There’s a lot to digest from Saturday’s Idaho State game. The Bengals dropped a 38-7 decision to the Aztecs, which might look like a dispiriting loss for the visitors, but there’s more nuance than that. Here are five takeaways from the game.

1. Quarterback situation is back in flux

Read between the lines and you understand ISU’s quarterback situation will be back in flux for some time. Tyler Vander Waal’s injury, which happened early in the first quarter and caused him to be carted off the field, was to his left shoulder — the same one he hurt last season, the same one that turned into a season-ending injury.

After the game, ISU coach Charlie Ragle explained his decision to pull backup Hunter Hays at the end of the third frame like this: “We figured, hey, (Hays) is the starting quarterback now. We've got to get our backup now, which is Sagan, some reps. So at that point we felt the score was a little bit out of reach. We know we've got nine games to play and maybe beyond that. So we've got to prepare for that.”

So if the injury forces Vander Waal to miss time, which seems to be the indication here, Hays will be back under center. We know the story between the two quarterbacks — they battled for the job all through spring and fall camp, all the way up to the week before their first game — so let’s take a look at how Hays fared.

All told, Hays completed 18 of 30 passes for 140 yards. He also carried 13 times for 53 yards, with a long run of nine yards. He didn’t look bad, not at all, but he also didn’t get much chance to shine because in the first half alone, his team started five drives inside its own 15.

“Well, it didn't help,” Ragle said. “But I honestly don't think we struggled at all. We struggled to convert points, which in the end costs you wins and losses, but if you watch the same game I watched, we ran the ball down their throat in the first half. We moved the ball. We knocked them off the line of scrimmage.”

Here’s Hays’ nine-yard rush.

2. ISU’s defense shows significant improvement

After Idaho State’s first game, a 52-21 loss to UNLV, it was fair to worry about this group’s defense. The Bengals recorded exactly zero stops in the first half, and the only reason the Rebels didn’t score even more was because the game was out of reach by halftime.

Then you watch the same ISU defense play against San Diego State, and you almost wondered if these were the same guys. The Bengals forced five stops in the first half, including a three-and-out on the Aztecs’ first series, and two fumbles on back-to-back drives — and recovered both. They gave their offense chances to score, which they couldn’t capitalize on, but that’s almost beside the point. That ISU’s defense kept things close, while SDSU kept its starters in, represents a giant victory for the visitors.

Here are the two fumbles Idaho State forced, both in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

The first fumble, which was forced by Terrance Jones and recovered by Jihad Brown, gave the ISU offense the ball at its own 36. The second, forced by Raemo Trevino and recovered by Charles Ike, gave the Bengals the ball at their own 19. Again, they couldn’t turn those into points, but they’ll take the opportunities.

To be sure, ISU gave up several big plays, which is a key reason they left with such a lopsided loss. In the first quarter alone, the Bengals yielded a 66-yard punt return touchdown — more on that soon — and a 47-yard touchdown rush from quarterback Braxton Burmeister. Here is that clip.

It’s not as simple as this, of course, but you take those big plays away and ISU turned in a solid defensive showing. The game wasn’t truly out of reach until the second half, which in large part is a testament to the Bengals’ defense. Linebackers Jack Genova and Ike led the group with seven tackles each (Genova one for loss), and ISU’s defensive line showed considerable improvement against the run. That’s something to build on moving forward.

3. ISU special teams has forgettable day

Toward the beginning of his postgame presser, looking as impassioned as he’s ever been in these settings, Ragle said this: “I want to apologize to all the ISU fans because I'm supposed to be a special teams coordinator. That’s how I made my living and in my name. We looked like the JV Tastee-Freez sixth grade team out there playing special teams. It's something that I'm pissed off right now about and I'm trying to act like I'm not, so I'm trying to do the best job I can. It's unacceptable. And that's squarely on my shoulders, and we will get it fixed.”

Ragle was talking about several things: The punt return touchdown ISU gave up, how the Bengals failed to recover two muffed punts. Here’s Byrd’s punt return for a score.

In the end, these didn’t feel like enormous missed chances — on the first, the ball fell right back to the returner, and on the second, the game was far out of reach — but combine them with our next item, they don’t feel like nothing.

4. ISU can’t convert in red zone

As they traveled back to Pocatello, the Bengals probably regretted two missed chances most, both in the red zone.

On the first, a fourth-down play, Hays delivered a strike to receiver Shane Dailey Jr. who couldn’t hang on to the ball.

On the second, Hays completed a pass downfield to Christian Fredericksen, who looked to make a remarkable touchdown catch, but replay showed Fredericksen landed with a foot out of bounds. On the next play, Hays found Xavier Guillory for a short completion. On the next, on fourth down, ISU needed the 5-yard line. Here’s what happened.

5. ISU receivers continue to show promise

For weeks, Ragle has lauded his receivers, saying they might be some of the best in the Big Sky. Against UNLV, Arizona transfer Jalen Johnson used a double move to get open for a long touchdown. Against SDSU, the honors went to Xavier Guillory.

The Bengals may not have their starting quarterback for the time being, but they do have playmakers like these.