Idaho compiled a 3–5 overall record and lost all but one of its five games in the PCC. The Vandals were led on the field by undersized junior quarterback Wee Willie Smith, then known as "Little Giant" Willis Smith of Boise.[1][2][3] Two years later in 1934, he was a backup in the NFL with the New York Giants in their championship season.
Idaho played a night game in Los Angeles against UCLA on Friday, September 30; rain caused light attendance and a low score.[4] It was part of a Palouse–Los Angeles doubleheader in the Memorial Coliseum that weekend; USC hosted Washington State on Saturday afternoon.[5] The stadium was the prime venue of the Summer Olympics less than two months earlier.
In the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State, the Vandals suffered a fifth straight loss, falling 0–12 at Rogers Field in Pullman on November 5.[6][7] Idaho's most recent win in the series was seven years earlier in 1925 and the next was 22 years away in 1954. For fans from Spokane, a special Northern Pacific train transported fans to Pullman; the round trip fare was two dollars.[8]