For The Opener
Week 0 offered an early look at what BYU, Utah and Utah State may be walking into when their schedules open next week, and the results were a mixed bag. Idaho came within a last-second touchdown of upsetting Cal Poly in a 38-34 loss, a reminder that even the lower-profile matchups on the early slate can turn into tight, high-leverage games. For teams trying to get a read on their first opponent, that kind of opening weekend film matters just as much as the final score.
The clearest takeaway for Utah fans, though, may have come from the way the Utes Week 1 opponent handled its business. Idaho State spent the third quarter burying Virginia Military Institute with a huge surge and never let the game get away from it after that, while Utah Tech was overwhelmed by Montana State in its opener. For Utah, that means the scouting report is already taking shape, and the challenge on the other side of the ball may be sharper than it looked a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]