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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man with a mission


Idaho Vandals Shiloh Keo, left, and Stanley Franks team up to tackle Southern Cal's Stafon Johnson during a season opener. Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

Shiloh Keo is all about family. Written on the towel tucked into his waistband is “Ohana,” and on the belt that holds up his football pants are “206” and “808.”

Ohana is Polynesian for ‘family’ and the numbers are area codes for northwest Washington and Hawaii where his family lives.

There is no question how the sophomore strong safety feels about his teammates by the way he performs in the black-and-gold uniform of the Idaho Vandals.

When the Vandals travel across the border to face Palouse rival Washington State on Saturday night, Keo will have another reminder, although it won’t be noticeable. Keo has an Archbishop Murphy High School towel to remind him of his coach, Terry Ennis, who died early Wednesday morning in Everett.

Keo said he couldn’t take the new towel on the field because the school colors don’t match, but he would definitely have it to remind him of the Hall of Fame coach who is second in Washington history with 287 wins in 36 seasons.

“He was more of a friend than he was a coach,” said Keo. “He taught me lessons to be a man.”

Because of what Ennis taught him after he transferred from Woodinville, Wash., to play with his cousin Kyle Wilkins, a defensive back at Eastern Washington, to the private school in Everett, Keo should be able to control his emotions when he faces the Cougars.

“He taught me not to be scared, never, ever be scared and rely on your technique,” said Keo. “Technique goes a long way. That’s why I think I was able to start as a freshman. I really paid attention to my technique.”

Keo had an outstanding season as a true freshman. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder earned honorable mention on The Sporting News All-Freshman team after making 72 tackles (second on the team) and breaking up a team-high seven passes.

He is picking up where he left off, opening with 10 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery at top-ranked USC. He added seven tackles and another fumble recovery against Cal Poly. He also plays on several special teams.

Now he’s doing it with 35 more pounds on a 6-foot frame without losing speed.

“Last year I was very happy with my performance,” he said, “(but) I knew it wasn’t going to happen again if I stayed the same.”

Keo lifted weights constantly, but another factor was at work.

“The Hawaiian side of me is to eat … a lot of mayonnaise,” he said. “We call mayonnaise the Polynesian steroid.”

That effort quickly made an impression on the new Vandals coaching staff.

“When I watched the way he practices and with the strength and weight he put on, I want to tell you, no, I’m not surprised,” head coach Robb Akey said. “When you talk about how young he is, you could say I’m surprised.

“This is a guy who took it personal to get better. I see something like that and I expect him to be that good.”

“He’s a special ball player,” said defensive coordinator Mark Criner, who works with the safeties. “He surprised me from the standpoint of how well he picks up football concepts. The biggest thing about playing safety is you have to understand what goes on around you. He understands where all his help is and he understands how to use his help.”

That’s going to be critical against the high-powered Cougars offense.

“We’re going to have to be very technique-sound,” Criner said. “As a collective unit this is probably one of the better units we’re going to face all year. … We can’t give up one that’s going to be an easy throw. We’ve got to make them work hard for what they get, especially with how good the wide receivers are that we’re going to be facing.”

By all accounts, before WSU quarterback Alex Brink got into a rhythm that led to a 469-yard, five touchdown game in a 45-17 win over San Diego State, wideouts Michael Bumpus, Brandon Gibson and Charles Dillon, who had at least 100 yards apiece, made some improbable receptions.

“Some of those catches they made in that San Diego State game were absolutely awesome,” Akey said. “That’s a tremendous challenge. That’s quite a crew right there and they have a veteran quarterback throwing them the ball that knows how to execute that offense.”

Keo, free safety Chris Smith and cornerbacks Stanley Franks and Breyon Williams have made an impression on the Cougars as well.”

“This is the most experienced secondary we’ll play all year,” WSU quarterbacks coach Timm Rosenbach said. “They’re good. Shiloh Keo is a train wreck back there. He hits, he runs, he makes plays, forces fumbles, interceptions. He’s just a great player.”

To give the defensive backs a fair chance to slow down Brink and company Akey knows the defense is going to have to be better.

“We’ve got to do better up in the front, someway,” he said. “We need to help the secondary. Those kids have been doing a nice job, but we need a pass rush.”

Rush or no rush, Keo will be doing his best to honor the man to whom he is now dedicating his season.

“The first thing that comes to my mind is how much of a family member he was in my life,” Keo said of Ennis. “I transferred to that school as a junior. I didn’t know anyone but my cousin. He offered me a place to stay if I needed it, there were some rough times going on (in the family). He was someone I could go to talk to. … He knew me so well … he knew when something was wrong. I just want to thank him for being there.”