The Idaho Vandals rested and were ready to get back on the field

No. 9 Idaho returns from a week off and is ready for the final stretch when the Vandals travel to Oregon to face Portland State today at 1 p.m.

Both teams are returning from a bye week as Idaho (6-3, 3-2) looks to complete a strong resumption of the regular season and Portland State (2-6, 2-3) looks to defend its home field in a game that will be is streaming on ESPN+.

“We are refreshed after a bye week and are excited to play Portland State,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said.

Both teams started the bye week with an upswing. The Vandals have won three of their last four games and the Vikings have won two of their last three. Both teams suffered their only loss on the road against Montana State.

“We have to deal with our longest bus ride of the year,” Eck said. “We have to deal with the fact that it will probably be the smallest crowd we play to this year, so we have to bring our own energy.”

A week of rest at the perfect time

Idaho brought back quarterback Jack Layne on Oct. 26 against Eastern Washington. Layne had a strong game behind center, completing 17 of 28 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

“I think it was a huge boost for the team. I thought he played very well in his first game against Eastern Washington after a seven-week absence. That’s a lot of time to miss,” Eck said. “I thought he played very well and I think he’ll play even better this week because some things were a little rusty.”

The sophomore showed signs of why Eck and the Vandals were so excited about him taking the reins in fall camp, but was still dealing with some rust. This rust has had enough time to come off in the last week.

The bye week also allowed Idaho’s struggling defense to get healthy. Defensive lineman Malakai Williams should be back to play against Keyshawn James-Newby, the Big Sky’s sack leader.

Cornerback Andrew Marshall should also play barring a setback after missing the last game against the Eagles.

Offensively, freshman wide receiver Tony Harste should be cleared for action and could add depth to the receiving game.

The running game could need a little more time to get back to full strength, as running back Nate Thomas was not listed on the latest depth chart but could see some playing time, and Eli Cummings will need more time to return.

Freshman running back Deshaun Buchanan has performed well in her absence.

Dante Chachere is the PSU offensive lineman

Portland State senior quarterback Dante Chachere has been the best dual-threat quarterback in the Big Sky this season. The Viking offense can only go as far as Chachere is capable of.

“You have to be accountable for him. He gets his mileage in different ways. They have a well-designed quarterback run game and will get some quarterback draws with it. They have a lot of readings where you have to sound really good,” Eck said. “It’s almost about playing a triple-option team – you have to be really solid and let everyone do their job.”

The senior QB has a passing percentage of 109 of 189 (57.7%) for 1,452 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Chachere also leads PSU with 98 carries for 612 yards (second-most by an FCS quarterback) and 12 scores on the ground, tied for the most rushes of any player in the Big Sky. The Vikings have 3,100 yards offensively in 2024 and Chachere is responsible for 2,064 (66.6%) of them.

The Fresno, California native is approaching several milestones ahead of home games against Idaho. Chachere is 7 career passing yards from 5,000, 10 rushing yards from 2,000 all-time, and his 6,983 total yards is eighth all-time in Portland State history.

“In my opinion, Chachere is one of the best players in our conference. “A great dual-threat guy who’s great in the run game,” Eck said. “I think they do a really good job offensively and give you a lot of unique formations that can cause problems.”

Chachere distributed the ball through the air and hit five different receivers at least 10 times. Quincy Craig leads the Vikings with 30 receptions and Eric Denham has the most receiving yards with 404.