MOSCOW, Idaho (Interstat) — Tucker Parks threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Abilene Christian held off a furious Idaho comeback to beat the Vandals 41-39 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at the Kibbie Dome. The Wildcats earned their first victory of the season, improving to 1-3, while Idaho remained winless at 0-4. The game produced 80 points and a back-and-forth finish that kept the crowd in Moscow engaged until the final seconds.

Parks, a 6-foot-2, 202-pound quarterback from Spring, Texas, completed 14 of 21 passes for 148 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed 13 times for 74 yards and a score. Parks led the Wildcats’ offense and was the team’s top star. Abilene Christian also got a pair of touchdown plays from Deonte Dean, who broke free for a 24-yard scoring run and later caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Parks.

The Wildcats’ special teams delivered a jolt as well. Raydrian Baltrip returned a punt 46 yards for a touchdown and finished with three receptions for 20 yards. Larry Benton III caught three passes for 11 yards, Keonde Henry had two catches for 23 yards, Dallas Dudley added a 31-yard reception, and Itty Henry had one catch for six yards. Brandon Perez converted field goals of 31 and 51 yards, helping Abilene Christian answer Idaho’s surges.

Abilene Christian’s defense made enough plays late. Javeon Wilcox recorded 10 tackles. Kortlin Rausaw and Dillon Williams each had eight tackles and one quarterback hurry. Darius Moore and Gabe Brown added six tackles apiece. Boone Morris finished with five tackles, while Obi Udom and Hudson Page each recorded a sack. Deante Lindsay contributed four tackles. The Wildcats bent at times against Idaho’s passing attack but forced the Vandals to settle for a field goal in a crucial second-quarter sequence and came up with stops when needed.

Idaho’s Joshua Wood turned in a prolific performance in defeat. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound quarterback from Graham, Washington, completed 22 of 34 passes for 326 yards and one touchdown. He also ran 13 times for 37 yards and four touchdowns. Wood scored on runs of 1, 2, 9 and 3 yards, keeping the Vandals within striking distance throughout the second half. His final rushing score came with 1:46 remaining, pulling Idaho within two points after a successful extra point.

Tony Harste was Wood’s favorite deep threat, catching six passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. His 47-yard scoring reception in the second quarter gave Idaho a lead at the time. Noah West-Baranco caught six passes for 60 yards. Ryan Jezioro added four receptions for 31 yards. Daveon Superales had three catches for 39 yards and returned a kickoff 22 yards. Marquawn McCraney caught one pass for eight yards, and Lonyatta Alexander Jr. had one reception for six yards. Ferrari Miller rushed six times for 27 yards.

Idaho’s defense was busy against Abilene Christian’s balanced attack. Mitchel Jaskowiak led the Vandals with 10 tackles and half a sack. Cruz Hepburn also had 10 tackles. Nikko Speer and Zach Wusstig each posted nine tackles and one sack. Luke Teskey recorded seven tackles and half a sack. Luca Moore added six tackles. Mason Krahn and Brody Michael each had four tackles. Jerry Allen III had three tackles. Hikifo’Ou Maile, Ryder Bordner and Davon Donaldson each finished with two tackles. The Vandals also got one tackle apiece from Jamarion Augustus, Da’Vaughn Robinson, Mika Roberson, Tyrane Stewart, Frederick Lujan III, Brayden Rice, Ishaan Daniels, Ocean Taufa, La’anui Meyers, Tim Jackson, Khaled Rawls and Hysan Dalton.

The scoring began in the first quarter when Wood capped an Idaho drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Abilene Christian answered on Parks’ 2-yard scoring run. Idaho added a 38-yard field goal by Owen Forsman early in the second quarter. The Wildcats regained the lead on Dean’s 24-yard touchdown run. Idaho then struck through the air when Wood connected with Harste for a 47-yard score. Wood added a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter as the Vandals built momentum.

Abilene Christian responded in the fourth quarter. Perez hit a 31-yard field goal, then connected from 51 yards to tie the game. Parks later found Dean for a 37-yard touchdown that put the Wildcats back in front. Idaho answered with Wood’s 9-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point pass to West-Baranco, trimming the deficit. Wood scored again from 3 yards out with 1:46 left, but the Vandals could not complete the comeback after the extra point. Abilene Christian recovered the ensuing kickoff and ran out the clock.

The victory gave Abilene Christian its first win of the season after losses to Lamar, Texas Tech and Stephen F. Austin. The Wildcats had opened with a 21-14 loss at Lamar, a 33-10 loss at Texas Tech and a 26-7 home loss to Stephen F. Austin. Abilene Christian will host Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 26, before home games against West Florida and Central Arkansas.

Idaho remained winless after previous losses to Cal Poly, Utah and Lamar. The Vandals fell 38-34 at Cal Poly, lost 66-14 at Utah and dropped a 23-17 home decision to Lamar. Idaho is scheduled to host Montana State on Friday, Oct. 2, before road games at Weber State and Montana.

The game at the Kibbie Dome was part of NCAA Football Championship Division play and featured more than 700 yards of combined offense. Abilene Christian finished with enough explosive plays to offset Idaho’s late rally. The Wildcats’ win snapped a three-game skid to open the season and handed Idaho its fourth straight defeat.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Idaho 37, Abilene Christian 36. Interstat’s ELO system gave Idaho a 53.4 percent probability to win.