The Idaho State Bengals fell to Air Force 49-21 on the road Saturday afternoon in a game that featured two uniquely different offenses.

    Since the contest was the season opener for ISU, there is still a lot to be seen with how the year will play out and in what facets the team will improve. Here are grades for each area of the squad in regards to how it performed in Colorado Springs, Colo. this weekend.

OFFENSE:

    Idaho State had a number of scoring opportunities in the first half, getting into the redzone on a few occasions. The team was unable to put any points onto the scoreboard until the third quarter, something that head coach Mike Kramer will discuss with the Bengals during practice this week. When they finally did score, quarterback Kevin Yost found tight end Josh Hill twice and freshman running back Xavier Finney punched it in once. Yost finished with 355 yards on 41-of-52 passing, the two touchdowns and one interception. Finney gave the Bengals the rushing threat they lacked last year with 48 yards on 18 carries. Wide receiver Derek Graves had a break out performance with 118 yards on 15 receptions while Cam Richmond pitched in eight catches for 90 yards. Noticeably absent was the impact of senior receiver Rodrick Rumble. His return should make the offense even more potent.

GRADE: B-

DEFENSE:

    Idaho State knew Air Force was going to run the ball a lot, and there was still nothing the defense could do about it. Last year’s run-stop demons remain as senior Cody Getz burnt the Bengals with 218 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries. Senior quarterback Connor Dietz added 74 yards and one score on seven carries. As a team, the Falcons finished with 484 rushing yards on 58 carries. That’s an average of 8.3 yards per rush. Dietz also had his way through the air, completing eight of his 11 passes for 142 yards. There is certainly a lot that the Bengals need to address before Black Hills State visits Holt Arena on Saturday.

GRADE: D-

SPECIAL TEAMS:

    Idaho State returned just two kickoffs during the game, as Daniel McSurdy and Donovan Henley did the honors and picked up 19 and 23 yards respectively. Brendon Garcia went 0-for-1 with his field goal kicking, but hit all three extra point attempts. CJ Reyes punted the ball four times, averaging 48.3 yards per kick with a long of 63. He landed two of those roll points inside the opponent’s 29 yardline. Air Force returned two kickoffs as well, averaging 26 yards. There wasn’t a lot for Kramer to be unhappy with (there were no punt blocks), but the special teams needs to make some plays to give its defense a break from time to time

GRADE: B-

COACHING:

    Even though Kramer passes the ball as his go-to mode of offense, the importance of establishing a run game was evident to him during the offseason. Finney looks to be the solution, as he showed on Saturday. Yost appears to be getting stronger, something that can be attributed to the coaching staff. The Bengals were unable to stop the Falcons’ rushing attack, even though the coaches knew that was their bread and butter. There is still a lot of work to do with this team, particularly on defense, and it remains to be seen if the personnel is there to make it happen.

GRADE: B