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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Rivals Bid Farewell To Big Sky Idaho, Boise State Peaking For Conference Finale

There have been two distinct Boise State chapters in Chris Tormey’s life.

As an Idaho football player in the mid-1970s, Tormey went 1-3 against BSU, suffering a knee injury against the Broncos in 1974 that sidelined him for the ‘75 season because of complications from surgery.

When Tormey was a Vandals defensive line coach under Dennis Erickson, Idaho was 2-0 against BSU, the 1982 win starting a mind-boggling 12 consecutive wins over the Broncos. That streak was finally clipped last year by BSU, 27-24.

The third installment begins today. Tormey, now Idaho’s first-year head coach, and his club meet the rival Broncos at 3:05 in the Kibbie Dome in a game that caps the schools’ long association with the Big Sky Conference.

“There’s so much riding on this game,” Tormey said. “It’s big, large, the biggest game of the year.”

Both schools join the Big West Conference next year. Before going West, 16th-ranked BSU (7-3) wants to return to the Division I-AA playoffs and probably needs a win to do so.

Idaho (5-4), ranked 25th, has a chance at a winning season that many believed unimaginable as late as two weeks ago. Plus, there’s a slim shot at a playoff berth, though the planets would have to fall into proper alignment.

“It’s, do we want to go out with a winning season (6-4)? Or, do we want to be average (5-5)?” asked UI senior offensive guard Mike Hughes. “We want to be winners.”

Wanting and doing, however, are two different things. To be successful, Tormey believes the main priority is harnessing red-hot Boise State quarterback Tony Hilde.

“That guy can beat you by himself, that’s pretty much what happened last year,” Tormey said. “That’s probably my biggest concern, but there are a lot of variables.”

Some of those could be:

Who will establish their running game? The Broncos are using Karlin Adams after recent injuries to Eron Hurley (season-ending) and Tommy Edwards (who has since returned). Adams has done a commendable job rushing and receiving.

But, warns BSU coach Pokey Allen, “Idaho’s front seven is probably the best in the league.

Meanwhile, Idaho true freshman Jerome Thomas generated 122 ground yards last week in his first start.

Who’s hotter? BSU has a five-game winning streak and appears to be meshing, just as it did a year ago when it lost in the I-AA title game. “Right now, we’re playing better (than last year),” Allen raved.

Idaho also is rolling, having beaten two ranked foes on the road the last two weeks. “You can’t evaluate until it’s over,” Tormey said. “If we get a win Saturday, then we can look back and say we came a long way.”

Who’s got the better defense? BSU has been somewhat permissive (372 yards, 23.2 points per game), but has big-play standouts in linebacker Brian Smith and cornerback Rashid Gayle.

“People try to stay away from Rashid,” BSU safety Tim Foley said. “You might beat him once, but he’ll beat you four or five times.”

Idaho’s defense has been out-standing, holding Northern Arizona’s Jeff Lewis and Northern Iowa’s Chris Berg, both among the top six nationally in pass efficiency, to a combined 45-percent completion rate and three interceptions.

Idaho’s last three opponents are 0 for 11 on third-down conversions in the second half. BSU has converted 68 percent of third-down attempts the last three weeks.

Who handles the environment? A crowd of about 16,000 is anticipated and the atmosphere is always intense. It will interesting to see which team plays with controlled emotion and avoids silly penalties.

Notes

BSU only snapped one streak by beating Idaho last year. The Broncos remain winless in Moscow since 1981. … Idaho has injury worries. Cornerback Arnold Gunn (shoulder), running back Lavoni Kidd (knee) and defensive tackle Dan Zeamer (knee) won’t start, but all might play. … About 100 reserve tickets remained as of late Friday afternoon.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Vandals vs. Boise State