LAST TIME OUT

Idaho opened Thursday with a 45-0 win over third-year Division I program North Dakota at the Kibbie Dome, the Vandals’ home stadium in Moscow, Idaho.

Quarterback Nathan Enderle completed 23 of 37 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown, and senior safety Shiloh Keo played a part in three turnovers in the red zone, intercepting a pass, recovering a fumble and causing another.

Idaho, capitalizing on momentum from an 8-5 season and a Humanitarian Bowl win over Bowling Green in coach Robb Akey’s second year, led 17-0 at halftime in the opener and scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to put things out of reach.

Junior running back Princeton McCarty rushed for 89 yards on 12 carries, and classmate Kama Bailey added 50 yards on the ground.

THE QUARTERBACK

Nebraskans know him well.

Enderle starred at North Platte, throwing for nearly 1,500 yards as a senior. He performed well at the Huskers’ camp but committed early to Idaho and actually rebuffed the Huskers late in the recruiting process after Josh Freeman left the class for Kansas State.

The 6-foot-5, 233-pound senior returned to Moscow this fall for his fourth year as the starting QB. He began the year ranked sixth in completions and yardage in school history.

Enderle returned from missing two games with a shoulder injury last year to lead the Vandals to their second postseason win ever, a 43-42 thriller over Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Enderle directed a touchdown drive over the final 34 seconds and connected on a two-point conversion pass for the win. He ranked second nationally last year in yardage per pass completion (9.31) and fifth in passing efficiency.

THE COACH

Akey has engineered quite a turnaround at Idaho, taking the Vandals to the second bowl game in school history last season. Idaho won just two games in 2008, his first year, and one the year before his arrival.

The 44-year-old Weber State graduate, is 12-26 overall at Idaho after coaching at Washington State for the previous eight years — the last four as defensive coordinator.

Akey, who replaced Dennis Erickson in Moscow, also made stops as an assistant at Northern Arizona and Weber State.

Despite the success, Akey’s defense struggled last year, ranking 114th nationally in scoring defense (36 points per game), 116th in pass efficiency defense and 107th in defending the rush. After a 6-1 start, four of the Vandals’ final six opponents topped 40 points, including a 70-spot by Nevada and 63 points by Boise State.

No doubt, defensive improvement ranks as a priority for Akey. The Vandals are off to a good start, posting their first shutout since before the program began play in the WAC in 2005.

OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE

The capacity of the Kibbie Dome is 16,000, the second-smallest stadium in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Vandals won their opener before a crowd of 11,466, barely more than one-eighth the figure that will watch Saturday at Memorial Stadium against Nebraska.

Think it doesn’t matter?

Idaho has lost 20 straight games against BCS conference schools by an average of nearly 30 points. Last year, the Vandals lost 42-23 at Washington. Two years ago, it was 70-0 at Arizona in the season opener. Perhaps they’re just overmatched, and the venue has nothing to do with it. Regardless, it doesn’t bode well for Idaho’s first meeting ever with the Huskers, though the Vandals represent a marked improvement over Western Kentucky, and Enderle is an intriguing visitor with an NFL-caliber arm.

— Mitch Sherman

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share