2021 Idaho State Bengals football team

The 2021 Idaho State Bengals football team represented Idaho State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Rob Phenicie, the Bengals finished at 1–10 (1–7 in Big Sky, twelfth) and played their home games on campus at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho.

2021 Idaho State Bengals football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	1–10 (1–7 Big Sky)
Head coach	Rob Phenicie (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Ferriter (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Roger Cooper (6th season)
Home stadium	Holt Arena
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 10 Sacramento State $^		8	–	0					9	–	3
No. 2 Montana State ^		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 7 Eastern Washington ^		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 6 Montana ^		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 17 UC Davis ^		5	–	3					8	–	4
Weber State		5	–	3					6	–	5
Northern Arizona		4	–	4					5	–	6
Portland State		4	–	4					5	–	6
Idaho		3	–	5					4	–	7
Northern Colorado		2	–	6					3	–	8
Cal Poly		1	–	7					2	–	9
Idaho State		1	–	7					1	–	10
Southern Utah		0	–	8					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

After being shut out at home by intrastate rival Idaho in the season finale on November 20, Phenicie was fired with a cumulative record of 16–35 (.314).^[1]

Preseason

Polls

On July 26, 2021, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Bengals were predicted to finish ninth in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.^[2]

Coaches poll

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Weber State	(7)
2	Montana	(3)
3	Eastern Washington	(2)
4	Montana State	(1)
5	Sacramento State	(1)
6	UC Davis
7	Northern Arizona
8	Idaho
9	Idaho State
10	Portland State
11	Southern Utah
12	Cal Poly
13	Northern Colorado

Media poll

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Weber State	(14)
2	Montana	(4)
3	Eastern Washington	(3)
4	Montana State	(3)
5	Sacramento State
6	UC Davis
7	Northern Arizona
8	Idaho
9	Idaho State
10	Portland State
11	Southern Utah
12	Northern Colorado
13	Cal Poly

Preseason All–Big Sky team

The Bengals had one player selected to the preseason all-Big Sky team.^[3]

Offense Tanner Conner – WR

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	1:00 p.m.	No. 8 North Dakota*	Holt Arena Pocatello, ID	ESPN+	L 14–35	4,667
September 11	8:30 p.m.	at Nevada*	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	Stadium	L 10–49	23,965
September 25	1:00 p.m.	Sacramento State	Holt Arena Pocatello, ID	ESPN+	L 21–23	5,997
October 2	2:00 p.m.	at Northern Arizona	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	ESPN+	L 17–48	9,713
October 9	1:00 p.m.	No. 7 UC Davis	Holt Arena Pocatello, ID	ESPN+	W 27–17	5,206
October 16	3:05 p.m.	at Portland State	Hillsboro Stadium Hillsboro, OR	ESPN+	L 10–31	1,809
October 23	1:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Montana State	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	SWX/ESPN+	L 9–27	19,297
October 30	1:00 p.m.	No. 23 Weber State	Holt Arena Pocatello, ID	ESPN+	L 17–40	2,500
November 6	1:30 p.m.	at No. 15 (FBS) BYU*	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	BYUtv/ESPN3	L 14–59	63,470
November 13	6:05 p.m.	at Cal Poly	Alex G. Spanos Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	ESPN+	L 29–32	5,651
November 20	1:00 p.m.	Idaho	Holt Arena Pocatello, ID (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 0–14
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

^[4]

Game summaries

No. 8 North Dakota

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Fighting Hawks	7	3	14	11	35
Bengals	0	7	0	7	14

See also: 2021 North Dakota Fighting Hawks football team

At Nevada

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	7	0	3	0	10
Wolf Pack	14	7	7	21	49

See also: 2021 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

Sacramento State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	7	7	6	3	23
Bengals	7	14	0	0	21

See also: 2021 Sacramento State Hornets football team

At Northern Arizona

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	7	0	3	7	17
Lumberjacks	3	20	15	10	48

See also: 2021 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team

No. 7 UC Davis

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Aggies	0	3	0	14	17
Bengals	14	10	0	3	27

See also: 2021 UC Davis Aggies football team

At Portland State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	7	0	3	10
Vikings	17	7	7	0	31

See also: 2021 Portland State Vikings football team

At No. 8 Montana State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	3	0	3	3	9
No. 8 Bobcats	0	10	3	14	27

See also: 2021 Montana State Bobcats football team

No. 23 Weber State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Wildcats	10	7	10	13	40
Bengals	0	10	7	0	17

See also: 2021 Weber State Wildcats football team

At No. 15 (FBS) BYU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	7	7	0	14
No. 15 (FBS) Cougars	21	21	7	10	59

See also: 2021 BYU Cougars football team

At Cal Poly

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	7	7	0	15	29
Mustangs	7	7	12	6	32

See also: 2021 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

Idaho

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vandals	14	0	0	0	14
Bengals	0	0	0	0	0

See also: 2021 Idaho Vandals football team and Battle of the Domes

References

1. 406mtsports.com. "Idaho State fires Rob Phenicie, former Montana offensive coordinator, after five seasons". 406 MT SPORTS. Retrieved December 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2. "Bengals Picked 9th in Preseason Polls". July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
3. "Conner Named to the Preseason All-Big Sky Team". isubengals.com. July 26, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
4. "2021 Idaho State Football Schedule". isubengals.com. Retrieved July 28, 2021.