Idaho football coach Robb Akey addressed the media this morning, a day before the Vandals take the field for the first of 15 spring practices. We have our spring preview after the jump, with the key story lines to follow.

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If you're wondering, the Vandals will be inside the Kibbie Dome to start spring, thanks to the big snowfall the Palouse got on Wednesday morning. "I wanted to go somewhere warm for spring break and didn’t get that pulled off," Akey said, "so if it’s going to be like it is today, we’re going to go 75 and sunshine in the dome. ... If it’s a decent, yes, I want to be outside. But if it’s going to detract from having a great practice and learning and teaching well, we’ll go inside. That’s one of the beautiful things about being a dome team."

Akey said the Vandals will have "underwear practices" on Thursday and Friday, and the first day in pads will be Saturday. Next week they'll start the Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday routine, with scrimmages capping each week.

Here's our preview:

By Josh Wright
Correspondent

MOSCOW, Idaho – Entering spring football practice with a work-in-progress approach is nothing new at Idaho. For coach Robb Akey, it’s part of developing a long-suffering program.


But unlike the past few years, when UI had relative stability at quarterback and among its coaches, this spring feels different.

The first of 15 practice sessions for the Vandals is today at 3 p.m. in the Kibbie Dome. After a two-win season last year and major changes in the offseason, Idaho has unanswered questions at almost every position on offense – and yet-to-be-filled spots on its offensive staff.

Here are the key story lines to follow for UI throughout spring, which culminates with the Silver and Gold game on April 20.

Who will be quarterback?
    
For the first time in Akey’s six years, Idaho doesn’t have a clear-cut starting QB going into spring. Dominique Blackman and redshirt junior Taylor Davis will compete for the job, while Logan Bushnell will be the third QB.

Davis started three games last year, but completed only 45.2 percent of his passes. Blackman, a 6-foot-5, 253-pound lefthander with two years of eligibility left, sat out 2011 after transferring from Old Dominion.

Neither has an advantage at this point, and Akey said the competition might extend into fall camp if there’s not a discernable favorite by the end of spring.

“I think we’ve got two very talented young men there, both who want this job in a bad, bad way,” he said.

How will Akey’s staff shape up?

Akey announced the hiring of Gordy Shaw as run game coordinator/offensive line coach on Monday, but he still has yet to hire a running backs or receivers coach. One of the vacant spots on his staff will be filled soon, Akey said, while the other is “probably not going to be for quite awhile.”

Jason Gesser was promoted to offensive coordinator/QBs coach and Al Pupunu remains as tight ends coach. But those are the only holdovers among offensive assistants.

Down two coaches in spring, Akey will rely on Gesser, Shaw and Pupunu to oversee a mishmash of position groups.

Who will replace three starters on the O-line?

The Vandals lost starting guard Sam Tupua and tackles Matt Cleveland and Tyrone Novikoff to graduation. And three possible fill-ins – Spencer Beale, Kyle Salm and Ben Westrum – will either be limited or miss spring with injuries.

UI will lean on center Mike Marboe and guard A.J. Jones, as well as veterans Guy Reynolds and Jordan Johnson. Brady Lisoski and newcomer Nick Von Rotz are candidates for starting tackle jobs, while Dallas Sandberg and Cody Elenz have impressed Akey with the gains they’ve made in the weight room.

“We’re going to have a lot of opportunity and a lot of work for this crew this spring,” Akey said. “And obviously that’s going to be very, very important. Just as important as who the starting quarterback is going to be.”

What about the skill positions?

The Vandals lacked explosiveness on offense last year, and they lost two of their key playmakers – Kama Bailey and Princeton McCarty. Akey hopes Ryan Bass, finally healthy after transferring from Arizona State, will emerge at running back to lead a group that includes newcomer James Baker and redshirt freshmen Todd Handley and Justin Parkins.

At receiver, UI will be without top wideout Justin Veltung (turf toe) in spring and slot receiver Marcel Posey (broken wrist) will be limited. Senior-to-be Mike Scott is the top healthy returner.

Can the defense continue its improvement?

By far the most stable unit is Idaho’s defense, which returns all but a few key starters and welcomes back linebacker Robert Siavii and safety Thaad Thompson after yearlong knee injuries.

The strength of the defense should at linebacker and along the line, where the Vandals have depth and experience. Akey also likes UI’s group of safeties.

"The offense gets an opportunity for a fresh start in the grand scheme of things," Akey said. "But yeah, I would like to think (the defense) would be able to hit the floor running."

 

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