Forecast Doesn’T Leave UI Shivering

It snowed in Laramie on Tuesday. Snow and/or rain showers are in the forecast for Saturday afternoon when University of Idaho will take on Wyoming in a non-conference game.

This, of course, barely elicited a shrug from UI defensive tackle Mao Tosi, a native of Anchorage, Alaska.

“I’ve played in hail, winter storms. It doesn’t really matter to me,” he said. “We had a cold practice on Sunday. That was pretty rough, but it was fun.”

Senior safety Bryson Gardner is from snowflake-free Barstow, Calif., but he’s been in Moscow the last five winters.

“We played in the snow at Utah State,” he said. “We’ve played in cold-weather games, so it doesn’t really matter.”

What does matter, according to Vandals defensive players, is Wyoming’s eccentric offense. According to Idaho coach Chris Tormey, it’s a modified run-and-shoot that requires defenders to play assignment football.

The Cowboys often are in four-receiver sets, but still run a great deal, occasionally handing off to a receiver in motion through the formation.

“It’s nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Tosi said. “It’s kind of hard when I play against our scout team or watch on film … for me to read what they’re doing,” Tosi said.

“We’re really going to have to play disciplined because of all the motion they do,” Gardner said. “You see on film they move the ball basically on everybody. It’s hard to emulate in practice because our guys haven’t done it.”

Sneaky Broncos

Boise State is 2 for 2 with its nifty fake punt play.

In Saturday’s win over New Mexico, up-man Greg Sasser took a snap from center in roughly the spot a shot-gun quarterback would be stationed. Sasser, imitating a center, appeared to hike the ball to Davy Malaythong, who took off running right. But Sasser held on to the ball, counted to two and took off left on a 39-yard touchdown run.

Last year, Eron Hurley ran for a 42-yard TD on a similar fake against Nevada.

The play is called “Fidler Fake” after assistant coach Dan Fidler, who learned it as a coach at Villanova.

Head coach Dirk Koetter said he’ll only use the play once every season. Without identifying who, Koetter said he’s already decided who he’ll run it against next season. Any guesses, Idaho?

One less in the Pack

Nevada wide receiver David Burr, who caught 27 passes last season, has quit the team. Burr, who was injured early this season, has just five catches.

He left the team Monday, two days after the Pack’s 49-24 loss to Fresno State. Among other things, Burr was irritated when he was benched on fourth-and-8 from Fresno’s 20. Freshman Aaron Carter was inserted, but he bobbled the football on a pass in the end zone.

“It played a part in my thought process during the rest of the game,” Burr said.

Look out below

In the span of seven days, New Mexico State went from receiving votes in the Top 25 for the first time since 1960 to its familiar dwelling in last place in the Big West.

How? The Aggies fumbled three times and were pummeled by UTEP 54-23 Saturday, one week after they had whipped Arizona State 35-7.

Though UTEP is a member of the WAC, the game counted for New Mexico State in the Big West standings because the Aggies couldn’t schedule new football-only member Arkansas State.

New Mexico State is down to its third-team running back after losing starter Kenton Keith two weeks ago and Chris Barnes on Saturday. Both suffered separated shoulders.

Notes

The New Mexico State-UTEP game was played before 52,247 in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, the largest crowd ever for a UTEP game… . Nevada is 0-4 for the first time since 1982. If the Pack loses to UNLV on Saturday, they would be 0-5 for the first time since 1963-64 and a school-record 11-game slide… . Arkansas State came out in a bizarre two-linemen, five-linebacker set and allowed three touchdowns to TCU in the first quarter. After adjustments, the Indians held the Horned Frogs to just a field goal in the final three quarters, but still lost 24-21. At 0-4, Arkansas State and Nevada are the only winless teams in the conference… . BSU swept Big West player of the week awards. Quarterback Bart Hendricks (21 of 31, 269 yards) won on offense, Mike Maloy (eight tackles, one sack) won on defense and Greg Sasser (39-yard run on fake punt) won on special teams.