MOSCOW, Idaho — Freshman quarterbacks Nick Josifek and Jack Wagner each threw touchdown passes and Idaho beat Northern Arizona on Saturday in a contest that featured a pair of top 25-ranked teams in the FCS.
Idaho took the lead for good and made it 13-7 when Nate Bell ran it in from 13 yards with 11:20 before halftime to cap an eight-play, 75-yard drive that lasted almost 5 1/2 minutes.
The Vandals extended the lead to 23-10 when Josifek threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Dwyer 2:01 before intermission and Cameron Pope made a 40-yard field goal in the third.
P.J. London ran it in from the 2 to get NAU within 23-17 with 4:11 left. The Lumbjeracks' defense then forced a three-and-out, and NAU managed to reach midfield with 52 seconds left but eventually turned it over on downs after a nine-play, 27-yard drive.
No. 10 Idaho moved its record to 4-2, 1-1 Big Sky while the 25th-ranked Lumberjacks fell to 3-3, 1-1.
As Idaho celebrated homecoming, NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer was the honorary captain for the Vandals and was out at midfield before the game for the coin toss.
Next week, Idaho heads to Bozeman for a huge matchup with Montana State. Kick off is set for 7:15 pm and the game can be seen on ESPN2.
