A favorite on field, but not in game
PULLMAN – Before he became the University of Idaho’s 32nd football coach, Robb Akey was the defensive coordinator at Washington State: an animated, boisterous, emotional defensive coordinator.
Before – and during, actually – his time as defensive coordinator, Akey was the Cougars’ defensive line coach: a caring, demanding, knowledgeable defensive line coach.
So Akey knows most of the WSU defensive linemen as well as anybody, and they know him.
So when he takes the south – if he doesn’t take a wrong turn – sideline at Martin Stadium today, there will be a few guys on the north side who will be rooting for him, if not his team.
“He was such a good coach, he was too good to be an assistant coach,” said senior defensive tackle Aaron Johnson, who spent four years, including his redshirt, matriculating under Akey’s tutelage. “He needed to be a head coach.
“He was one of the guys who recruited me. And he’s got me to where I’m at (today). (But) I’m not even thinking of him, I’m thinking about the guy I’m going against. He’s another coach and we don’t do anything to other coaches.”
Defensive end Lance Broadus is also a senior, but as a junior college transfer, he only had two seasons learning from Akey. But he shares Johnson’s opinion.
“There’s no hard feelings,” he said, when asked about Akey leaving. “He’s a great coach. He will turn that program around. All I can do is speak positive about the man.
“When he was here, he was kind of like a father figure. He let me go back home to watch my son (Jeremiah) get born, so I can’t really say anything bad about the man.”
But he does have some bad intentions.
“I wish him the best – after this game,” Broadus said. “We are out to get him, so I want to have a great game, to let him know he missed out on my senior year. I’m pretty sure, if I get a sack, I might give him a stare or smile at him or something.”
Johnson knows Akey well enough to know, no matter what, there will be an eruption of emotion or two from the UI sideline.
“I’ve been with him for four years. There’s a lot of people who have been here four years, so I’m sure there will be some type of emotion,” Johnson said. “I’m sure he’ll laugh, get mad if we make a big play, but he’s going to be happy for us.”