Mitch Gueller’s one-handed catch down the sideline Saturday was the first of its kind – a 97-yard touchdown pass from his brother that set an Idaho State record.

But it wasn’t the first 90-yard TD bomb Mitch and Tanner connected on, and it’s not their only school record.

The Idaho State pass partners first entered the record books six years ago at W.F. West High School in Chehalis, Washington.

Saturday’s play against Portland State was straightforward – Mitch beat his defender at the line of scrimmage and sprinted down the sideline after corralling Tanner’s pass with one outstretched hand. The play helped lift ISU to a 59-30 win and set the ISU record for longest pass play.

Mitch’s TD catch in 2011 was a bit more complex.

Mitch was the school’s senior quarterback at the time, and Tanner was his sophomore backup. Their school held a fundraiser in which the highest donor was given the reigns to draw up the Bearcats’ first offensive play of the team’s midseason nonconference game. The winner was Mike Wollen, brother of Bearcats head coach Bob Wollen, and his $500 play from the 5-yard line was worth every penny.

“I lined up in slot, motioned out to receiver, came looping around,” Tanner said after Tuesday’s practice. “I want to say we handed it to the running back, who tossed it to the tight end coming back, who tossed it to me.”

In the commotion, Mitch snuck downfield. Even a semi-accurate pass would be good enough to find him in the wide-open space.

“I kind of made him look slow, because I underthrew him,” Tanner said. “I was so nervous as a sophomore. I had barely played varsity, so I’m out there shaking. I’m just thinking, ‘Just chuck the thing up,’ and I knew he was big and he could catch it.”

Mitch waited underneath the pass 25 yards downfield, and outran a closing defender to reach the end zone. The 95-yard trick play still stands as the longest pass play in W.F. West history.

“It’s not something that we necessarily worry about or set out as a goal, but it’s definitely a great honor to have and really cool, especially with all the history here at Idaho State and then in high school, too,” Mitch said.

97-yard Gueller-Gueller TD pass connection gives Idaho State 31-16 lead in second quarter. #BigSkyFB pic.twitter.com/duPW1uGr1t

— Jeff Papworth (@JeffPapworth) October 21, 2017

ISU PLAYERS AMONG BEST IN FCS

Several ISU players rank near the top of FCS offensive leaderboards.

Bengals quarterback Tanner Gueller is 13th in pass efficiency (158.3), tied for sixth in passing touchdowns (20), eighth in passing yards (2,275), fourth in yards per completion (15.8) and 15th in total offensive yards per game (294.9).

Running back James Madison is seventh in rushing yards (726) and fifth in rushing yards per game (103.7), while backfield mate Ty Flanagan is tied for second with nine rushing touchdowns and tied for fifth in scoring with 54 points.

Wide receiver Mitch Gueller is tied for sixth with eight receiving touchdowns, 11th in receiving yards (733) and seventh in receiving yards per game (122.2). In the same categories, fellow wideout Michael Dean is tied for 14th, 19th and 36th, respectively. Mitch is also second with 29.3 yards per reception.

At his weekly press conference Monday, ISU head coach Rob Phenicie said while the gaudy statistical numbers are nice, he’d swap stats for wins.

“I’d rather be 7-1 or 6-2 right now over all that,” Phenicie said. “But it’s good to get some recognition along those lines. But again, the bottom line is 4-4. We would rather be 4-1 in conference right now, and I would take 100 yards off of everything in order to be there.”

MARTIN TO MISS REST OF SEASON

ISU redshirt junior linebacker Joe Martin will miss the remainder of the season, the school announced Monday. Martin left the game at Sacramento State on Oct. 14 and did not return. He did not play Saturday against Portland State.

Martin paired with Mario Jenkins to give the Bengals one of the best linebacker duos in the Big Sky Conference. He ends his season with 10 tackles per game (70 total), to rank fifth in the Big Sky and tie for 17th in the FCS. Martin also has 2 tackles for loss, one interception and three passes defended. Redshirt freshman Oshea Trujillo replaced Martin on this week’s 2-deep depth chart. Trujillo started against PSU and has 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries this season.