Grading the Bengals at the season’s midway point

POCATELLO — At the midway point of the season, the Idaho State Bengals have shown that they are ready to be taken seriously by the Big Sky Conference and FCS.

The Bengals (2-4, 1-1) have battled to a pair of hard-fought losses against FBS opponents and suffered an agonizing come-from-behind loss at the hands of the No. 4-ranked Montana Grizzlies. A 46-24 drumming at Southern Utah by the 1-5 Thunderbirds was perhaps a one-off, leaving much to look upon positively for head coach Cody Hawkins, the team and the entire university.

Idaho State’s most prominent bright spot thus far has been the offensive line play.

Despite attempting roughly 43 pass attempts per game, ISU quarterbacks have suffered only one recorded sack. And even that one, Hawkins said after his team’s difficult defeat Saturday, was logged as a sack despite officially being an intentional grounding call against Jordan Cooke.

“Six games without a sack … those guys are playing elite football from a pass protection standpoint,” Hawkins said.

For comparison, the ISU offense has been recorded for an 11-yard loss on that lone “sack,” while its defense has totaled 128 yards of loss on 16 sacks.

Among the keys to that pass-pro success, to go along with a highly impressive offensive line performance, is running back Dason Brooks.

Brooks, who was moved from linebacker to running back at the beginning of last season, has developed into an elite ball-carrier, turning his 66 carries this year into 424 yards and five scores, making him second in the Big Sky in yards per game, with 84.8.

He has also developed into a standout blitz-pickup back.

During Saturday’s 42-38 loss to the Grizz (5-0, 2-0), Brooks continuously stoned pass rushers, giving Cooke time to stand tall in the pocket and deliver dimes.

Hawkins offered a solid review of Brooks’ development in pass blocking situations, but said it is an absolute imperative — not just for schematic success, but for safety purposes.

Cooke was money from the pocket beside Brooks in the first half Saturday, going 17-of-23 for 209 yards and a score in the first half. After halftime, in search of more explosive plays, Cooke was asked to move outside of the pocket more.

That decision led to a much less efficient half of football from the quarterback.

Hawkins took credit for that decision, saying that the play calling got “a little out of control” and created pressure where there wasn’t any.

But it wasn’t just Saturday when second-half struggles have loomed large for Hawkins and the Bengals.

Removing their 90-0 beatdown of the Lincoln Oaklanders, the Bengals have been outscored in every second half this season. And if the 101-53 second-half differential is bad, ISU’s 53-16 fourth-quarter differential is alarming.

But, opposition must be taken into account. Northern Colorado grabbed a minimal 11-3 advantage during ISU’s 26-18 victory in Greeley, Colo., leaving much of the damage done by UNLV, New Mexico and Montana — perhaps the three best teams the Bengals will play this season.

So, while there is cause for some alarm, there is no reason for major concern — yet.

ISU’s toughest remaining opponent — arguably — awaits this weekend in Bozeman, Mont., where the Montana State Bobcats (4-2, 2-0) will welcome the Bengals Saturday afternoon.

Hawkins’ Bengals have been better than their record would suggest, but their is much work to be done. In order to finish the season with a wining record for the first time since 2018, ISU can afford just one more loss.

Here are East Idaho Sports’ grades for Bengal unit through six games:

Quarterbacks: C+

There have been some stretches of great quarterback play, like Cooke’s first half Saturday. But 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions is not the ratio this team is looking for, especially given the protection they have been afforded. Continuity has perhaps been the biggest issue, with the Bengals having already used three quarterbacks, due to injuries.

Running backs: A

The one-two punch of Dason Brooks and Carson Sudbury has been spectacular. ISU’s running game averages 158.3 yards per game, on just 27.5 carries. And they haven’t given anything to the opposition as far as scoring, having rushed for 13 touchdowns to opponents’ 14 — despite getting fewer attempts.

Wide receivers: A

Michael Shulikov is a matchup nightmare for any and all defensive backs. According to head coach Cody Hawkins, “Nobody can cover him, he’s so dang big. You can cover 80% of him.” Add in the success of Tsion Nunnally, Ian Duarte and Damien Morgan, and you have a rock-solid receiver room.

O-line: A+

The numbers speak for themselves. The big boys up front have allowed just one sack all year — coming on an intentional grounding penalty — while clearing the way for an average of 5.8 yards per rush attempt.

Defense: B-

The pass rush is effective — averaging 2.7 sacks per game. And Rylan Leathers has been a stud on the backend. But there have been too many open passing lanes in secondary. The defensive front’s ability to shut down the FCS’ leading rusher, Eli Gillman, who came in averaging 135.5 yards per game but left with just 48 yards on the say, gave this grade a bit of a bump.

That being said, in its first year under new coordinator Grant Duff, the defense has been much-improved.

Special teams: A-

Kicker Trajan Sinatra has been a perfect A+, but there have been some shortcomings in the kick coverage.

Overall: B+

If the Bengals had played the second halves of games to a net positive, or even, this team has wins over UNLV, New Mexico and Montana, and sits at 5-1 with a national ranking.