Vandals pass offensive test
MOSCOW, Idaho – True, it was a no-win situation for University of Idaho coach Dennis Erickson Saturday afternoon, but for Vandals football fans the output by the offense was refreshing.
Senior quarterback Steven Wichman led an effort that netted 490 yards through the air and another 150 on the ground. His numbers totaled 190 yards on 13-of-17 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.
Brian Nooy, a junior who returned to camp this fall after missing spring ball, is catching on with 68 yards on 7-of-8 passing with one TD and one interception.
The efficiency was repeated throughout the ranks. Sophomore Chris Joseph was 8 of 11 for 129 yards, true freshman Nate Enderle was 4 of 6 for 52, and Jon Tobin, another true freshman, went 5 of 5 for 51.
“Offensively, it’s the best that we’ve executed since I’ve been here,” Erickson said. “We threw it, we caught it. It was a great day offensively, no doubt about it. We have to play like that.”
Tight end Luke Smith-Anderson, a junior, pulled in five passes for 82 yards to lead a receiving corps that featured 18 players with catches. Transfer Marlon Haynes had five grabs for 74 yards, and Max Komar, a redshirt, had three catches for 72 yards.
That offensive effectiveness had Erickson shaking his head at the defense, which didn’t show the fire that has characterized its play since camp opened.
“On the other side of the coin,” he said, “that’s the worst we’ve looked on defense since I’ve been here. It was not good. That’s something that can’t happen. Whatever it was, we have to get it corrected because you can’t play defense like that and win.”
Players on both sides agreed with their coach, although Wichman said he’ll have plenty to fix once film is evaluated.
“Finally, we executed what needed to get done,” Wichman said. “We looked sharp, but there were still some miss-hits. We want to perfect this. Our goal is to perfect this offense because it’s a great offense to play in. It’s a far-fetched goal, but until we do that we don’t feel like we’ve completely accomplished that.”
Junior linebacker David Vobora was confounded by what transpired during the session.
“To be real honest, from the get go, we came out flat,” he said. “It showed all day on the field. All the way across the board – the line, the linebackers, the secondary. We didn’t tackle real well.”
The players have today off before returning to the field at 4 p.m. Monday.