Trying times

University of Idaho football coach Nick Holt has dealt with tragedy before, but it didn’t make it any easier this time around.

“I don’t think there’s a road map out there to deal with this,” said Holt, one day after the death of starting cornerback Eric McMillan, who was shot at his Moscow apartment Sunday and died early Monday morning at Gritman Medical Center.

“I’ve received a lot of calls from colleagues and friends who have offered their support, and it’s comforting to know there are a lot of people out there that care. They’ve all been saying basically the same thing: ‘Hang in there and keep going.’ “

That’s what the Vandal football players tried to do Tuesday. They attended classes, stopped by the coaches’ offices to watch video of Oregon, Saturday’s opponent in Eugene, and then went through two-plus hours of practice.

“It’s helpful to be around all of the guys, playing the game that brought us together,” senior defensive end Brandon Kania said in a teleconference following practice Tuesday. “It’s nice to be back playing the game we love together. We’re just missing a key link in our chain.

“I thought (the mood) was pretty upbeat for the circumstances. We started off slow, but I think we picked it up and had a pretty good practice, with the things that have happened.”

Holt was an assistant coach at USC in July 2003, when Trojans player Drean Rucker drowned in the Pacific Ocean.

“It’s a terrible, terrible blow,” Holt said. “You just try to move forward.”

Those sentiments sound all too familiar to Oregon coach Mike Bellotti. Terrance Kelly, a standout prep linebacker from California who had signed with Oregon, was shot and killed in August, two days before he was scheduled to arrive in Eugene.

“I have great empathy for everybody involved – the coaches, the players, the family,” Bellotti said. “It’s very difficult to handle and deal with this type of situation with a young man who was here one day and not the next. It’s a difficult time for young people because a lot of times it’s maybe the first death of a close friend or relative that they’ve had to deal with.”

Bellotti said his players found some solace in returning to practice and their daily routines.

“I have always taken the approach that when a loved one dies, they would not want us to sit and mourn. There is a grieving period obviously, but going out and glorifying the memory of that person is something you can focus on,” Bellotti said.

“I generally take the approach that they would want you to move on and you have grief and anger and frustration, but you channel that in a positive manner.”

Idaho quarterback Michael Harrington described McMillan as one of the most competitive players on the team.

“Every single day we’d go out and talk trash before practice on who would get who first,” Harrington said. “He got me his fair share of times. He was a good little corner. We’re going to miss him as a person and a player and a family member.”

Kania said McMillan was a “real upbeat guy” with a love for football.

In dealing with the tragedy, Harrington said, “we’re there for each other as a group, but it’s been kind of silent. Not a lot of people like to bring it up.”

Idaho players will wear a helmet decal with McMillan’s initials for the remainder of the season. A memorial service is scheduled for tonight at 7:30 at the Hartung Theater on campus. Idaho is working with Oregon officials about having a moment of silence prior to kickoff Saturday.

Idaho canceled practice Monday.

“A lot of kids want to go out there and be around each other,” Holt said. “That’s therapy, I think. I know Eric would want us to practice. He was a competitor and he would want us to compete.”