POCATELLO – Perhaps change is easier to grasp when it’s linear. Steady improvements make sense. Sudden shifts do not. And when those deviations come, it’s natural to want to point to one person, one event, one thing as the ignition. Something had to set off the chain reaction.

Finding that with Idaho State is tough.

The Bengals were left for dead this time last week. Idaho State was 0-4. It’s offense was in disarray. It’s defense couldn’t force turnovers. And, in the penultimate year of his contract, coach Rob Phenicie’s seat was getting toasty.

It was not that the Bengals were bad. They felt hopeless, a team on the brink of a winless season. Outsiders were ready for drastic change – whatever that looks like. Maybe a coaching change. Or an offensive overhaul. Something. Anything.

The Bengals did not fully commit to that, which is why Saturday is harder to explain. You can’t point to one person or one play and crack the case on Idaho State’s improbable 27-17 over No. 7 UC Davis (5-1) – it’s first win over a Top 5 opponent since 2005.

“Resiliency,” Phenicie said, “that was our message … A lot of negativity everywhere on the outside and we said, ‘Don’t listen to it. The only people who can solve the problem are the people in the room.’”

If you want to find some sparkplug moment, some explanation for a seemingly-defeated winless squad to pull a rabbit out of its hat and beat the seventh-ranked team in FCS, last Monday is probably the closest you’ll come.

The Bengals entire offense met in the locker room on Monday, a discussion less about schematics and more about accountability.

“That was more a personal talk,” Idaho State center Terron Carey said. “Like let’s get it going. It was pretty motivational.”

That same day, senior wide receiver Tanner Conner conducted a virtual press conference and said he’d be open to change with the offense. He admitted he still trusted his coaches, but it’s rare to see a senior leader that vocally frustrated in October.

Phenicie didn’t want to discuss specifics of the offensive meeting, but he made it sound like an open dialogue between coaches and players – both parties throwing out ideas and suggestions.

“There were some things we needed to do to rock the boat the boat a little bit. We did it and it verifies that they have a good pulse of what’s going on,” Phenicie said.

“Short of the inmates running the asylum, you have to come to agreement on things. I explained to them what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. They explained me to me what they want and what they think we’ll do and we meet in between.”

There was a key point, too, the players conveyed.

“We made him a promise that whatever changes we made,” Carey said, “that we were going to be sure to execute them.”

That the Bengals did. An offense that has looked mostly stagnant for four games received a 5000-volt shock right into its sternum.

The new-look Bengals weren’t afraid to air the ball out. Freshman quarterback Hunter Hays had limited reads. He targeted playmakers. He took shots and hucked 50-50 balls. And his teammates rewarded him.

Running back Tyevin “Night Train” Ford shined in the absences of Malakai Rango and Raiden Hunter. The freshman racked up 107 yards and a score on 21 carries. Another freshman, Xavier Gulliory caught four passes for 71 yards and an 18-yard touchdown that gave ISU a 24-3 lead heading into halftime.

The star of the day, though, was Conner, who caught five passes for 150 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown that showcased the speed that made him one of the best hurdlers in the conference. He caught a six-yard curl, broke a pair of tackles and won the foot race to the end zone.

It is one sequence, however, that perfectly illustrated the change came early in the fourth quarter. Hays aired it out for Ol’ Reliable, but UC Davis’ 6-foot cornerback Jordan Perryman broke up the pass. It looked like pass interference – at least to the fans, who filled Holt Arena with boos.

Often in these spots, Idaho State would wait to take another shot. Not on Saturday. Offensive coordinator Mike Ferriter ran almost the same play: a rainbow to Conner down the sideline. This time, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Conner got a step on Berryman and reeled in a 35-yard pass.

Sometimes, football can be deceptively easy. The Bengals made it feel that way at times against the Aggies. Like when Oshea Trujillo, Jayden Dawson and Josh Alford intercepted the first, second and third passes in Idaho State’s season, respectively – two of which came in the red zone.

“It’s contagious,” Dawson said. “You can hear it on the sidelines. You can hear it from the fans. Every time someone makes a big play, it gets loud.”

Energy is a tough thing to gauge, but something felt different on Saturday. The screams were louder during pregame warmups. Players ran on and off the field with more swagger. The sideline was far more lively than it had been this season.

“Going into practice on Tuesday, we all knew 0-4 was unacceptable. So came to practice with a burst of energy. We were almost revitalized by that loss,” Carey said. “When we play with energy, we can be pretty good.”

In other words, as Phenicie said, “We showed who were capable of being today.”