So, in a tradition that has spawned back two years or so, we are trying to go blog swaps with out of conference opponents--and maybe some in-conference games too. The format is simple. We are each other five questions and post them on the other's blog.
Here, we swap posts with Pat Hague of govandals.net, an Idaho site that has excellent content on the Vandals. I'd encourage you to check it out.....and, if you want, you can see how I answered his five questions.
1. Idaho football had some pretty rough years before Akey arrived, had a really nice 09 season and finished just under 500 last year. Do you think the Idaho fan base is satisfied with the vector the program is on?
Yes, most Vandal fans are satisfied with the direction the program is headed. Most Vandal fans are also keenly aware of the work Robb Akey and his staff have done to rebuild this program at the Division 1A (FBS) level. He inherited a program that was reeling, having churned through four head coaches in a four year period. The team had essentially lost all faith in coaching at Idaho, and the program was in desperate need of a complete overhaul.
Coach Akey came in, cleaned house, and rebuilt the program from the ground up. He told the fan base it would take about four years to get the program where it needs to be to compete at this level, and he now has what appears to be a solid program. Going into his fifth year at the helm, Akey has created a “family” environment on a team that, prior to his arrival, had the look of anything but a family. Like any family it isn’t perfect, but it is far better than it was.
The Idaho fan base can now realistically expect the team to compete for bowl invitations on a regular basis, rather than just hoping for a winning record from time to time. This alone is a significant shift in the Idaho program, and can be attributed to what Akey and his staff have accomplished throughout the rebuilding process, and where they have to program headed now.
2. Looking first at the offense...when we played in 09 you had an excellent attack, and last year you scored a little less and were less effective with the run. What do you see for the offense with this year, especially with Enderle gone? Are there high hopes for Ryan Bass?
In 2009 Idaho fans got to see what a good quarterback could do when operating behind an effective offensive line (which included a first round NFL draft pick in Mike Iupati and four seniors across the front), a pounding running attack with many options, and a wide receiving corps that could stretch a field when needed. It was impressive.
Then last year Idaho struggled to move the ball behind a rebuilt and inexperienced offensive line, becoming one-dimensional – abandoning the run and focused almost exclusively on passing the ball.
This year Idaho’s success rests squarely on the shoulders of the offensive line, and it has the markings to be a good unit. Bookended between senior tackles Matt Cleveland (6-4, 310 on the left side) and Tyrone Novikoff (6-7, 314 on the right), the Vandals return four starters across the front line. Senior left guard Sam Tupua (6-2, 334) gives Idaho its most experience inside and an effective punch on the left side, while sophomore right guard Jordan Johnson (6-5, 315), who was thrown into battle last year at Nebraska, picked up valuable experience in five starts on the season. Idaho will break in a rookie this fall, redshirt freshman center Mike Marboe (6-2, 305), but he comes to Idaho highly rated (ranked No.18 high school center by Scout.com) and has been impressive in spring and fall camp. This unit should be more cohesive this fall.
If the line comes together, Idaho has a solid stable of tailbacks with a variety of strengths to again make the running game a key component of the offensive attack. Seniors Princeton McCarty (three years in the starting rotation) and Kama Bailey (a speedy utility man that can line up at tailback or slot) bring a wealth of experience to the backfield and have good speed in the open field. Junior Troy Vital is the wildcard here. He came to Idaho with much hype out of Copperas Cove (Texas) and has been working into the rotation. He’s shed about 20 pounds from his frame this season (now 6-2, 198), so it is uncertain exactly what his role is going into 2011. What we expect, though, is to see more of him this year. And then there is the heralded Ryan Bass, a 4-star prospect as a high school senior who signed with Arizona State and played as a true freshman. This athlete seems to have it all; explosive speed, agility in traffic, good size, and nice vision. We anticipate seeing a lot of Bass this fall, but how the rotation with this entire group plays out remains to be seen.
The passing attack takes on a new complexion this year as QB Brian Reader, a senior, gets his first shot as the starter. He is good and probably would have started sooner had he not been backing up 5th round NFL draft pick Nathan Enderle the last two years. He fully understands the system and his role as a leader on the team, and will have a nice array of targets to throw the ball to this fall. Idaho uses the tightend heavily in the passing attack, and sophomores Taylor Elmo and Mike LaGrone will get plenty of looks. Down the field, speedster Justin Veltung headlines a group that includes proven seniors in Preston Davis and Armauni Johnson. There are also some new faces in the group – led by JC transfer Mike Smith – who could make an impact this fall as well.
The recipe for offensive success for Idaho is fairly simple. If the offensive line is effective, Idaho should have a nice variety of weapons to choose from to have a potent offense again in 2011.
3. Coach Clawson mentioned in his presser this week that the Vandal defense had been improving every year. What can we expect to see? Blitzing? Base defense? Strength stopping the run or the pass?
In the last four years Idaho’s defense has made strides, bringing in and developing better players at each position. But depth was often lacking, and led to frustrating lapses or breakdowns during a game. More to the point, there was a significant drop off from the first to second unit, making Idaho more vulnerable for big plays – as evidenced by what Bowling Green did to Idaho’s defense in 2009.
For 2011 the biggest improvement should be felt on the defensive line. It is too early to tell who will emerge as “the best” along the front, but certainly senior defensive tackle Michael Cosgrove and junior rush end Benson Mayowa have to be at the top of the list. Beyond those two, it isn’t so much who will top the chart at the other DL positions, but the fact that there is the size, strength, and speed throughout the chart to compete. Several of the players expected to make an impact this fall will be young, but they still bring a lot to the table.
Out of Idaho’s base 4-3 alignment, the Vandals like to blitz and showed some interesting packages in spring camp. But so much of that depends on the defensive line being disruptive and taking care of business. If the DL is effective, look for Idaho to focus on stopping the run first with a linebacking unit that is the most veteran on the team. Idaho lost a gem in senior weakside linebacker Robert Siavii who went down for the year with a knee injury in spring camp (he is redshirting this year). But there is strength in this unit, led by senior middle linebacker Tre’Shawn Robinson and senior outside linebackers Homer Mauga, Korey Toomer, and Conrad Scheidt who are explosive to the ball and are effective as a run stoppers.
Where Idaho really needs to improve in 2011 is eliminating the big play. So often in 2010 the Vandals would get opponents into 3rd and long situations, only to give up huge plays, and often through the air. The breakdown would occur in all facets (DL, LB, and DB), but the results were too often disastrous. With two seniors and two juniors set to start at cornerback and safety, Idaho should be better across the board in the defensive backfield. Just as with the defensive line and linebackers, the drop-off from the first to second unit in the backfield should also be less substantial. If the defensive line and linebackers can put on an effective rush, look for Idaho’s defensive backs to press more, show more nickel looks, and keep opposing receivers in front of them.
4. I have seen in some media coverage that Idaho is having some injury issues in camp. Can the Falcons expect to see a Vandal team at full strength?
For whatever reason, Idaho’s spring and fall camps seem to have resulted in more injuries than in years past. During spring Idaho lost it’s top weakside linebacker (Robert Siavii) and also the top free safety (Thaad Thompson). This fall the offensive line has been dealing with its own array of bumps and bruises, with three of Idaho’s top five linemen being held out of contact drills at one point.
But for most of the last two weeks the team has been practicing at full strength. Barring an unforeseen setback, the team is expected to be at full strength for the season opener this Thursday night in Moscow.
5. The WAC has probably undergone as much change as any conference...and will in coming years. What do you see as the future for the WAC
That is a good question, and a difficult one to answer. Depending primarily on whether Texas A&M goes to the SEC or not, the results of that change would like touch off another massive conference realignment waterfall. Depending on the scenario, the WAC could again be forced to bring in more members simply to remain viable. Right now the conference is adding the University of Texas – San Antonio and Texas State as football playing members to replace Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada (all leaving for the MWC after this year). Those two teams will join Idaho, Utah State, New Mexico State, San Jose State, and Louisiana Tech to form a seven-team football conference in 2012 (Seattle University, the University of Texas – Arlington, and the University of Denver also join in 2012 to give the conference 10 basketball members in 2012).
We know that the conference is not done adding new football members, and we anticipate at least two invitations being extended sometime in the next 12 months.
What can – and will – throw a wrench into any WAC expansion plans is another round of major conference realignment. Louisiana Tech is the most eastern member of the conference and would have to be a serious consideration for Conference USA if that conference is raided. Looking more westward, if members are plucked from the Mountain West again (such as Utah to the PAC-12 this year, TCU to the Big East in 2012, and BYU as an independent this year), several WAC schools could again be looked at to fill the void(s).
Until the next round of realignment occurs, we know the Western Athletic Conference will be looking to bolster its own football standing again. They have no alternative.
Although the names of the new institutions are not “house-hold names,” the WAC has tapped into some sales markets with outstanding potential (Dallas, Denver, and Seattle among the top TV markets in the country) to start rebranding the conference. The additions of these large schools (several with enrollments of over 30,000 students) in major cities were made to appeal to the networks and improve the WAC’s TV contract, but also to attract other new members who can further solidify the conference.
Predicting what the WAC membership will look like in five years is a difficult exercise, especially with so much potential change on the table. What we do know is that the conference will continue to adapt to the changes, just as it has since it was formed in 1962.
