1977 record 3–8 (2–4 Big Sky) | ||
Offensive coordinator John McMahon (2nd year) Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin (1st year) | ||
The 1977 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Vandals were led by fourth-year head coach Ed Troxel and were members of the Big Sky Conference, then in Division II. They played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.
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Season
With quarterbacks Craig Juntunen and Rocky Tuttle running the veer offense, the Vandals were 3–8 overall and 2–4 in the Big Sky in 1977. Idaho did not play runner-up Northern Arizona, but the Big Sky designated a non-conference home game for each to count as a sixth conference game in the standings, with both opponents from the PCAA. The Vandals lost to Pacific in September while NAU defeated Cal State Fullerton in October.
The Vandals suffered a tenth straight loss in the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State of the Pac-8, falling 45–17 at Martin Stadium in Pullman on November 12.
Boise State
The season concluded with a 30-point home loss to Boise State two days after Thanksgiving. The young rivalry took a new step in the fourth quarter, when the Broncos were up 34–14 and in control. Having thrown the ball sparingly in building its twenty-point lead, second-year head coach Jim Criner went heavily to the passing game. Boise scored a touchdown with less than two minutes left, then staged a successful onside kick and made a field goal with seconds remaining.
Boise State went undefeated in the Big Sky, but because of the late conclusion of their regular season, they had to decline a berth in the Division II playoffs, which started earlier that day. Conference runner-up Northern Arizona took their place and was shut out at home, 35–0. In the previous season, underdog Idaho had won the rivalry game in the season opener before a record crowd in Boise in Criner's debut as head coach. At the time, the Broncos were three-time defending conference champions, all under previous head coach Tony Knap.
Division I
This was the last season prior to the creation of Division I-AA, which the Big Sky joined. Through 1977, the Big Sky was a Division II conference for football, except for Division I member Idaho, which moved down to I-AA in 1978. Idaho had maintained its upper division status in the NCAA by playing Division I non-conference opponents (and was ineligible for the Division II postseason).
Troxel fired
Five weeks after the season concluded, Troxel was asked for his resignation by new university president Richard Gibb on December 30. An assistant under the preceding three head coaches and a former head coach of track and field, he had been at UI for an over a decade. Very successful at Borah High School in Boise (1958–66), Troxel returned to the high school ranks in 1978 at Kennewick High School in the Tri-Cities of eastern Washington. Troxel built the Lions into winners and coached through 1990; he died of cancer at age 75 in 2001.
Schedule
both were home games against PCAA opponents: Idaho lost to Pacific while NAU defeated Cal State Fullerton.