Idaho State 2017 schedule
8/31 WESTERN OREGON
9/7 at Utah State
9/16 at Nevada
9/23 at Northern Colorado
9/30 CAL POLY
10/7 MONTANA
10/14 at Sacramento State
10/21 PORTLAND STATE
10/28 at Montana State
11/4 UC DAVIS
11/11 Bye
11/18 at Weber State
Idaho State schedule factoids and stuff
Fact I: Five home games
Fact II: Six away games
Fact III: Two games vs FBS competition for the 10th consecutive season
Fact IV: In the previous nine seasons, Idaho State is 0-18 vs the FBS
Fact V: In the previous nine seasons, Idaho State’s closest game against an FBS team was in 2008, a 42-27 loss to Idaho
Fact VI: The biggest loss to an FBS opponent since 2008 happened in the desert heat, a 80-8 capitulation at UNLV
Fact VII: Former head coach Mike Kramer wasn’t the happiest guy in the world after that 72-point loss to the Rebels: http://www.idahostatejournal.com/sports/isu/dumped-in-the-desert-bengals-left-reeling-after-a-crushing/article_a440a3b4-64c2-11e5-9cbe-aba977195ea5.html
Fact VIII: Kramer had this to say after the game in Las Vegas: “God awful. God awful. Just miserable. Miserable in all facets."
Fact IX: Idaho State is 2-11 all-time vs Utah State
Fact X: Idaho State is 11-18 vs Nevada
Fact XI: Idaho State has never played Western Oregon
Fact XII: Idaho State is 21-9 vs Northern Colorado
Fact XIII: Idaho State is 7-13 vs Cal Poly
Fact XIV: Idaho State is 13-44 vs Montana
Fact XV: Idaho State is 8-12 vs Sacramento State
Fact XVI: Idaho State is 24-17-1 vs Portland State
Fact XVII: Idaho State is 30-43-3 vs Montana State
Fact XVIII: Idaho State is 0-2 vs UC Davis
Fact XIX: Idaho State is undefeated during the bye!
Fact XX: Idaho State is 14-41 vs Weber State
Fact XXI: Mike Kramer finished his coaching career 18-50 at Idaho State and 95-125 overall
Fact XXII: The last coach to leave Idaho State with a winning record was Dave Kragthorpe. He went 21-14 from 1980-82. If you’re counting at home, that’s seven consecutive ISU coaches to finish with losing records.
Fact XXIII: Rob Phenicie is Idaho State’s 26th head coach, and that one-year contract he’s on must be highly motivating to make sure No. 27 isn’t coming soon
Fact XXIV: It stinks Kramer had to retire (cough-he was fired-cough) but it was time for the Bengals to move on.
Kramer worked really well with Don Bailey, a relationship dating back to their time at Montana State. But when Bailey bailed for Hawaii in 2014, Kramer, more or less, took over the offense and mowed through offensive coordinators in 2015 (Sheldon Cross) and 2016 (Matt Troxel). Phenicie left the team for a gig at Northern Iowa, because he refused to be handcuffed by Kramer's need to run the offense. (That’s admittedly speculation on my part.)
It's just perplexing. Idaho State had one of the country's best offenses in 2014, but Kramer ended up ramming a fine-tuned car into the ditch. He never seemed to want to get out of his own way.
Think about this: Idaho State had the worst special teams unit in the FCS for much of Kramer's tenure in Pocatello. And Kramer was the special teams coach ... did he fire himself? did he recognize that maybe he was the problem on special teams? No. In fact, Kramer did fire himself as the special teams coach in the middle of the 2015 season … only to switch directions a little later and take over the special teams again.
If he just hung back, dealt with media, focused on recruiting, raising money, schmoozing boosters and empowered his assistants, Idaho State was on the verge of developing a respectable football program.
Maybe. Or maybe Idaho State is doomed to be a loser.
Fact XXV: Fact XXIV was really long. And it wasn’t even a fact!
Fact XXVI: Fact XXV was just a joke. This has gone off the rails.
Fact XXVII: Ignoring the two FBS teams, the most difficult game on Idaho State’s schedule is Weber State. The Wildcats are facing some questions after last season’s run to the FCS playoffs, but Jay Hill has things trending in the right direction. WSU’s punishing offensive running style gives the Bengals fits, and ISU hasn’t beaten the Wildcats in Ogden since 1984.
Fact XXVIII: The easiest game on ISU’s schedule, other than DII Western Oregon, is UC Davis. The Bengals gotta win that one.
Fact XXIX: The most important game on Idaho State’s schedule is Sept. 30 vs Cal Poly. Let’s assume the Bengals beat WOU and lose to the FBS squads. Northern Colorado — and this is being fan-boy optimistic — is at best a 50/50 win/lose situation. That means, most likely, Idaho State is going to be 1-3 overall and 0-1 in league play going into its home Big Sky opener. That makes Cal Poly just about the closest thing you can have to a must-win game in September.
Fact XXX: Idaho State’s final record in 2017? Heck if I know. But I’ll say 4-7.
8/31 WESTERN OREGON
9/7 at Utah State
9/16 at Nevada
9/23 at Northern Colorado
9/30 CAL POLY
10/7 MONTANA
10/14 at Sacramento State
10/21 PORTLAND STATE
10/28 at Montana State
11/4 UC DAVIS
11/11 Bye
11/18 at Weber State
Idaho State schedule factoids and stuff
Fact I: Five home games
Fact II: Six away games
Fact III: Two games vs FBS competition for the 10th consecutive season
Fact IV: In the previous nine seasons, Idaho State is 0-18 vs the FBS
Fact V: In the previous nine seasons, Idaho State’s closest game against an FBS team was in 2008, a 42-27 loss to Idaho
Fact VI: The biggest loss to an FBS opponent since 2008 happened in the desert heat, a 80-8 capitulation at UNLV
Fact VII: Former head coach Mike Kramer wasn’t the happiest guy in the world after that 72-point loss to the Rebels: http://www.idahostatejournal.com/sports/isu/dumped-in-the-desert-bengals-left-reeling-after-a-crushing/article_a440a3b4-64c2-11e5-9cbe-aba977195ea5.html
Fact VIII: Kramer had this to say after the game in Las Vegas: “God awful. God awful. Just miserable. Miserable in all facets."
Fact IX: Idaho State is 2-11 all-time vs Utah State
Fact X: Idaho State is 11-18 vs Nevada
Fact XI: Idaho State has never played Western Oregon
Fact XII: Idaho State is 21-9 vs Northern Colorado
Fact XIII: Idaho State is 7-13 vs Cal Poly
Fact XIV: Idaho State is 13-44 vs Montana
Fact XV: Idaho State is 8-12 vs Sacramento State
Fact XVI: Idaho State is 24-17-1 vs Portland State
Fact XVII: Idaho State is 30-43-3 vs Montana State
Fact XVIII: Idaho State is 0-2 vs UC Davis
Fact XIX: Idaho State is undefeated during the bye!
Fact XX: Idaho State is 14-41 vs Weber State
Fact XXI: Mike Kramer finished his coaching career 18-50 at Idaho State and 95-125 overall
Fact XXII: The last coach to leave Idaho State with a winning record was Dave Kragthorpe. He went 21-14 from 1980-82. If you’re counting at home, that’s seven consecutive ISU coaches to finish with losing records.
Fact XXIII: Rob Phenicie is Idaho State’s 26th head coach, and that one-year contract he’s on must be highly motivating to make sure No. 27 isn’t coming soon
Fact XXIV: It stinks Kramer had to retire (cough-he was fired-cough) but it was time for the Bengals to move on.
Kramer worked really well with Don Bailey, a relationship dating back to their time at Montana State. But when Bailey bailed for Hawaii in 2014, Kramer, more or less, took over the offense and mowed through offensive coordinators in 2015 (Sheldon Cross) and 2016 (Matt Troxel). Phenicie left the team for a gig at Northern Iowa, because he refused to be handcuffed by Kramer's need to run the offense. (That’s admittedly speculation on my part.)
It's just perplexing. Idaho State had one of the country's best offenses in 2014, but Kramer ended up ramming a fine-tuned car into the ditch. He never seemed to want to get out of his own way.
Think about this: Idaho State had the worst special teams unit in the FCS for much of Kramer's tenure in Pocatello. And Kramer was the special teams coach ... did he fire himself? did he recognize that maybe he was the problem on special teams? No. In fact, Kramer did fire himself as the special teams coach in the middle of the 2015 season … only to switch directions a little later and take over the special teams again.
If he just hung back, dealt with media, focused on recruiting, raising money, schmoozing boosters and empowered his assistants, Idaho State was on the verge of developing a respectable football program.
Maybe. Or maybe Idaho State is doomed to be a loser.
Fact XXV: Fact XXIV was really long. And it wasn’t even a fact!
Fact XXVI: Fact XXV was just a joke. This has gone off the rails.
Fact XXVII: Ignoring the two FBS teams, the most difficult game on Idaho State’s schedule is Weber State. The Wildcats are facing some questions after last season’s run to the FCS playoffs, but Jay Hill has things trending in the right direction. WSU’s punishing offensive running style gives the Bengals fits, and ISU hasn’t beaten the Wildcats in Ogden since 1984.
Fact XXVIII: The easiest game on ISU’s schedule, other than DII Western Oregon, is UC Davis. The Bengals gotta win that one.
Fact XXIX: The most important game on Idaho State’s schedule is Sept. 30 vs Cal Poly. Let’s assume the Bengals beat WOU and lose to the FBS squads. Northern Colorado — and this is being fan-boy optimistic — is at best a 50/50 win/lose situation. That means, most likely, Idaho State is going to be 1-3 overall and 0-1 in league play going into its home Big Sky opener. That makes Cal Poly just about the closest thing you can have to a must-win game in September.
Fact XXX: Idaho State’s final record in 2017? Heck if I know. But I’ll say 4-7.
