The Idaho State Bengals football team faces its biggest challenge of the year so far.

The Bengals will welcome the 0-1 University of San Diego Toreros to the ICCU Dome on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m.

Coming off a 29-17 win over Utah State last Saturday night, the Bengals picked up their first win over an FBS opponent since 2017 and are 2-0 to start a season for the first time since 2013. Players have been getting national headlines and awards, the team is ranked in the top 25 of the FCS, and all eyes are on the Bengals — which becomes the challenge: to block out the noise and move on, where history is not on the Bengals' side.

In the past, when Idaho State has beaten an FBS opponent, the team has gone on to have losing seasons — a fact that head coach Cody Hawkins emphasized to his team after practice this week, and to the media shortly after.

"We've tried to not put too much stake in whoever the opponent we beat was. We care about the people in the mirror and what we're doing to get better," Hawkins said.

Under Hawkins, the Bengals are a program on the rise, reaping the rewards of three years of building under his staff.

Their next test comes in the form of the Toreros, a team with postseason DNA. Coming off an 8-4 season, San Diego arrives in Pocatello with a lot of returning talent on both sides of the ball.

"San Diego's a really good football team," Hawkins said. "They're a nuisance for Big Sky teams all the time because they have a championship culture. They play fast, they play confident, and they do not beat themselves. That's probably the most dangerous thing about them — their mentality."

The Bengals defense, which has been their identity so far, will look to continue its dominance. Through two weeks, Idaho State ranks No. 29 nationally in total defense (323.5 yards per game) and No. 13 in scoring defense (13.5 points per game), while sitting tied for the national lead in turnover margin (+1.50) after forcing four takeaways last week.

For the second week in a row, ISU won Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week. Sophomore defensive back TreShawn Shorty had two interceptions returned for 42 yards in the win and was a huge part of the Bengals' victory.

The strength of the team is its front seven — a mixture of experience and youth whose main goal is to create havoc. The defensive line is the unit's identity and is being led by freshman defensive end Trehsyn Fesili, who has a team-leading 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks through his first two college games. The linebacking corps, led by seniors Nathan Reynolds and Jacob Perez, has been stout and a key to the defense.

The greatest strength of the Bengals defense is the trust the players have in one another — they play for each other, not individually.

"Our defense this year on all three levels is really good, and so for me making those plays, I just had to do my one-eleventh," Perez said. "As long as I just did my job, the plays came to me. The reason I was able to make those plays is because of all the other 10 guys on the team."

That defense will be tested. The Toreros bring back two key pieces from last season's offense: senior quarterback Dom Nankil (1,945 yards, 13 touchdowns) and graduate running back Adam Criter (955 yards, 12 touchdowns).

The offense comes in, however, on the back of a four-turnover performance against UC Davis, and the Bengals' aggressive defense will look to take advantage.

Where the Toreros struggled was on defense. In their 49-17 Week 1 loss to UC Davis, they gave up 537 yards of total offense — 306 through the air and 231 on the ground. Davis also went 7-for-12 on third down and torched San Diego for five passing touchdowns.

The Bengals offense is still trying to find its footing after the loss of fifth-year running back Dason Brooks. The unit is averaging 33.5 points per game, mostly due to the play of fifth-year quarterback Jordan Cooke. Cooke has been efficient and makes plays when he needs to — he's 36-for-62 for 477 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, helping the Bengals put up 259 passing yards per game.

On the ground, the Bengals are still searching for an identity. With Brooks out, a next-man-up mentality has been tested early, and the duo of fifth-year Robert Freeman IV and sophomore Carson Sudbury share the team high with 42 yards each.

"Not having Dason is a bummer," Hawkins said. "I think we're OK there — we've got some good, capable backs. We've gotta stay healthy. I feel good about where we'll be in the run game when we get going."

The Bengals have picked up the slack in the passing game thanks to veteran wide receivers and steady quarterback play. Senior Julian "Juice" Mason leads the team with 15 catches, 152 yards and a touchdown.

Fellow seniors Eli Aragon-Cruz and Chedon James have also been reliable options for Cooke — James, in his second stint with the Bengals, has seven catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Aragon-Cruz adds nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.

The Bengals will look to find more touchdowns in the red zone and stop settling for field goals, even with the standout performance of sophomore kicker Mason Lindberg. Lindberg made a career-best 5-for-5 field goals last week, earning him Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week — an award earned both through his patience and his play.

"It says a lot. He's gone through times in his first two years where those situations haven't been very successful, and being able to mentally get over some of those hurdles …" special teams coordinator Scott Thiessen said. "You saw it play out on Saturday, where he was able to put it together."

"We've gotta continue to find ways to generate belief in the community," Hawkins said. "Everybody tells me that when you win in Pocatello, they're gonna fill up the dome. It's our responsibility to fill the dome, whether it's marketing, winning, sales, experience — I'm not gonna put the onus on anybody other than us."