Because the Idaho State Journal does not publish a Monday newspaper at this point, Monday Morning Quarterback will appear Tuesday morning. Regardless, the premise remains the same.

    Idaho State traveled to California with high hopes of breaking its 40-game road losing streak against the 0-4 UC Davis Aggies. Despite a tough, gritty comeback in the second half, the Bengals fell short. Here are grades for each area of Idaho State’s team in regards to how they performed against UC Davis.

OFFENSE:

    The Bengals were able to move the ball between the 20s all evening against the Aggies. However, they did not enter the redzone until late in the third quarter. Coincidentally or not, that’s precisely when ISU got its first points of the game, a 24-yard field goal from Brendon Garcia. Idaho State then scored on its next two possessions. The Bengals’ final points came via field goal after they had first and goal from the UC Davis seven-yard line with 8:03 to play. Unfortunately it was too little, too late and the offense was unable to keep pace with a late scoring frenzy from UC Davis. Luke Austin caught six passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, Xavier Finney racked up 94 yards on 19 carries and Justin Arias completed just 19 of his 45 passes for 214 yards, one score and one interception. ISU also lost a fumble.

GRADE: D-

DEFENSE:

     Mitch Beckstead and Tanner Davis each recorded 10 tackles to lead the Bengals. Austin Graves, Trevor Spence, Cameron Gupton, Hayden Stout, Derek Berrey and Kurt Karstetter each recorded statistics in the tackles-for-loss column. Considering the circumstances under which Idaho State’s defense found itself Saturday evening, it played well. Other than a breakdown late in the game (a 50-yard run that led to a back-breaking touchdown), the Bengals held their own against UC Davis’ offense. ISU’s D was on the field for 32 minutes and 47 seconds, more than five minutes longer than its offense. That differential could have led to the late breakdown, and ultimately sealed the deal for the Aggies, a team whose highest scoring total coming into the game had been 10 points.

GRADE: C-

SPECIAL TEAMS:

    Idaho State’s special teams made the play that could have helped Idaho State get a lead late in the contest, had the offense been able to punch it in. Vai Peko recovered a fumble on a kick off with eight minutes to go in the final period to give his team the ball on the UC Davis seven-yard line. The Bengals allowed a couple of big returns in the game, one that went for 51 yards after a punt. Brendon Garcia hit his eighth and ninth field goals of the season, but also missed one against the Aggies. ISU’s special teams continues to be the most consistent and productive area of the team.

GRADE: B

COACHING:

    There seems to be a dichotomy of opinions when it comes to the decisions made by Mike Kramer on Saturday. The biggest question involves kicking a field goal instead of going for the touchdown from the UC Davis seven-yard line late in the game. The fact is the Bengals mounted a comeback after many thought them dead in the water, a comeback that was close to coming to fruition. The offense may not have been as ready as it should have been (zero points in the first three quarters), but the grit and tenacity to get close when it mattered goes a long way towards a good coaching score:

GRADE: C