Idaho improves, but not there yet

Near the end of postgame interviews after Idaho’s regular-season football finale Nov. 25, head coach Dennis Erickson was asked if rebuilding the Vandals was going to be tougher than he anticipated when he took the job in February.

“Oh yeah,” Erickson said, “I knew it, but I didn’t want to admit it.”

That’s from a coach who won twice as many games in his first season as his predecessor did in 2005.

The Vandals weren’t wildly successful in Erickson’s first season, but they did win four games – two more than last season – and finished in sixth place in the WAC, two rungs higher than preseason pollsters predicted. That’s the good news.

The troubling news is that Idaho was flattened by five opponents – Washington State, Oregon State, Hawaii, Nevada and Fresno State – to the tune of 241-27. While Idaho was in the hunt after winning its first three conference games, it became apparent that was more the result of facing the WAC’s eventual bottom three placers. The Vandals were competitive with Boise State and San Jose State, but they were hammered by three other WAC upper-echelon teams.

“When you end up losing like we’ve lost over the years, it takes a lot more time than you would expect,” Erickson said. “My expectations were to come in and do better than we did. It’s about trying to change the attitudes here. We’ve got to continue to recruit and get the right guys and then, of course, the facilities thing. Rob (Spear, athletic director) is working his rear end off trying to get that done but it’s still a ways away.”

Erickson said he will evaluate current players to determine their commitment level. He said the off-season “is going to be interesting, it really is.” He felt more players should have stayed in Moscow last summer.

“We’ve got to make a total commitment to get it done and we are,” he said. “Those who don’t want to make that commitment, that’s fine, but we’re going to play guys that want to make that commitment as time goes on in this program.”

Idaho’s defense relied heavily on linebacker David Vobora and cornerback Stanley Franks. Vobora was second nationally in solo tackles, seventh in total tackles and 14th in tackles for loss. Franks led the country with nine interceptions and was a capable run defender, Erickson said.

Safety Shiloh Keo and end Steve Cameron played well as true freshmen, Erickson said. Middle linebacker Jo Artis Ratti was an impact player, but he missed more than half the season with knee and shoulder injuries.

The defensive line didn’t perform up to expectations. Idaho had just 16 sacks, seven by linebackers. The front needs to play with more consistency, Erickson said.

Among the redshirts that could make an immediate impact on defense are end Aaron Lavarias, cornerbacks General Parnell and Terrance McCoy and linebacker Paul Senescall.

The Vandals will break in a new quarterback when they open the 2007 season against USC. Steve Wichman had just eight touchdown passes and threw 12 interceptions. His completion percentage was just less than 50 percent and his passer rating dropped from 117.3 as a junior to 107.3 as a senior.

Quarterback candidates include rising senior Brian Nooy, junior Chris Joseph and redshirt freshmen Nathan Enderle and Jon Tobin. Idaho wouldn’t mind adding a JC quarterback, but the pickings are slim. A prep recruit is more likely.

“If we started practice, it’d probably be Nooy because he’s the senior, but it’s open,” Erickson said.

Running back Brian Flowers handled the majority of carries as the season wore on. He returns along with Jayson Bird, Tracy Ford and Raymond Fry, who is capable of playing slot receiver, too. Redshirt freshman Andre Harris could be a factor as he returns from a serious neck injury.

Luke Smith-Anderson’s decision to skip his senior season leaves a void at tight end. Eddie Williams and Rolly Lumbala are the top two candidates. Leading receiver Wendell Octave departs. Marlon Haynes, Max Komar, Lee Smith and Tariq Ikharo are the top returners. Erickson was particularly pleased with Komar’s work at slot receiver. Redshirt Cary Jensen-Madison could be in the mix and Idaho will probably look for JC help as well.

Despite losing veteran starters Jade Tadvick and Nate VanderPol, Erickson considers the offensive line one of the team’s strongest returning positions, along with linebacker.

Kicker Tino Amancio and punter T.J. Conley return. There are multiple options for kick and punt returns.

The coaching staff “worked out pretty good,” said Erickson, who added three assistants to six holdovers from Nick Holt’s staff.

Recruiting is Erickson’s immediate priority.

“I always tell my coaches, don’t worry about who you lose because it really doesn’t make any difference,” Erickson said. “Worry about who you get. Make sure the guys you get can play.”