UI Coach To Temper Predictions
Idaho coach Chris Tormey, normally unflappable in interview situations, was too pumped for protocol after his Vandals upset Nevada last Saturday.
Five minutes after the clock reached 0:00, Tormey told a Boise TV reporter that if Idaho wins Saturday’s game against Utah State the Vandals are “going all the way to the Las Vegas Bowl, baby.”
“I was pretty excited,” Tormey said somewhat sheepishly on Wednesday, though his excitement was understandable. “I’m not going to make any retractions, but I’m not making any more predictions either.”
No need to, either. Even Utah State coach John L. Smith agreed with Tormey’s assessment.
“If Idaho wins, they’ve gotta feel like nobody can catch them,” he said.
A win would move Idaho to 2-0 in conference with victories over the top two contenders and three games remaining against the league’s also-rans.
The Las Vegas Bowl, televised live by ESPN, is Dec. 19 at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Vandal TV
Utah State coaches were gathered around the TV last Saturday to watch Idaho-Nevada. Many of them, including head coach John L. Smith and assistant head coach Art Valero, were at Idaho before leaving for Logan.
Utah State didn’t play until Saturday night, so the coaches tuned in to UI’s afternoon game.
“Anytime anybody’s playing Boise or Nevada you want to see them do well,” Valero said. “It was nice to see (defensive ends) Barry Mitchell and Ryan Phillips have good games and (linebacker) Jason Shelt moving around like he did earlier in his career.”
Valero admitted to rooting for UI and he didn’t bother studying Vandals’ schemes and formations.
“There was plenty of time for that when the films came,” he said.
The UI-Utah State game will be televised live locally on cable channel 12 in Coeur d’Alene and 26 in Spokane.
Have kid, will coach
You’ve seen those shirts that say, “We interrupt this marriage due to football season.” Utah State might want to print up a new version: “We interrupt this football season due to a birth - but only for a day.”
Aggies assistant coach Mike Tuiasosopo and his wife, Kathy, welcomed the birth of their first child on Tuesday night.
The timing, with Saturday’s huge game against Idaho looming, wasn’t quite so welcomed.
“He left the practice field when his beeper went off,” said Coach John L. Smith. “I told him to stay the night, then be at our staff meeting at 7:30 in the morning.”
Tuiasosopo did just that.
“Hey, this is football season,” Smith said in mock displeasure. “We don’t interrupt it to have babies, anniversaries, weddings.”
Fifita ga-goner
Defensive tackle Sione Fifita, one of Boise State’s few seniors, has been dismissed from the team for the rest of the season.
In a prepared statement, BSU said Fifita, a three-year starter with four sacks and 67 tackles, was kicked off the team for breaking team rules.
, DataTimes