Idaho vs. Colorado State: Score and Reaction for 2016 Idaho Potato Bowl

Idaho could have been satisfied with just earning its first bowl bid since 2009, but the Vandals came to play in an action-packed Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

While Colorado State was heavily favored coming into the day, Idaho surprised many by coming through with a 61-50 win. There were an incredible 56 combined points scored in the fourth quarter alone, but the Rams could not do enough to overcome what was as much as a 34-point deficit.

As Bryan Fisher of College Football Talk noted, the program remains undefeated in bowl games at 3-0:

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk described the shocking score early in the second half:

There was obviously a lot more scoring after this point, but the Rams simply couldn't do anything defensively to slow down Idaho. The Vandals were forced to punt on their first four drives but followed that up with touchdowns on nine straight possessions, turning a defensive battle into a blowout.

Until the final few minutes, the only Colorado State defensive stop after the first quarter was followed by a muffed punt and a turnover.

This offensive explosion contributed to an incredible statistic, per the Idaho Twitter account:

Quarterback Matt Linehan was named MVP, finishing with 381 passing yards and four touchdowns as well as a rushing touchdown. Deon Watson was a big help, earning 140 of those yards on five catches and a score. Jacob Sannon caught two touchdown passes to go with his 58 receiving yards.

Isaiah Saunders more than did his part on the ground as well, ending his night with 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Colorado State's Nick Stevens had been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football over the past couple of months but struggled early before finding success in the fourth quarter. The junior finished with 445 yards and five touchdowns, although two interceptions hurt his cause.

Olabisi Johnson also had a huge day with 265 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Michael Gallup had 108 yards and three scores.

While there was a total of 1,206 yards in this game, Idaho was the better team in an impressive victory.

Loren Orr/Getty Images

It took awhile for either offense to wake up in a cold night in Boise, which might be surprising considering the final score. The first quarter featured six punts, an interception, a turnover on downs and zero points.

Colorado State was finally able to get onto the scoreboard on the second play of the second quarter on a long pass play, described by Matt L. Stephens of the Coloradoan:

This only seemed to wake up Idaho, which answered on the next possession with a two-yard Saunders touchdown. A missed extra point kept the score 7-6, but the momentum was on Idaho's side.

The Vandals followed it up by forcing another punt and then scoring again on the next offensive drive, this time with Saunders scampering 26 yards for a score. Greg Lee of the Spokesman-Review credited the offensive line for clearing space:

They added to the lead before the half, although the third touchdown came on a much more methodical drive. Idaho used 18 plays and almost seven minutes to drive 85 yards into the end zone, converting two fourth-down conversions on the way to earn a 20-7 advantage.

Dennis Manoloff of the Plain Dealer summed up the one-sided affair at intermission:

This didn't change much after halftime, with Idaho scoring another touchdown on the first drive of the second half. Don Shelton of the Seattle Times credited the quarterback for helping the team to four straight scores:

Meanwhile, the defense was just as impressive at that point, shutting down the Rams' attack, as noted by Jay Tust of KTVB:

This didn't hold, but it was enough for Idaho to take control until late in the game. 

A 74-yard touchdown pass to Watson later in the third quarter helped extend the rout to 34-7 and effectively ended any faith Colorado State had of coming back.

The streak reached 41 straight points for the Vandals before Colorado State was finally able to get back into the end zone, cutting the lead to 41-14. From there, the game turned into a track meet with both teams lighting up the scoreboard.

At one point, the teams traded touchdowns on eight straight possessions, the best of which was Jordan Frysinger on this 54-yard score:

The Rams did their best to make things interesting late with three straight touchdowns and an onside recovery. However, it was not enough to make things competitive in an 11-point loss.

The Idaho win completes one of the best turnarounds in college football under coach Paul Petrino. The team finishes with a 9-4 record after winning just nine games in the previous five seasons combined, earning just the third bowl win in school history.

The team is headed back to the FCS in 2018, but the program is as good as ever at the moment. 

Colorado State finishes with a winning record (7-6) for the fourth season in a row, its second under head coach Mike Bobo. With a long list of key players returning, including Stevens, the squad should be a contender in the Mountain West next season. 

Postgame Reaction

The late comeback wasn't enough to help Colorado State get the win, or even change the mindset from the coach.

"I told the team you got your butt whipped," Bobo said after the game, per Alex Gold of ESPN Boise.

Meanwhile, Idaho was focused on bigger things following the win, including staying in the FBS. Linehan didn't hold back in his assessment, per ESPN Radio:

The school announced the decision to drop from the FBS in April, not likely expecting the incredible year the Vandals put together.

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