Idaho State scored three first-quarter touchdowns and generated 462 passing yards in a 59-17 win over San Diego Saturday at the ICCU Dome. The Toreros controlled possession and outrushed the 24th-ranked Bengals, but those methodical advantages could not answer Idaho State's explosive plays.
USD held possession for 35 minutes, 21 seconds and ran for 235 yards on 45 carries, 57 more rushing yards than Idaho State. Those numbers described sustained work, not control of the result. The Bengals gained 640 total yards, produced three touchdown passes of at least 74 yards and returned an interception for another score. Their explosive plays kept compressing the value of San Diego's longer drives.
Idaho State led 21-0 before the first quarter ended. Davis Harsin scored on a 4-yard run, Jordan Cooke found Carson Sudbury for an 8-yard touchdown and then hit Chedon James for 74 yards. That last play covered the field in 11 seconds. San Diego's response required 19 plays across two second-quarter scoring drives.
Dom Nankil finished a nine-play, 61-yard march with a 7-yard touchdown run. Emiliano Salazar then made a 37-yard field goal after a 10-play drive, cutting the margin to 21-10 with 2:57 left in the half. Idaho State added a field goal before intermission. San Diego won the second quarter 10-3 and had a route back into the game, but it needed to eliminate the Bengals' quick strikes.
Instead, Idaho State scored on defense early in the third when Collin Lewis returned an interception 28 yards. Tytan Mason's 21-yard touchdown run made it 38-10. The Bengals opened the fourth with Cooke's 79-yard pass to Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio, another possession that required less than a minute.
CJ Ceron supplied USD's biggest play on the next series. Omar Mbakwe carried for 9 and 11 yards, then Ceron broke up the right side for a 53-yard touchdown, the first of his college career. The three-play drive covered 73 yards in 1:38. Mbakwe led the Toreros with 63 yards on 13 attempts, Adam Criter added 61 on 16 carries and Ceron finished with 57 yards on two runs.
The ground production came with limits. Nankil completed 11 passes for 122 yards and threw two interceptions. USD went 4-for-15 on third down, and 12 of its 17 first downs came by rush. Idaho State needed only 11 third-down attempts and averaged more than 10 yards per pass attempt. A 90-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass and a final 1-yard scoring run completed the gap.
The special-teams and defensive lines contained smaller positives. Salazar averaged 43.9 yards on seven punts, placed three inside the 20 and did not record a touchback. Tim Hays led USD with seven tackles. Dillon Kellner made five stops, a sack and a pass breakup, and Jaden Williams added a 12-yard sack that preceded a missed Idaho State field-goal attempt.
San Diego fell to 0-2 and remains on the road for a Sept. 19 game at Cal Poly. The usable piece from Pocatello is the rushing structure: four Toreros gained at least 45 yards, the offense converted both red-zone visits and it kept the defense off the field for long stretches. The urgent piece is just as clear. Possession cannot protect a team when the opponent scores from anywhere, and Idaho State repeatedly did.