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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Harrington, Wichman show spark

MOSCOW, Idaho – The quarterback picture at Idaho is still unsettled, but it doesn’t look nearly as bleak as it did at about 8 p.m. Thursday.

That’s roughly when the first half of Idaho’s scrimmage ended. At that point, it appeared senior Michael Harrington and junior Steven Wichman were backpedaling away from the starting job.

The second half was a different story. Both quarterbacks directed scoring drives as the passing game began to click. Wichman finished with the upper hand statistically, but he also pitched a first-half interception that was returned for a touchdown and he bobbled a snap on fourth-and-1. Harrington wasn’t as flashy, but he was steady in the second half and didn’t make any costly turnovers.

“It took them a while to get going, but they got warmed up and winged it around, which was good to see,” said head coach Nick Holt, whose team opens against Washington State on Thursday.

Asked if a starter had emerged, Holt invoked his coach-speak rights. “We’ll look at the film,” he said.

Later, he added, “By the time Sunday, Monday, Tuesday rolls around, there will be one guy getting more of the reps just to get them ready.”

Wichman, whose only completion in the first half was called back because of a penalty, finished 6 of 8 for 120 yards with two touchdowns. That doesn’t include a TD pass in an overtime session.

The junior college transfer seemed to catch fire after Wendell Octave’s diving reception netted 13 yards and a first down. A couple of plays later, Wichman rolled right and delivered a 48-yard TD strike on the move to Octave.

On his next possession, Wichman zipped a 25-yard TD pass to Daniel Smith, who dunked the ball over the crossbar, drawing a penalty for excessive celebration.

“I just went out there in second half and had fun,” Wichman said. “I was antsy in the beginning and nervous because I wanted to make sure I was doing everything right, but I’m usually the type of player that goes out and has fun and hopefully good things happen.”

On Harrington’s first possession of the second half, he hit Lee Smith for 25 yards, Daniel Smith for 32 and capped the drive with a 5-yard scoring pass to Desmond Belton.

He had a nifty 19-yard completion on his ensuing series, but that drive stalled when the defense registered one of its seven sacks. Harrington finished 7 of 12 for 90 yards, with one TD pass and one TD run.

“If you look at camp overall, I’ve made tremendous strides in areas I needed to make improvements,” said Harrington, who has made 18 career starts. “I’m preparing to play Thursday and I’m ready and that’s all there is to it.”

Notes

Starting left tackle Nate VanderPol (hyperextended elbow) and cornerback Jason Martin (ankle) sat out the scrimmage, but both are expected for the opener. Reserve linebacker David Vobora injured his shoulder in the scrimmage. The severity wasn’t immediately known. … Defensive end Ben Alexander had three quarterback sacks. … Tight end Luke Smith-Anderson watched the scrimmage from the sidelines. He said he doubts he’ll be able to return this season. The Lake City High grad had surgery to remove his spleen last week.