Like it has done against big-name opponents in the past, Idaho hung with Texas A&M for a while on Saturday evening. But the Aggies had far too many weapons, and the Vandals' offense was far too inept. A&M clobbered UI 37-7 at Kyle Field in College Station.

Read below for reaction from Robb Akey and his crew.

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The Vandals (1-2) mustered 1.9 yards per carry, punted 10 times and had just 187 yards of offense. Those numbers pretty much sum up the offense's frustration against a dominant A&M defense. And because Brian Reader and Co. couldn't get going, Idaho's defense stayed on the field for far too long.

Even still, Akey came away happy with the effort the defense put forth. You can read his quotes here in the AP story and below in the UI media relations story. And here are the complete stats.

Things that stuck to me from the boxscore:

• First, a positive: Mike Scott continues to shine at receiver after walking on this summer. He had eight catches for 97 yards and has now been close to the 100-yard mark in each of the first three games.
• Back to the not-so-good: The Vandals managed three QB hurries but no sacks of Ryan Tannehill.
• UI's ground game once again was a nonfactor -- the club rushed for 56 net yards. Going back to last year, Idaho is starting to look like a club that simply can't manufacture consistent yards on the ground -- not with this group of offensive linemen at least.
• That said, Idaho was without its starting left and right guards, Sam Tupua and Jordan Johnson. A.J. Jones and Guy Reynolds started in their place. ... DE Vince Keener, however, looks like he did see action for the first time this year.
• Penalties were a killer for UI when it came to field position, particularly in the first half. They had nine penalties overall and I believe six before half.
• WR Armauni Johnson had a very quiet night -- one catch for 10 yards.

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The bottom line Saturday night was Texas A&M simply was too much for the Idaho Vandals, who absorbed the 37-7 loss at College Station before the seventh largest crowd in Aggie history – a boisterous, enthusiastic, maroon-clad mass of 86,623.

“They’re a good football team from top to bottom,” coach Robb Akey said. “Their defense is very, very good.”

That was evidenced in the offense’s stats. There wasn’t a third-down conversion until the six-minute mark of the second quarter and through three quarters the Vandals had just 78 yards total offense. At that point, Bobby Cowan already had punted a personal record 10 times but still was shy of the school mark of 12 against Washington State in 2001.

Even in a loss, though, Akey could point to an inspired effort by the defense, which went against a strong, fleet-footed offense a whopping 81 times on an evening that started at a sweltering 88 degrees.

“I am proud of our defensive players,” Akey said. “They spent a lot of time on the field.

“Our players did compete. I like the way they responded to adversity. They responded better than they have all season.”

When Idaho finally did light the scoreboard, it was with 2:18 to play in the game and it was Texan Troy Vital who scored on the one-yard run to cap an 11-play, 73-yard drive. That drive alone was just shy of Idaho’s total offense through the first three quarters.

“They’re a very athletic group,” quarterback Brian Reader said. “They’re one of the fastest teams – biggest, strongest, that I’ve played. We just didn’t do what we needed to do.”

Idaho finished with 187 yards total offense with Mike Scott catching eight passes for the third week in a row and covering 97 yards with them. Defensively, another Texan – Quin Ashley, led the way with 11 tackles, while Homer Mauga and Korey Toomer each had 10. Andre Ferguson added an interception and Aaron Grymes recovered a fumble forced by Tre`Shawn Robinson.

 

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