Gueller doesn’t

play in second half,

replaced by Amos

POCATELLO — Tanner Gueller stood out from his teammates as he walked off the field.

Idaho State’s starting quarterback was not donning an orange jersey and white pants like his fellow Bengals.

The redshirt junior was wearing an all-black windbreaker outfit after missing the second half of Idaho State’s 56-17 loss Saturday at Holt Arena to UC Davis. Sophomore Gunnar Amos replaced Gueller at halftime after Bengals coach Rob Phenicie said Gueller “could not perform in the second half.”

Idaho State’s offense sputtered without its starting signal caller, totaling 163 yards on 41 second-half plays. The Bengals scored their lone touchdown in the second half on a 2-play, four-yard drive after a blocked punt. The Bengals (4-6, 2-5 Big Sky Conference) punted five times and turned the ball over twice in the second half.

Amos finished the game 8 of 18 for 54 yards passing and two interceptions. He also added six rushes for 27 yards, including a 20-yard dash in the fourth quarter. Before Gueller exited the game, he completed 13 of 21 passes for 183 yards and zero touchdowns. He was also sacked twice.

“Gunnar is a smooth operator,” Phenicie said. “He’s a cool guy. … He doesn’t get fazed by a whole heck of a lot. In the locker room, it was like, ‘Hey, let’s make (Amos) look good, guys.’ Everyone did the best they could to rally around Gunnar.”

It was a tough situation for Amos to receive his first extended game action of the season. The quarterback played sparingly in four of the Bengals’ first nine games after transferring this summer from the University of Idaho.

The former Coeur d’Alene High star enrolled at Idaho in January 2015 and saw his first action as a Vandal in 2016. In eight games, he completed 3 of 10 passes for 33 yards and one interception. He also rushed six times for 22 yards and one touchdown.

Amos was immediately eligible to play for the Bengals because he transferred from the Football Bowl Subdivision to Football Championship Subdivision.

“It’s hard for your backup to get game reps,” Phenicie said. “You’re either blowing people out or getting blown out when your backup gets in, or your No. 1 guy is unable to go. Moving forward, it will be fun to get him ready.”

Phenicie said the Bengals had to change their offensive game plan Saturday when Amos took over because he is not as advanced as Gueller, who has been the team’s starter for the last three years.

“We go back to some base things and things he does well. … His package is a little smaller at this point,” Phenicie said of Amos. “When he gets another install in the spring, install in the fall, he’ll be fine.”

If Gueller is to miss the Bengals’ regular-season finale Nov. 18 at Weber State, Idaho State will be without one of the top quarterbacks in the conference.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Gueller was No. 3 in the Big Sky in passing efficiency (154), No. 4 in passing yards per game (274.2) and No. 5 in total offense (285.3).

Gueller is near the end of a career year. He has completed 174 of 296 passes for 2,659 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He’s also carried the ball 81 times for 93 yards and one touchdown. Last season, he threw for 2,351 yards and 20 touchdowns after totaling 855 yards passing and five touchdowns in 2015.

But if Amos has to start in two weeks, he has the full support of his teammates.

“He’s one of those guys that all the fellas like when he’s out there,” Phenicie said. “He’s fun to have. That’s why (offensive coordinator Matt) Troxel and I were like, ‘Here we go. It’s going to be the Gunnar show.’”