POCATELLO — Three weeks ago, even the biggest Idaho State football fan around would tell you the chances of the Bengals putting together a winning streak or equaling the number of wins they had last year or certainly having a winning record in Big Sky play were very, very slim.

Yet, after a 31-3 rout of Weber State Saturday on Senior Day inside the ICCU Dome, ISU has done all of that.

The Bengals (5-6 overall, 4-3 Big Sky) have now won three straight. A win next week in Moscow against in-state rival Idaho would represent the first non-losing season in seven years.

“We spend a lot of time on our script of plays for early in a game,” Idaho State head coach Cody Hawkins said. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on having to score quick. But we knew it was important just because if you can get them behind the sticks and make them a throwing team, you’re already making them play left-handed a little bit.”

Idaho State, which recorded back-to-back wins over Weber State (3-8, 1-6) for the first time in 41 years, dominated in all facets of the game.

The opening drive saw Jordan Cooke complete three straight passes to Damian Morgan before Cooke ran the ball twice himself, capping things off with a 2-yard touchdown. It was one of his 11 carries for 65 yards.

In addition to Cooke’s rushing total, he threw for 363 yards and two scores, one each to Morgan and later Ian Duarte. Morgan was the leading receiver with eight catches for 122 yards.

“I’m confident in my legs now,” Cooke said. “And I’m a pretty big guy. I wouldn’t want to tackle me.”

Michael Shulikov then made a highlight-reel play that led to another score and broke the game wide open.

On a 1st-and-20, the senior wideout sprinted down the near sideline in a straight path as Cooke lofted a deep ball towards him. The Weber State defensive back was in good tight position. But Shulikov stands at 6-foot-6 inches and is a track athlete. So he jumped up and plucked the ball from over the head of the cornerback for a 52-yard catch.

That resulted in a 3-yard touchdown run from Dason Brooks a few plays later and Idaho State never looked back.

Weber State simply could not get anything going on offense behind quarterback Dijon Jennings, and the numbers reflected it.

The Wildcats only had 227 yards of total offense, much of that coming in the fourth quarter when they kicked a field goal to spoil ISU’s shutout. They were 4-of-17 on 3rd and 4th downs, sacked three times and only ran for 35 yards.

For an Idaho State defense that had been much maligned for the past several years, it was a watershed moment. So Hawkins was quick to give credit to defensive coordinator Grant Duff, who came over from Weber State this season.

“You can’t address the game without giving Grant Duff a huge shout out. He has meant so much to our team, the person he is, the leader he is, the culture, the scheme, the way he works… for him to show up in such a big way, really excited for Grant and his family,” Hawkins said. “It was all about stopping the run on 1st and 2nd downs, not letting them throw it over your head… our defense had a chip on their shoulder tonight.”

It helped the Bengals keep possession of the Train Bell, an 86-pound taveling trophy that goes to the winner of the game.

“Keeping the bell home is a really big deal,” Hawkins said. “Playing well against a team that’s just down the road on I-15 is a really big deal.”

So with momentum and a winning streak on the line, Idaho State goes to Idaho next week to close the season with another rivalry game. This one against the Vandals, who have won nine of the last 10 meetings.

Kickoff time from the Kibbie Dome in Moscow is 2 p.m.

“Our guys believe that we’re playing as good a football as anybody in the country right now,” Hawkins said. “Let’s figure out how we can be the best version of ourselves throughout this week and end the season on a high note.”