Idaho Faced With Colossal Task

One never says never, but Idaho football coach Chris Tormey came close. His Vandals play sixth-ranked Louisiana State tonight at 5 PDT in arguably the most difficult environment - Tiger Stadium - an Idaho team has ever stepped into.

David may have faced better odds vs. Goliath.

“You don’t ever tell your players they can’t win,” Tormey said. “If you do that, you beat yourself before you even play. Everything would have to go right. We’ve got some players who think they can play for anyone and they’re looking forward to the battle.”

The battle has several key questions: Can Idaho’s defense keep track of LSU quarterback Herb Tyler and running back Kevin Faulk? Can the Vandals’ offense establish a run-pass mix to keep the ball away from LSU’s offense. Can Idaho avoid wilting in the humidity of the Deep South?

“Getting first downs against this outfit isn’t going to be an easy task,” Tormey said. “Stopping Faulk isn’t a day at the park either.”

Idaho better do one or the other, or the score could become lopsided in a hurry.

Faulk dismissed the possibility of LSU overlooking Idaho, which comes between Auburn and Georgia on the Tigers’ schedule.

“Our position is we have to play every game right now,” said Faulk, recalling last season when the Tigers beat No. 1 Florida 28-21 then were clocked by Ole Miss 36-21.

LSU coach Gerry DiNardo appears to have done his homework, right down to repeating UI linebacker Ryan Skinner’s quote following last week’s loss to WSU. Skinner said if UI can play with the Rose Bowl Cougars, it can play with LSU. DiNardo seemed genuinely concerned with Idaho’s defense.

“It’s different than anything we’ve seen, but similar to some of the teams we’ll play in conference,” he said. “They give you a lot of different looks and pose a lot of problems in recognizing what front they’re in and where the pressure is going to come from.”

Meanwhile, Idaho faces a balanced Tigers offense. Tyler is 25-5 as a starter and completed 16 of 20 passes in a 31-19 win over Auburn last Saturday. As impressive as those numbers are, they’re a bit misleading. Two receivers dropped well-thrown balls. “That’s just it,” Faulk said, “We’ve got so many weapons right now, it doesn’t matter who we play.”