Bring losing to a Holt

There has been something missing — besides victories — in the University of Idaho football program the last few years.

“It’s a lot more fun down here than it’s been,” said sophomore tight end Luke Smith-Anderson, a Lake City High graduate. “I think that’s important. People need to have fun and have excitement to play football and that’s what we’ve lacked.

“The mood is different than any of the three years I’ve been here.”

The reason? New head coach Nick Holt, an intense, excitable workaholic who treats the players to occasional Popsicle breaks and had them chuckling when he intercepted a pass in practice and took off on a return. One Vandal lineman even took a swipe at stripping the football from Holt’s clutches.

Fun and football? Those two words haven’t been associated too often for a program that has gone 5-6, 1-10, 2-10 and 3-9 the last four years. Those records triggered the dismissal of Tom Cable and the arrival of Holt, who was linebackers coach at co-national champion USC last season.

One of the primary reasons Holt, who served as a UI assistant from 1990-1997, was hired at Idaho was to re-energize the program.

“You just have to get the kids to believe and get them out of the ‘here we go again’ syndrome,” Holt said. “We can’t have that. It comes with practice being successful and with intensity for two hours and not wavering. If you do a good job in practice it will show on game day.”

The reality of the situation is that Holt inherits a team that is short on returning starters (just six that started at least half of last year’s games), stars (only one preseason first-team All-Sun Belt selection) and respect nationally (most magazines rank Idaho near or at the bottom of the Division I-A ladder).

Throw in another difficult, road-heavy schedule, and, well, fun might not be the word that comes to mind. To you, perhaps, but not Holt or the Vandals.

“Practice doesn’t drag on,” Smith-Anderson said. “We practice really hard for a shorter period of time until we get through the whole script. It doesn’t seem long at all.”

“I think we’re going to surprise some people,” junior defensive end Mike Anderson said. “Coach Holt knows how to call a game on defense and knowing the offenses in the Sun Belt, I think we’ll be able to stuff some people.”

The biggest change, other than the coaching staff, might be at quarterback. Junior Michael Harrington seems comfortable as the starter and a team leader after a rocky 2003 season that saw him lose the job to Brian Lindgren in the fifth game.

“He has a lot more confidence,” Anderson said. “That was always his biggest battle last year. I think the offense is going to put up more points.”

Added Smith-Anderson: “He’s just a lot more relaxed in the pocket. The game seems to have slowed down for him.”

Idaho must be able to slow down the pass rush with a line that will probably be senior-free. Hank Therien, Idaho’s lone All-Sun Belt selection, is joined by fellow sophomores Nate VanderPol and Jade Tadvick. However, Therien has been suspended for the opener against Boise State for violating team rules.

“We have to do a great job of being balanced and that puts heat on the line, the receivers, the running backs, the quarterback, everybody,” Holt said. “We’d like to have big plays and we’re trying to get big plays, but I see us being balanced and smart, taking care of the ball and not necessarily being conservative but taking what the defense gives us.”

Idaho’s defense doesn’t want to give up as much as it did in 2003. The unit has some experience. Anderson and opposite end Brandon Kania are proven playmakers. Projected starting linebackers Nate Nichols, Cole Snyder and Robert Davis weren’t starters a year ago, but they saw plenty of playing time. Simeon Stewart and J.R. Ruffin have starting experience in the secondary. True freshman Dan Dykes and redshirt freshman Eric McMillan beat out experienced players to win starting safety slots. Neither, obviously, has played in a collegiate game.

“We’ll be aggressive, a 4-3 attacking defense that gets in and out of the ‘flex,’ ” said Holt, who will serve as defensive coordinator. “We’ll get after people and hopefully not give up big plays. What we have to stress is getting the ball back. For us to be good, we have to get turnovers.

“That doesn’t mean we’ll full-out blitz all the time. We just have to tackle aggressively and force the issue.”

While the offense searches for balance and the defense looks for turnovers, another characteristic of this team might have Holt scouring the medicine cabinet for aspirin. The starters are young, the backups are young and a bundle of youngsters are going to play, so expect to see the likes of true freshmen Ben Alexander, Rolly Lumbala, Siua Musika, Desmond Belton, Christian Populis, Evan Ruud, Shane Simmons and others on the field at some point this season.

Of course, youngsters are prone to making mistakes and that might be a volatile mix with a first-year head coach who is stressing smart, disciplined football.

“Yeah, but we expected it,” Holt said. “The good thing is the young guys are smart players and they haven’t had really bad habits, while the older guys have done things a bunch of different ways. To get the young guys better we have to play them.

“The older guys seem to have had a different coach every year and I think they like what we have here now. There’s always going to be some guys on the fence, but we have to get those guys on board with us. If not, we’ll go with someone else.”