What we know — and what we want to forget

The University of Idaho football team won't play another game until Oct. 16 at Louisiana Tech — its first Western Athletic Conference matchup. It's a fine time to take a step back and reflect on what we have been happy to learn about the Vandals — and what we would love to forget.

Happy to learn:
1) It's actually possible to rush the passer in Moscow.

But it was beginning to seem unlikely, right? UI's defensive struggles of the past several years are painfully well-known, and last year the Vandals only sacked opposing quarterbacks 15 times in 13 total games. But this year is a totally different story, as they have combined for 17 sacks in only five games.

That's an incredible statistic, but more importantly, it's emblematic of an overarching level of athleticism and intensity that has been absent for a long time. From Aaron Lavarias on the D-line (team-leading 5.5 sacks) to Robert Siavii in the linebacking corps (team-high 7 tackles for loss) to Shiloh Keo (enough said), the Vandals are bringing pressure from front to back — and firing up fans in the process.

2) Nathan Enderle might actually be of the NFL ilk that some pundits have claimed he is.

His numbers are down this year, but take those with a grain of salt. If you take out his misleading five-interception performance against Nebraska, his rather gaudy statistics read as follows:
— 318 passing yards per game
— 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions
— 66 percent of pass attempts completed
(NOTE: The Nebraska game was misleading because: A) The Cornhuskers are perhaps the best defensive team in the country this season, and B) Between the domination of the opposing secondary and the immense struggles of the UI offensive line, Enderle had practically no chance of succeeding in that contest.)

If he continues this pace — something feasible considering the defenses he'll face in the WAC schedule — this will be one of the best offensive performances in Vandal history.

3) High-duality depth isn't a pipe dream.

It's not like UI is bringing former High School All-Americans off the bench, but at least
this year one or two injuries isn't going to make or break the entire season. Nowhere is
this more evident than at the receiver position, where minor injury issues here and there have been dealt with easily. Former nonfactors such as Kama Bailey (11 catches), Armauni Johnson (13 grabs and three touchdowns) and Justin Veltung (three touchdowns and 25 yards per reception) all have contributed a great deal.

Check back here later this week to review some areas the Vandals need to spend a lot of time on during the bye week.