Idaho senior starting cornerback Isaac Butts did not travel to Louisiana Tech last week and will not play the rest of the season, coach Robb Akey said this morning. Akey declined to give details on Butts' departure. "That’s between me, him and this football team, but he won’t be playing this season," Akey said.

Keep reading for more from Akey's Monday morning media sessions.

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Here is the Cliff Notes' version of Akey's teleconferences:

• Wide receiver Maurice Shaw did not play Saturday. He was suspended after being arrested for driving under the influence. "He will (play) again at some point in time," said Akey, adding that Shaw has to take care of things for himself and his teammates. "(That is) a man that's learned a heck of a lesson."
• Akey said starting jobs -- beyond Butts' -- could be up for grabs. "There could be shakeups in the lineup this week, or some guys could take notice and get a grip on things. ... That could go either way." Earlier he added, "This whole team, one of the things that we talked about it is being accountable with your position, your job."
  
• On receiver Justing Veltung, who started for Shaw: "He’s played a tremendous game. As we talked over the course of the season, we’ve talked about getting him involved more. ... He’s been a guy that we’ve had a lot of plans on. I was happy to see him perform like he did."
• Akey said the defense has been "dominant" at times, specifically against UNLV and Western Michigan. But on other occasions, like Saturday, it hasn't played in the right frame of mind or with enough confidence. "When we play physical and we play flying around with confidence, we’re good. … When we don’t play that way, that has been when we have not performed well."
• On giving up big plays on third downs: "We need to tackle better. We need to get guys stopped on third down like we are on first and second downs. We’ve had two performances that haven’t been anywhere near the standards we expect."
  
• On bringing in backup Brian Reader with Nate Enderle shaken up, then bringing in Reader again with the game out of hand: "It’s very simple. We’ve got two very good quarterbacks. Nate is our starting quarterback. I put him back in the game because he’s our starting quarterback."
• On whether Saturday vs. New Mexico State is a must-win: "I don’t know what a must-win means, because every game is a must win. I look at every game we play — we must win this football game. It’s the only game we get to play this week."
• On playing on the road: "(Opposing fans) are telling you you’re No. 1, but there using a different finger if you know what I’m saying?"
  
  
  
  
  
  

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