Because the Idaho State Journal does not publish a Monday newspaper at this point, Monday Morning Quarterback will appear Tuesday morning. Regardless, the premise remains the same.

    Idaho State ran into a purple and gold-clad buzzsaw in the Washington Huskies Saturday afternoon. It was roughly what one would expect from a top-20 FBS team welcoming an FCS team that is still finding its way into its stadium. Here are grades for each area of Idaho State’s team in regards to how they performed against Washington.

OFFENSE:

    The numbers are not pretty. The Bengals accrued just 164 yards of total offense, 142 of which came through the air. Quarterback Justin Arias was 18 of 39 for 140 yards and two interceptions. ISU lost a third turnover on a fumble. The Bengals did not pick up its opening first down until early in the second quarter, and it came on a defensive holding penalty. The team was shut out for the first time since Oct. 8, 2011 (home vs. Montana). Idaho State was unable to gather any sort of momentum or sustain a drive as Washington’s ferocious defensive front and opportunistic secondary had their way with a young offense. The Huskies suffocated the life out of the Bengals from the get-go. Still, Arias showed some poise in the pocket and the team pressed forward against a superior and relentless opponent.

GRADE: D

DEFENSE:

    If you thought ISU’s offensive numbers were brutal, look at what the defense allowed. The Bengals gave up 680 yards of total offense to Washington, including 370 on the ground. Eight different Huskies scored touchdowns, and UW quarterback Keith Price completed 76 percent of his passes (16 of 21). Idaho State forced one turnover against Washington, a fumble. The Huskies did want they want when they wanted, and a young, still-recovering Bengal defense had no answer.

GRADE: D-

SPECIAL TEAMS:

    If there was one area Idaho State has excelled this year, it has been special teams. But it had its ups and downs Saturday as placekicker Brendon Garcia was 0 for 2 on his field goals after hitting seven straight to start the season. Punter CJ Reyes had a busy afternoon as he booted the ball seven times for an average of 36 yards per kick, with a long of 64. Only two punts were returned, and the Bengals did a nice job of preventing any long returns. For as many times as Washington kicked off (nine, to be exact) only three were returnable. Cam Gupton did a nice job by averaging 13.3 yards per return.

GRADE: C

COACHING:

    Head coach Mike Kramer was hoping his young team would not get overwhelmed by playing in the newly-renovated Husky Stadium in front of over 70,000 fans. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what happened. There’s no doubt Kramer and his coaching staff attempted to make adjustments for what Washington was doing on both sides of the ball, but none of them mattered. The Huskies’ second and third string players were more talented and executed better that ISU’s 1’s. That said, Kramer did the best he could with what he had. Most importantly, no one went down with a significant injury, which is important as Big Sky play kicks off this weekend for the Bengals.

GRADE: C