Vandals try to end season on positive note

There is a sizable chasm between the Western Athletic Conference football haves and have-nots. The top four is established with Fresno State, Boise State, Nevada and Louisiana Tech, a combined 23-3 in WAC games.

Hawaii, at 4-4, is perfectly situated in the middle. And then there are four teams that are trying to make a modest move up the standings. Two of those stragglers, Idaho and San Jose State, wrap up their seasons today at 3 at Spartan Stadium.

The Vandals (2-8, 2-5 WAC) are guaranteed no worse than a sixth-place finish in the standings, which is higher than the preseason pollsters that picked Idaho for last place (ninth). A win today leaves Idaho alone in sixth. A loss creates a sixth-place tie with San Jose State (2-8, 1-6) and possibly Utah State (2-8, 1-6), which faces winless New Mexico State (0-11, 0-7).

“You always want to finish with a win and play really good,” UI coach Nick Holt said. “We’ve been doing some good things offensively the last month. We’ve been more productive. If you’re doing things correctly you should get better at the end of the season.”

Holt took himself and his offensive coaches to task for their play-calling in a 70-35 loss to Boise State last Saturday. Steve Wichman attempted 61 passes, more than double Idaho’s 30 rushing plays. When the air game stalled, the score went from 21-21 to 56-21 in a hurry.

“Late in the third quarter we started throwing on every snap and we can’t do that,” Holt said. “That’s why it got out of hand. The clock never went anywhere. We made it bad on ourselves.”

Tracy Ford, who is listed at 168 pounds and started the season at wide receiver, has provided a boost to Idaho’s sputtering ground game. He ran for 79 yards and two touchdowns against BSU. Ford also had five receptions.

“We’re trying to get the ball in the hands of our best personnel,” said Holt, who added that freshman Jason Brown should see more time today. “Actually, we need to get him the ball more.”

San Jose State broke into the WAC win column with a 27-10 victory over New Mexico State last week. Only 6,985 watched Dick Tomey pick up his 160th career win, eighth among active I-A coaches.

San Jose State has posted losing records 12 of the last 13 seasons.

“We’ve tried to work very hard in all aspects, but we’ve tried to work really hard on our attitude,” Tomey said. “As your program develops and you get a chance to recruit, you get a chance to affect the physical aspect.”

The Spartans, who toppled Eastern Washington 35-24 in the season opener, have been fairly productive on offense. They’ve rushed for at least 160 yards the last four games. Sophomore Yonus Davis, who was benched at midseason, has 438 yards the last four games. He had an 84-yard touchdown run against the Aggies. He’s averaging 6.7 yards per attempt.

Sophomore Adam Trafalis threw for 222 yards against New Mexico State. Rufus Skillern has four 100-yard receiving games. Tight end Bryan Watje, who is third in receptions, is another threat.

San Jose State has been stout against the run – allowing 3.4 yards per attempt – but pass defense (115th) has been an issue. Six opponents have passed for more than 300 yards.