QB2 leading Bengals into a Week 1 game they’re taking ‘as seriously as the Super Bowl’

POCATELLO — Physicality is a massive part of football. And the level of physicality grows with each level of the game.

During his weekly press conference after Wednesday’s practice, Idaho State University head coach Cody Hawkins said his players should expect their bodies to “feel like absolute dog doo-doo” in the days following collegiate games, particularly those against FBS opponents. He added that if they take rehab and both physical and mental health seriously, players will more often than not be “ready to run through a wall again” when Saturday arrives.

Hawkins laid that out after stating that quarterback Jordan Cooke will not be available for the Bengals’ Week 1 matchup with the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds. Cooke threw for 380 yards and one touchdown in ISU’s 38-31 loss to the UNLV Rebels last weekend, but suffered an undisclosed injury during the game that could knock him out for multiple weeks.

With Cooke out, sophomore Jackson Sharman will make the start.

Sharman, Hawkins said, is a better runner than Cooke. And though he is as good a thrower as anyone, Sharman is not as efficient while throwing on the run as Cooke.

That means there will be some minor changes in the gameplan from what the Bengals (0-1, 0-0) did last week. ISU fans will see more pass plays designed to have Sharman throw from the pocket — rather than the bootleg-, roll out-type plays. There will also be more designed QB runs.

The Bengals will open their FCS schedule Saturday evening, when they visit Southern Utah University and the Thunderbirds.

ISU beat Southern Utah, 38-28, inside the ICCU Dome last season, behind a monster performance from running back Dason Brooks. Brooks was a massive part of the Bengal offense in las Vegas last week, running for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

When asked about the importance of Saturday’s matchup, Hawkins was clear and decisive, calling it one of “the most important games on your schedule, 100%.”

“We’re taking this game about as seriously as the Super Bowl,” he said.

Preparation for this game, the coach added, began months ago, when it was ISU’s first scheduled game — before their game at UNLV was moved from Week 3 to Week 0.

The Bengals’ “ultimate goal,” according to Hawkins, is to give themselves a chance to qualify for the FCS playoffs. To do that, they need to win these FCS out-of-conference games — like Saturday’s.

Coming off a hard-fought battle with an FBS opponent, there are some positives off which the Bengals can build. But, Hawkins said, the ISU coaches are not hurting their hands patting their players on the back.

“There are enough people telling them, ‘Hey, great job. Great job, you were so close,'” Hawkins said.

Instead, the Bengals are focusing on repeating and further improving on the positives that put them in position to win Saturday’s game, while minimizing or erasing the mistakes that cost them that win.

“We had some bad mistakes, as coaches, as players, that led to some missed opportunities. But that doesn’t mean you hang your heads, because you did a lot of positives,” Hawkins said. “You’ve always got to be on the journey of self-improvement, and that’s where we’re trying to get every week.”

The Bengals and Thunderbirds are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday.