Defense comes up big late as Bengals stay perfect, win conference opener

POCATELLO — After winning each of their first three games by double-digits behind big offensive performances, the Idaho State Bengals leaned on their defense late in hopes of staying undefeated Saturday at Southern Utah University.

The ISU defense recorded its third takeaway of the game inside its own 5-yard line with less than four minutes left, when Jackson Daniels pulled the ball free from the arms of running back Floyd Chalk, to maintain a one-score lead. Then, with 30 seconds left on the clock, Nathan Abbott sacked Thunderbird quarterback Will Burns to finish a 28-24 Idaho State victory.

The Bengals (4-0, 1-0) are now 4-0 for the first time since 1995, after beating Southern Utah (1-4, 1-2) in their Big Sky Conference opener.

Pre-season All-American Chedon James posted his biggest game of the early season, racking up 134 yards on seven catches, including a 43-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Jordan Cooke for what proved to be the winning score. While opposing defenses have done a solid job limiting his yards thus far, James has hauled in a scoring pass in each game and currently leads the team with four receiving touchdowns.

Cooke was effectively slowed by the Southern Utah defense, passing for just 203 yards and two touchdowns. He did, however, add another score on a 19-yard run early in the third quarter.

Tytan Mason continues to improve his output as his role in the offense increases. With his career-high 10 carries, Mason produced a career-high 94 rushing yards to lead the team, though seven different Bengals ended the game with at least one rush attempt.

After falling into an early 10-0 deficit, the Bengal defense took over. Led by constant pressure from the front seven, ISU held the Thunderbirds to 14 points the rest of the way.

Bengal defenders combined for 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and three takeaways, including a Jackson Irwin interception. Irwin also led the team with three tackles for loss, while Abbott recorded two tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble forced. Nathan Reynolds recovered two fumbles, including the Daniels strip in the final minute.

The Bengals will bring their show back to the home turf of the ICCU Dome Saturday, when they host Northern Arizona in a nationally broadcast conference showdown. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.