They’re calling it the “Miracle in Moscow.”
Joshua Wood threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Jezioro on the final play of the game and then ran in the 2-point conversion as Idaho shocked defending FCS national champion Montana State 35-34 and ended the No. 1 Bobcats’ 19-game winning streak in Moscow, Idaho.
Wood used five plays and 49 seconds to drive the Vandals (1-4, 1-1 Big Sky) 80 yards for their first win over a No. 1 team.
THE MIRACLE IN MOSCOW. pic.twitter.com/1XWldrp60N
— Idaho Football (@VandalFootball) October 3, 2026
On what appeared to be the final play, Wood scrambled and completed a 23-yard pass to Noah West-Baranco, who was tackled at the Montana State 25 as the clock in the stadium hit zeroes. However, referees ruled there was 1 second remaining when West-Baranco’s knee hit the ground and, because it was a first down, stopped the clock to allow the chains to be set.
As Idaho rushed to get to the line to hurriedly snap the ball for a final play, Montana State coach Brent Vigen called timeout.
“Well, they said they looked at it,” Vigen said of the clock management by the officials. “It’s one of those situations where you call a timeout or you don’t call a timeout. Ultimately, they made the play. I hope there was a second left.”
After the timeout, Wood found Jezioro in the end zone to cut the deficit to 34-33. Without hesitation, Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. made the call to go for the 2-point conversion and the win.
Wood then ran the ball up the middle for the improbable victory.
“Excited, proud — all of those things would be absolute understatements,” Ford told reporters after the game. “We knew we had a really talented football team. We knew we had guys that could make plays, and we knew that we matched up really well with this team.
“Like I told the guys the last two weeks: ‘When we beat this team, everyone in the country will be surprised.’ But not one single person in that room will be surprised. And that was the case.”
It was déjà vu for Montana State (5-1, 2-1). In 2023, on their last trip to the Kibbie Dome, the then-second-ranked Bobcats were upset by Idaho 24-21.
“Certainly, give Idaho credit,” Vigen said. “We knew they weren’t going to quit. We left a lot of things out there today.”
Wood completed 19 of 25 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns while adding 41 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushes. Jezioro scored twice and finished with six catches for 147 yards.
Patrick Duchien had two touchdown passes and a scoring run to help Montana State take a 34-20 advantage early in the fourth quarter — after a first half that saw the lead change hands six times before the Bobcats took a 24-20 lead into the break.
Wood fired a 75-yard scoring strike to Jezioro on Idaho’s first play from scrimmage for a 7-3 lead, but Duchien connected with Carter Dahlke for a 20-yard touchdown and the Bobcats led 10-7 after one quarter.
Owen Forsman kicked two field goals to give Idaho the lead, but Jared White answered with a 32-yard touchdown run to put Montana State up 17-13.
Damonte Bias had a 15-yard scoring run for Idaho with 2:22 left before Duchien completed seven straight passes, connecting with Dane Steel for a 15-yard touchdown and a four-point lead at halftime.
Myles Sansted kicked a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter and Duchien scored on a 2-yard keeper early in the fourth for a 34-20 advantage.
Wood scored on a 1-yard run with 9:54 remaining to make it a one-score game.
Duchien finished with 249 yards on 23-for-32 passing and 92 yards on 14 carries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
