Idaho
After taking big lead, Idaho survives for wild 27-24 win over Abilene Christian
Idaho survived a wild rally, forcing a turnover in the final seconds to seal a nerve-racking 27-24 nonconference road win over Abilene Christian.
The fourth-ranked Vandals led by 24 points early in the third quarter, but the No. 19 Wildcats woke up and rattled off 21 unanswered points.
On its final drive, Abilene Christian advanced into Idaho territory, but Vandals defensive end Zach Krotzer stripped the ball away from Wildcats quarterback Maverick McIvor as he scrambled with about 10 seconds remaining. Idaho defensive back Matt Irwin recovered, and the Vandals escaped Wildcat Stadium with a victory on Saturday night in Abilene, Texas.
“Awesome win,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said on the Vandals postgame radio show. “It wasn’t always beautiful in the second half, but I knew it was going to be a tough game.
“Very proud of them. Very happy about this. We gotta enjoy this one, then come back and learn from it. There’ll be a lot of things we can learn from this game, some situational things that can be better, but I’m very proud.”
Abilene Christian (2-2) seemed defeated after Idaho (3-1) opened the third quarter with a 53-yard end-around run from receiver Emmerson Cortez-Menjivar, setting up a short touchdown plunge from Vandals tailback Nate Thomas to make the score 27-3. Vandals safety Tommy McCormick recorded a red-zone interception on Abilene Christian’s ensuing possession.
At that point, a Wildcats comeback felt improbable, but the hosts generated some momentum on their next series, an 11-play, 61-yard drive that ended with JJ Henry’s 5-yard touchdown reception. After a 2-point conversion, Abilene Christian had trimmed the deficit to two scores.
The Vandals marched into the red zone on their next possession, but turned the ball over on downs on a fourth-and-short incompletion. McIvor then led a quick scoring drive, cutting the Idaho lead to 27-17 with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Nehemiah Martinez.
Idaho’s offense went three-and-out on its next drive, and McIvor guided another efficient touchdown drive. Isaiah Johnson’s 1-yard TD made it 27-24 with 3:47 remaining.
The Vandals leaned on their running game and drained a few minutes off the clock, but they were forced to punt near midfield. Abilene Christian regained possession with 57 seconds left. McIvor connected with Hut Graham for a 21-yard passing play, and Idaho was tagged with a late hit on the play, putting the Wildcats about 15 yards shy of field-goal range. On a third-and-10 from the Idaho 49, McIvor escaped pressure in the backfield and rushed ahead, but Krotzer tracked him down from behind and ripped the ball away.
“(Krotzer) was a backup last year and always did a good job as a backup,” Eck said of the Shadle Park grad. “He just kept working and working.
“We just kept believing and our defense is good in 2-minute drills. I wouldn’t want to have to go against our defense to win the game.”
The Vandals finished with 424 yards while Abilene Christian totaled 393. But the Wildcats outgained Idaho 289-171 in the second half.
Idaho’s defense, one of the top units in the FCS, dominated during the first half. And Vandals quarterback Jack Wagner – making his third start in place of injured starter Jack Layne – looked sharp.
Abilene Christian entered the game boasting the No. 3 offense in the FCS (500 yards per game) and the No. 2 passer in the subdivision (1,032 yards). But McIvor went just 7 of 19 for 70 yards and an interception in the first half, and Abilene Christian averaged 3.2 yards per play. Idaho registered 253 yards in the first half.
Wagner opened the scoring with a well-placed 22-yard touchdown pass to standout receiver Jordan Dwyer on Idaho’s second possession. The Vandals went up 14-0 late in the opening period on a perfectly executed trick play. Out of the wildcat formation, Thomas took the snap and handed the ball to backup tailback Art Williams, who tossed it back to Wagner. The QB fired a 44-yard TD pass to Mark Hamper, who was left wide open for his first-career score.
Vandals kicker Cameron Pope was true on two short field-goal attempts late in the second quarter to send Idaho into the break with a 20-3 advantage.
The Vandals scored on their opening drive of the second half, but their offense went quiet afterward.
“The players kept playing, and we made enough plays to win the game. That’s the bottom line,” Eck said.
Wagner completed 18 of 35 passes for a career-high 253 yards and two touchdowns. McIvor went 26 of 46 for 288 yards and two touchdowns with his first two interceptions of the year – Vandals safety Kyrin Beachem picked off an overthrown ball on Abilene Christian’s opening series.
Thomas led Idaho’s rushing attack with 64 yards and a score. Dwyer had 91 receiving yards, and Hamper logged 81 yards.
Idaho edge-rusher Keyshawn James-Newby recorded a sack to push his FCS-leading total to seven. He and Krotzer combined on a clutch sack to kill some clock on Abilene Christian’s final drive.
The Vandals, who were coming off a blowout victory over No. 20 UAlbany, now head into conference play with three notable nonconference wins on their resume. Idaho opens its Big Sky Conference slate at 7 p.m. Saturday at No. 13 UC Davis.
Idaho
Idaho is in for a streak of clear skies next week
After a round of showers came through this week, the Gem State is staying dry and clear for next week.
Temperatures finally started to feel winter-like as we take a tumble this weekend. Consistent 40’s the highs, and 20’s the lows.
Conditions on the valley floors are not expected to get past the mid 40’s. Showers appear to be nonexistent for the next 7 to 10 days.
We will also see some air stagnation in our area, meaning that as a high-pressure ridge moves in, not too much change is expected in the air. So, air quality may take a bit of a fall.
Not much more than cold and dry air is on the way for Idaho, but at least the sun will shine for most of the forecast.
Have a great weekend and stay warm!
Idaho
Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.
Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.
The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.
More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.
Copyright 2026 KMVT. All rights reserved.
Idaho
Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University
The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.
The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.
The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.
“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”
Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.
“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”
According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.
The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.
Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:
The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.
The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.
“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.
The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.
Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.
WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.
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