Cal Football: Idaho Poses FCS Threat in First Visit to Berkeley Since 1934

The Vandals are 2-0 for the first time in 25 years after routing Nevada 33-6.

You think it can’t happen?

You think FCS-level Idaho cannot come to Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon and beat Cal?

Sure, the Golden Bears should win this game. Cal has never lost to an FCS opponent and is 4-0 all-time vs. the Vandals.

Those games were played during the Great Depression era of the early 1930s, when Cal and Idaho both were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. The Vandals were part of the PCC from 1922 through 1959, at which point the league disbanded.

Idaho — just 8-65-1 against PCC rivals over the previous 20 years — did not apply for membership in the newly formed AAWU, which soon became the Pac-8.

It hasn’t been much better this century for the Big Sky Conference squad against Pac-12 opponents. Idaho has lost 24 straight to the Pac-12, dating back to a 38-34 win over Washington State in 2000.

But ancient history will have no impact Saturday, when Idaho — ranked No. 5 this week in the FCS — pays its first visit in 89 years.

While Cal is coming off a 14-10 loss to Auburn of the Southeastern Conference, Idaho delivered a breakthrough victory. The Vandals traveled to Reno and thrashed Nevada 33-6 for their first win over an FBS team in six years.

Idaho is 2-0 for the first time in 25 years, hoping to go to 3-0 for the first time since 1994.

“I’m happy for us,” Idaho coach Jason Eck told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. “I thought our guys competed and believed. Our coaching staff put together a great plan, and I thought our defense defended them better than USC did.”

That was a reference to Nevada’s 66-14 loss at USC the week before when the Wolf Pack rolled up nearly 400 yards. They managed just 266 yards vs. Idaho.

Idaho was one of three FCS teams to beat an FBS squad last week, joining Fordham (which beat Buffalo 40-37) and Southern Illinois (which beat Northern Illinois 14-11).

These aren’t totally freak occurrences.

FCS teams beat FBS foes eight times last season, including Sacramento State’s 41-10 rout of Colorado State. It happened 12 times in 2021, when Montana stunned No. 20 Washington 13-7.

Dating back to 2005, when UC Davis knocked off Stanford 20-17, FCS teams boast six other victories vs. Pac-12 teams.

Cal got a scare from Portland State back in 2013, trailing early in the third quarter before rallying for a 37-30 victory.

So, yes, it can happen.

This is a big week for FCS teams challenging the Pac-12. In addition to Idaho’s trip to Cal, three other ranked FCS schools visit the Pac:

— No. 8 Sacramento State faces Stanford and former Hornets coach (and Cal quarterback) Troy Taylor

— No. 9 Weber State treks south 38 miles to take on 12th-ranked Utah

— No. 17 North Carolina Central gets the chance to play at the Rose Bowl when it faces No. 24 UCLA

It hasn’t gone well so far this season for FCS teams against the Pac-12: 0-3 and outscored by a combined margin of 173-17.

Idaho will arrive feeling confident in its third straight road game, after outscoring Lamar and Nevada by a 75-23 count.

The Vandals are led by quarterback Gevani McCoy, who has passed for 477 yards with four touchdowns and just one interception through two games. He is completing nearly 73 percent of his attempts.

McCoy passed for 313 yards and two touchdowns against Nevada and ripped off a 40-yard run.

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound redshirt sophomore, McCoy threw for 2,721 yards and 27 TDs last season to earn the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS National Freshman of the Year.

McCoy got Nevada’s attention right from the start, throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to tight end TJ Ivy Jr. on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

Running back Anthony Woods, a 5-11, 185-pound sophomore, has rushed for 209 yards and two TDs, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He had 138 yards vs. Lamar and rushed for 880 yards a year ago to earn Hero Sports FCS Freshman All-America honors.

Oakland native Jermaine Jackson, a 5-7, 170-pound redshirt from San Leandro High School and College of San Mateo, is a two-way threat. He caught 54 passes for 1,049 yards and four TDs as a wide receiver last season while also scoring touchdowns via kick and punt returns.

“We have a lot of playmakers,” McCoy said. “We have so many guys and so many weapons, it’s not even fair, honestly.”

We'll find out just how fair this matchup is on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Cover photo of Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy against Washington State last season by James Snook, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo