The University of Idaho football team had better use every page of that silver-and-gold playbook this weekend.
Especially that part labeled "special teams."
The Vandals' opponent at 10:30 a.m. Saturday will be the University of Nebraska, which returns 10 offensive starters and darn near every single skill-position player from the 2009 campaign.
Cornhuskers quarterback Taylor Martinez, a freshman, led a 49-10 romp in Week 1, completing 9 of 15 passes for 136 yards and rushing for 127 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries.
What's more, UN's defense is probably more dangerous than its offense.
The Vandals have a plentiful bundle of talented playmakers as well, but to have any chance of upsetting a top 10 team on the road — in front of more than 80,000 people — they'll need to be used in very creative ways — plays that squeeze every last drop of potential out of each drive.
UI would be crazy to line up and attempt straight-up smash-mouth football this Saturday. DeMaundray Woolridge is nowhere to be found, and Mike Iupati isn't walking through that lockerroom door.
But the Vandals might be able to put together some substantial put and kick returns and surprise the Cornhuskers with some timely reverses and gadget plays. They've got the practitioners to pull it off.
Receivers Eric Greenwood and Preston Davis are too valuable in their roles — jump-ball artist and No. 1 downfield threat, respectively — to be messing around with on special teams, but what about sophomore Justin Veltung, who emerged with an explosive game last week? Junior-college transfer Armauni Johnson and Maurice Shaw have the speed and athleticism to contribute in this regard as well.
Predicting special-teams success is no science, but UI has plenty of potential to provide some electrifying big plays.
It might be their best chance to hang around with the Cornhuskers — Unless the Vandals have a fleet-footed 245-pound running back I don't know about.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Must we resort to bribes?
11,466.
The attendance at last Thursday's home opener for the University of Idaho football team was shockingly low, especially considering that the "We never have a chance to win" argument is completely shot at this point. Coming off an 8-5 season, with a bowl win in their quiver, the Vandals are primed to come out firing on both offense and defense this season.
The "Labor Day weekend" excuse, while semi-valid in a small college town such as Moscow, doesn't cut it, either. Not when you look at: A) The amount of people from Boise to the Canadian border who cheer for the Vandals, and B) the game of football's fairly recent status upgrade to "the national pastime."
If Idaho fans wonder why the Mountain West Conference won't invite the Vandals and rescue them from a soon-defunct league, look no further than 11,466. The number is the stuff of a Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) program.
Any ideas for selling out the Kibbie Dome? Here are a few from an impromptu brainstorm:
—— Unique giveaways:
—— Set up a press conference for Karl Benson, Western Athletic Conference commissioner, after the game. The catch? He'd be hooked up to a lie-detector test.
"People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."
The attendance at last Thursday's home opener for the University of Idaho football team was shockingly low, especially considering that the "We never have a chance to win" argument is completely shot at this point. Coming off an 8-5 season, with a bowl win in their quiver, the Vandals are primed to come out firing on both offense and defense this season.
The "Labor Day weekend" excuse, while semi-valid in a small college town such as Moscow, doesn't cut it, either. Not when you look at: A) The amount of people from Boise to the Canadian border who cheer for the Vandals, and B) the game of football's fairly recent status upgrade to "the national pastime."
If Idaho fans wonder why the Mountain West Conference won't invite the Vandals and rescue them from a soon-defunct league, look no further than 11,466. The number is the stuff of a Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) program.
Any ideas for selling out the Kibbie Dome? Here are a few from an impromptu brainstorm:
—— Unique giveaways:
- Free copies of Robb Akey's debut self-help DVD, "Talkin' Gruff." Famous guest instructors include Bill Pullman (the "Independence Day" incarnation), Sam Elliot and Brian Dennehy.
- Anthony Thomas bobblehead dolls (the head shakes up and head while the figurine cries "no, we stink"); long, flowing back wigs in honor of ex-Vandal/new San Francisco 49er Mike Iupati; flasks with etchings of Bob Kustra's smug mug.
- Raffle drawings for one free roster spot each week on the Washington State University football team. Might even be a starting role.
—— Set up a press conference for Karl Benson, Western Athletic Conference commissioner, after the game. The catch? He'd be hooked up to a lie-detector test.
"People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
No long-developing routes allowed — Nebraska gameweek
I know, I know. The University of Idaho at The University of Nebraska sounds a bit like a sick joke — even after a very unsettling decade for UN's once proud defense. This unit had shriveled quite a bit amid a slew of losses until two years ago, when the Corhuskers rebounded to place second in the Big 12 in total defense just one season after ranking 112th nationally.
Then last year the defense improved even more, holding opponents to a nation-best 10.4 points per game. Paltry.
And UI's bread and butter, the passing game? While the Vandals averaged 287 yards per game through the air in 2009, Nebraska allowed a very, very minimal 179 receiving yards per game.
With Preaseason Big 12 First-Team All-Conference selection Jared Crick helming a talented defensive line, don't expect Princeton McCarty and Deonte' Jackson to gouge the Cornhuskers for big chunks of yardage on the ground. Also, don't expect the inexperienced offensive line to keep UI quarterback upright for the bulk of the day.Then last year the defense improved even more, holding opponents to a nation-best 10.4 points per game. Paltry.
And UI's bread and butter, the passing game? While the Vandals averaged 287 yards per game through the air in 2009, Nebraska allowed a very, very minimal 179 receiving yards per game.
Instead, the Vandals need to find a way to get the ball to their best asset — their enormous, speedy receiving corps — quickly. No long-developing routes allowed.
UN has one Preseason Big-12 All-Conference performer in the secondary, but it's also without injured junior cornerback Anthony Blue, who figured to be a key nickel back for the Cornhuskers.
If Enderle can get his targets involved with timely slants and quick dump-offs in the flat, there's a chance UI can build the consistent passing they need to win in Lincoln.
A tiny chance, but a chance indeed.
Monday, September 6, 2010
No eclairs, just turnovers — Nebraska gameweek
The unranked University of Idaho football team has a tall task ahead this Saturday, as they'll visit the University of Nebraska Cornhuskiers — a team with five national titles that is ranked in the top 10 nationally this year.
On the surface this figures to be like every other Vandal game we've seen against a big-time foe: lopsided loss, horrible for program morale, injuries aplenty and gnashing of teeth.
So what's going to make the outcome better this time? Maybe nothing, but if anything, turnovers is one of the best bets. In 2009, UN's two losses to unranked teams were marked by giveaways and really poor offensive performances.
Iowa State defeated the Cornhuskers 9-7 — sounds like a perfect time for a nap — mostly because of eight turnovers, including five lost fumbles. A week earlier UN lost 31-10 to Texas Tech, turning the ball over twice and managing just 285 yards.
UI's still-emerging defense — even that is probably more of a "glass half full" description of this unit — probably won't shut down the UN offense. But turnovers can happen any way, any time — especially in the presence of senior talent/leadership.
Enter Shiloh Keo and JoJo Dickson. On Thursday versus The University of North Dakota — the poor, poor, poor, VERY poor man's Cornhuskers — Keo and Dickson each picked off a pass, and the former forced and recovered a fumble. And we know from many previous games during their tenure that their penchant for ball thievery is no anomaly.
Turnovers are practically impossible to predict, mostly because many of them are plain, dumb luck. But I'd take plain, dumb luck over a 56-point drubbing, wouldn't you?
On the surface this figures to be like every other Vandal game we've seen against a big-time foe: lopsided loss, horrible for program morale, injuries aplenty and gnashing of teeth.
So what's going to make the outcome better this time? Maybe nothing, but if anything, turnovers is one of the best bets. In 2009, UN's two losses to unranked teams were marked by giveaways and really poor offensive performances.
Iowa State defeated the Cornhuskers 9-7 — sounds like a perfect time for a nap — mostly because of eight turnovers, including five lost fumbles. A week earlier UN lost 31-10 to Texas Tech, turning the ball over twice and managing just 285 yards.
UI's still-emerging defense — even that is probably more of a "glass half full" description of this unit — probably won't shut down the UN offense. But turnovers can happen any way, any time — especially in the presence of senior talent/leadership.
Enter Shiloh Keo and JoJo Dickson. On Thursday versus The University of North Dakota — the poor, poor, poor, VERY poor man's Cornhuskers — Keo and Dickson each picked off a pass, and the former forced and recovered a fumble. And we know from many previous games during their tenure that their penchant for ball thievery is no anomaly.
Turnovers are practically impossible to predict, mostly because many of them are plain, dumb luck. But I'd take plain, dumb luck over a 56-point drubbing, wouldn't you?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Reasonable goals and delicious dreams
The Vandals' 2010 football season is off to an excellent start, but how will the rest of the season progress? Here are some best-case scenarios — some reasonable and some ridiculous.
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— Bob Kustra is red in the face as the injury-thinned That Team
From Boise — missing integral cogs such as Kellen Moore and Jeron
Johnson — loses 45-42 to the Vandals in an epic shootout. The
entire state south of McCall literally implodes as the gameclock
hits 00:00.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— Bob Kustra attends the Idaho vs. That Team From Boise game in
Moscow but is removed from the stadium at halftime after security
guards discover he has three full flasks stuffed in his overcoat
pockets.
Oh yeah, and UI wins 48-34.
-----
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— Senior defensive linemen Aaron Lavarias and Jonah Sataraka
finally take some pressure off the long-maligned UI secondary,
leading a front seven that accumulates 25 sacks and
holds opposing defenses to fewer than 20 points per game.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— Senior defensive linemen Aaron Lavarias and Jonah Sataraka do
enough damage against Nebraska's offensive line to hold the
Cornhuskers to 10 points on Sept. 11, and an Armauni Johnson
kickoff return for touchdown and Shiloh Keo punt return for
touchdown spearhead a 14-10 victory.
Fans from the northwest celebrate afterward with a corn feed the
likes of which no one has ever seen.
-----
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— The continued development of UI's receivers offsets the
inexperience of the offensive line, allowing quarterback Nathan
Enderle to compile statistics similar to those from his 2009
campaign.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— Returning starter Matt Cleveland dominates, making Mike Iupati
look like Mike Myers, and the former's leadership ignites
impressive success amid the entire offensive line. Running backs
Princeton McCarty and Deonte' Jackson each rush for more than 800
yards.
-----
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— A 3-2 nonconference record — sorry, I'm not predicting a victory in Lincoln — and 5-3 conference record make the Vandals 8-5 and bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— UI shocks the country with a 14-0 record and a third-place finish in the final AP poll. Yet some of the luster of the accomplishment fades when, at the 2011 "ESPY Awards" show, the presenter refers to them as "those guys who wore the pants with the huge 'I' on the butt." Drat.
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— The Western Athletic Conference is able to stay alive by drawing a couple very good Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA, to us sane people) program. The Vandals live to fight another day in big-boy football.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
—The Mountain West Conference, in efforts to sustain to expand to 12 teams and keep a travel-friendly in-state rivalry together, invite UI and (insert name of another team here). Despite their embarrassingly small stadium — which they can't consistently fill — and less-than-ideal recruiting situation, the Vandals overcome all odds to win the MWC in their rookie season. Afterward Kustra searches for a Dumpster to hide in.
It's fun to dream. But the good news is that even some of the more attainable goals for the 2010 season would be pretty sweet.
Who's up for another bowl?
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— Bob Kustra is red in the face as the injury-thinned That Team
From Boise — missing integral cogs such as Kellen Moore and Jeron
Johnson — loses 45-42 to the Vandals in an epic shootout. The
entire state south of McCall literally implodes as the gameclock
hits 00:00.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— Bob Kustra attends the Idaho vs. That Team From Boise game in
Moscow but is removed from the stadium at halftime after security
guards discover he has three full flasks stuffed in his overcoat
pockets.
Oh yeah, and UI wins 48-34.
-----
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— Senior defensive linemen Aaron Lavarias and Jonah Sataraka
finally take some pressure off the long-maligned UI secondary,
leading a front seven that accumulates 25 sacks and
holds opposing defenses to fewer than 20 points per game.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— Senior defensive linemen Aaron Lavarias and Jonah Sataraka do
enough damage against Nebraska's offensive line to hold the
Cornhuskers to 10 points on Sept. 11, and an Armauni Johnson
kickoff return for touchdown and Shiloh Keo punt return for
touchdown spearhead a 14-10 victory.
Fans from the northwest celebrate afterward with a corn feed the
likes of which no one has ever seen.
-----
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— The continued development of UI's receivers offsets the
inexperience of the offensive line, allowing quarterback Nathan
Enderle to compile statistics similar to those from his 2009
campaign.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— Returning starter Matt Cleveland dominates, making Mike Iupati
look like Mike Myers, and the former's leadership ignites
impressive success amid the entire offensive line. Running backs
Princeton McCarty and Deonte' Jackson each rush for more than 800
yards.
-----
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— A 3-2 nonconference record — sorry, I'm not predicting a victory in Lincoln — and 5-3 conference record make the Vandals 8-5 and bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
— UI shocks the country with a 14-0 record and a third-place finish in the final AP poll. Yet some of the luster of the accomplishment fades when, at the 2011 "ESPY Awards" show, the presenter refers to them as "those guys who wore the pants with the huge 'I' on the butt." Drat.
Reasonable best-case scenario:
— The Western Athletic Conference is able to stay alive by drawing a couple very good Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA, to us sane people) program. The Vandals live to fight another day in big-boy football.
Unrealistic best-case scenario:
—The Mountain West Conference, in efforts to sustain to expand to 12 teams and keep a travel-friendly in-state rivalry together, invite UI and (insert name of another team here). Despite their embarrassingly small stadium — which they can't consistently fill — and less-than-ideal recruiting situation, the Vandals overcome all odds to win the MWC in their rookie season. Afterward Kustra searches for a Dumpster to hide in.
It's fun to dream. But the good news is that even some of the more attainable goals for the 2010 season would be pretty sweet.
Who's up for another bowl?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Gaudy first-game statistics difficult to ignore
What it lacked in discernible meaning it made up for with impressive statistics.
The University of Idaho football team beat up on lower-division opponent North Dakota tonight, which basically amounted to what a Football Bowl Subdivision is expected to do. Still, it's tough to ignore the gaudy numbers the Vandals put up in this 45-0 drubbing:
Perhaps more importantly, though, UI showed positive signs in some areas that had been up in the air:
Not even this big blowout was devoid of reasons for concern:
It's on.
The University of Idaho football team beat up on lower-division opponent North Dakota tonight, which basically amounted to what a Football Bowl Subdivision is expected to do. Still, it's tough to ignore the gaudy numbers the Vandals put up in this 45-0 drubbing:
- 547 total yards
- Nathan Enderle: More than 300 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a deep scoring strike of 44 yards
- Princeton McCarty: More than 7 yards per carry and two touchdowns
- Eight players caught at least two passes
- Returning defensive leaders Shiloh Keo and JoJo Dickson each nabbed an interception and ran it back at least 30 yards.
Perhaps more importantly, though, UI showed positive signs in some areas that had been up in the air:
- Junior-college transfer Armauni Johnson proved that all the hype was at least partially warranted. He caught three balls for 86 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown snag. Welcome, Mr. Big Play. Fans need more of that.
- Despite the four sacks sustained by Enderle, the offensive line held up well enough to allow Enderle and backup Reader to complete more than 60 percent of their attempts combined.
Not even this big blowout was devoid of reasons for concern:
- Deonte' Jackson appeared to injure his ankle early on and was a nonfactor for the rest of the game. Not exactly the senior-year beginning I envisioned for him.
- The Vandals were whistled for 12 penalties totaling 110 yards. Hopefully that was simply a product of being too jazzed up for their first real competition of the year.
- UI managed just one sack against a much smaller, far less talented squad — and gave up fairly significant ground success.
It's on.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
One worry vs. North Dakota
University of Idaho football fans can relax a bit Thursday — except maybe in one area.
Unlike a season-opening contest against a big-time program from the Pac-10 or Big 10 — the type of payday game Vandal fans are accustomed to — the game against the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux won't present many challenges. The UI offense's diverse group of skill-position players, led by quarterback Nathan Enderle, should do just fine against this squad that:
A) Was outscored 307 to 250 in 2009 — including 92 to 32 in first quarters.
B) Was awful against the pass a year ago.
C) Is beginning only its third year of Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) status.
Still, if you're searching for a reason to care about Thursday's matchup — other than the excuse to eat your weight in cheese fries at the local sports grill — look no further than the defensive line, especially its interior. This unit's performance could speak volumes about the coming season.
UI is at the point in its program where it needs to truly dominate any FCS opponent — especially one coming off a 6-5 record and with only six returning starters on offense. What's more, the Vandals need to have success against even the strengths of a given FCS team — in this case, the running game.
The most intriguing part of UND's team is its backfield. Returning starter Mitch Sutton has good size and rushed for 689 yards on 4.6 yards per attempt. He was the Great West Conference Rookie of the Year and a Great West All-Conference First-Teamer.
But Sutton's probably not even the best runner on the squad. Josh Murray, a junior who missed 2009, led the Sioux with 1,146 yards on just 188 carries in 2008, scoring 12 touchdowns in the process.
The Vandals have plenty of experience and size on the defensive line, and athleticism to burn amid the linebackers. If they don't shut down UND's running game, there may be reason for concern.
After all, the UI defense has improved over the past couple years, but there's a lot more work to do before fans can stop holding their breath on a weekly basis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)