Idaho State Bengals Aim for Season Finale Win Against Vandals

POCATELLO, Idaho — The Idaho State Bengals will face the University of Idaho Vandals on Saturday in their final game of the 2025 football season, with a lot at stake. The Bengals (5-6, 4-3) have a chance to finish the season with a .500 record for the first time since 2018, a pivotal year when they last posted a winning conference record.

Current head coach Cody Hawkins is looking to lead ISU to a 6-6, 5-3 record this year, aiming to defeat the Vandals for the first time in five years. A victory would also bring the Potato State Trophy to Pocatello, marking the first time the trophy, which replaced the retired Battle of the Domes Trophy, will be awarded.

“We know that it’s important to play well in rivalry games,” Hawkins said during his weekly press conference. “We’ve already done better from a conference standpoint, but now it’s do better from an overall standpoint and try to push to six wins.”

The Bengals are currently on a three-game winning streak, following a dominant 31-3 victory over Weber State last week to retain the Train Bell Trophy. This marks back-to-back wins over Weber in 41 years, showcasing the progress Hawkins has been making with the team.

Despite inconsistent performances throughout the season, the Bengals have shown competitiveness. They began the year with a one-score loss to FBS school UNLV and later suffered a significant loss at Southern Utah. However, they rallied to beat Northern Colorado and remained competitive against teams like Montana before experiencing setbacks at Montana State.

Hawkins expressed the importance of finishing the season strong, especially while recruiting during the winter months. “As our administration, our team, our staff continue working to elevate this thing, you have to take advantage of momentum,” he said. “This would sure be a cherry on top going into an offseason that’s going to mean a lot for us.”

He emphasized the necessity of focusing on what the team can control instead of getting swept up in the rivalry’s emotions. “Do I have personal feelings about wanting to beat the Vandals? Absolutely,” Hawkins said, adding that the key to victory is attacking the process with intention. “If it matters, you sleep more, hydrate more, stretch more, watch more film, take better notes. That’s how you win rivalry games.”