Fourteen FBS games are on the docket Thursday night to start the college football season, and one of them will take place in the freshly remodeled Kibbie Dome when Idaho and Bowling Green square off at 6.

We've got lots to get to regarding the Vandals below. 

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You can read my preview of the rematch of the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl here. The SR's college and prep football season preview also is out -- here's a look at big Idaho story lines (note: this was written last week before Preston Davis' injury) and here's a feature on Benson Mayowa's speed at defensive end. Mayowa could be a breakout player in the WAC, but the amazing thing about him: he's only played four full seasons of organized football before this year.

My game preview leads with Brian Reader finally taking over Idaho's lead quarterback role, but I want to spend some time on the Vandals' relative youth. Nine true and redshirt freshmen are on the depth chart (including long-snapper Marius Burgsmueller), and seven sophomores are also on the two-deep.

That's nothing compared to Bowling Green (it has 28 underclassmen on its depth chart). But it's pretty clear that Robb Akey and his coaching staff have no qualms rewarding inexperienced players who perform well in practice. Part of this has been driven by injuries; if Robert Siavii, last year's leading tackler, hadn't been lost for the year, redshirt freshman James Randall probably wouldn't be among the top six linebackers. Heck, he still might be at safety, his original position.

Nonetheless, the Vandals are recruiting better, quicker athletes -- or at least more developed athletes -- than they were five years ago when Robb Akey took over for Dennis Erickson. Back then, Idaho had no choice but to play first-year players at positions with no depth. Now, the only true freshmen who play are the ones who are clearly ready to play. Dion Bass, for example, has impressed coaches and players with a physical presence at cornerback for a true freshmen. As starting cornerback Aaron Grymes said, "He’s got a little bit of high school in him still, but as long as he listens to Coach (Mark) Criner … he’s got a lot of potential in him. I see him doing a lot with his years here."

Mike Marboe, meanwhile, has been with the program since the spring of 2010, after he graduated early from his high school in Wenatchee, Wash. He redshirted last year, but he's had a firm hold on the Vandals' starting center job -- a demanding position for a young player to learn -- since the start of fall camp, perhaps longer. Reader quickly gained respect for Marboe in the final spring scrimmage last year when he took over for an injured Clell Hasenbank as starting center -- and played all the second-string reps too. "He played first team and second team the whole scrimmage and just did great," Reader said. "I think that's when he started to figure out the offense. Since then he’s just been hungry to play. … He’s going to emerge as probably one of the best linemen to ever come through here, I think."

Then there's Jesse Davis, a 298-pound redshirt freshman defensive tackle. Davis is from the small town of Asotin, Wash., and when the Vandals first recruited him he was around 215 pounds. Here's how Akey described following Davis' physical development the last three years: "We were in two-a-days prior to his senior year of high school, and I came out of the weight room to go take the practice field. And I did a double-take on this kid that I walked by, because I halfway recognized him and halfway I’m thinking, who in the heck is that? I got out there and asked my recruiting coordinator, Luther Carr, 'Who is the big fella over there?' Well, it was Jesse Davis from Asotin. I said, 'Holy cow. He filled up a little bit more.' So I made sure I got a chance to say hello to him and welcome him aboard. And then he came for his visit, he was even bigger. When he showed up as a freshman, he was even bigger. He was even bigger as he went through that freshman year. And now he’s a big son of a gun."

Davis and Karel Kearney are redshirt freshmen who should play a lot in the interior of the defensive line. Kearney, in fact, has been locked in as a starter since spring camp. But the young linemen are also surrounded by veterans. Senior Michael Cosgrove is a team captain who has started 25 games the past two years. And Mayowa is in his third year. The same goes for Marboe on the offensive line. Matt Cleveland and Tyrone Novikoff are senior starting tackles, and Sam Tupua is another senior at left guard.

So it's not all youth in the trenches for Idaho. But there's a definite young vibe.

Other notes ...

• The Vandals' deep running back group could get lots of action against Bowling Green. The Falcons ranked 112th in rushing defense in 2010, and UI is eager to hash out its four-tailback rotation (Kama Bailey will start). Plus, Idaho might be without top wideout Justin Veltung (turf toe), and Preston Davis (foot) will be out for several weeks. Both were listed as starters on the depth chart to start the week. 
• The Vandals are 6.5-point favorites over BG, a team that won two games last year.
• According to the Idaho ticket office as of Wednesday afternoon, around 10,000 are expected for the game. The Dome seats approximately 16,000 with the new club seating section.
• Reader graduated last fall with a degree in general studies. He's focused on adding minors in psychology and communications the last two semesters, he said. Asked if that makes preparing for football easier, he said, "It does, but I’ve always wanted to be an academic all-WAC. It’s been important in my family."

Follow me on Twitter (@SR_JoshWright) for in-game updates on Thursday and all season.

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