MOSCOW, Idaho - When Fresno State arrives in Moscow Friday afternoon for Saturday's Western Athletic Conference showdown with the Idaho Vandals, it will have the nation's top running back in its offensive cache.

"The cat runs hard," Idaho coach Robb Akey said of the Bulldogs' Ryan Mathews, who averages 164.5 yards per outing. "That's the first thing you notice when you look at him. He runs hard. He has a very good burst and he has a physical way about him.

"You just have to understand, the guy is going to make some runs."

Akey, however, knows the Vandals (7-2, 4-1 in the WAC) have their own set of weapons - offensively and defensively, when they take on the Bulldogs (5-3, 4-1) in the nationally televised ESPNU game. Kickoff at the Kibbie Dome is 7:30 p.m.

"It's going to be a physical, get-after-it game," Akey said. "They're going to make plays and we're going to make plays."

The Vandals have worked their way into bowl eligibility for the first time since 1998 with a balanced attack that features quarterback Nate Enderle and a crew of 13 players who have caught at least one pass. Senior Max Komar is having one of the best seasons by a Vandal receiver in the past decade. With three regular-season games left, he has 50 catches for 807 yards. He's not Enderle's only target. Daniel Hardy has 25 receptions for 413 yards, while Eric Greenwood has 29 for 382. Preston Davis' 25 catches have netted 296 yards and Maurice Shaw has 360 yards on 16 receptions.

Enderle's effectiveness has been moving the Vandals. His efficiency rating is second in the WAC and 10^th in the country and his average of 267.1 passing yards is tops in the league.

That air attack is balanced with a ground attack that features the trio dubbed the "three-headed monster" in senior DeMaundray Woolridge, junior Deonte Jackson and sophomore Princeton McCarty. Woolridge leads the WAC in scoring with 14 touchdowns and is the Vandals' No. 1 rusher with 61.6 yards per game but McCarty - at 52.1 per game, and Jackson - 36.1 per game and a 1,000-plus rusher as a freshman, have made their marks.

Idaho's defense is anchored by the WAC's top tackler in safety Shiloh Keo, who averages 9.78 per game. It is the Vandals ability to hold against the run that will be tested.

"Our run defense against their run offense," Akey said when asked of the key. "But, certainly, if you're looking at individuals we have to do the best we can to keep Mathews' big plays to a minimum. That's very, very, very important."

But ...

"You really can't make football an individual game," he added. "That's what our team has been. It's been team wins that we've been able to get it done. Our team has found a way to respond. There's only one statistic that really matters and that's the win-loss column."