UI looks to freshman RB

There is a job open in the University of Idaho backfield and for the second consecutive season a true freshman might fill it.

Jason Brown, who was playing safety two weeks ago, was the Vandals’ leading rusher Saturday against Washington with 34 yards on 10 carries. He picked up 21 of those yards on a dash up the middle late in the second quarter to help position Idaho for a field goal.

Brown saw the majority of playing time among four running backs and he also had the highest per-carry average.

When sophomore Jayson Bird went down with a broken collarbone against UNLV two weeks ago, the assumption was that 247-pound sophomore Rolly Lumbala would become the primary ball carrier. Bird and Lumbala combined for 1,473 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, but Lumbala has only 80 yards on 24 attempts this season. Antwaun Sherman, a shifty 5-foot-7, 178-pounder, probably doesn’t have the size to be an every-down back.

Brown, listed at 6-1 and 211, was a running back at Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High, but was limited by a leg injury as a senior.

“I wanted to get him involved in the offense; that was planned to see what he can do,” said coach Nick Holt, whose team opens WAC play when Hawaii visits the Kibbie Dome on Saturday night at 7. “We think he has some ability; he’s a natural running back and he has good vision.”

Ground production is essential in Idaho’s one-back offense.

“We’ve got to find a go-to guy between Rolly, Jason and Antwaun,” Holt said. “We need to find a guy who can carry the ball 25 times. Antwaun has played well, but he’s more of a role guy. We need a bigger back to fall forward, pound some things and move the chains. I’m a little disappointed in Rolly. He’s not producing how we want. He’s not playing fast and he knows that, so were trying to create some competition.”

Take the over

Boise State returns from a bye week to face Bowling Green and quarterback Omar Jacobs, who usually puts up Arena League-type statistics. Last year he threw for 41 touchdowns and had only four interceptions in 462 attempts. This season he’s passed for 886 yards with 10 TDs and two picks.

“They have one of the best quarterbacks in the country and they can sling it with the best of them,” BSU coach Dan Hawkins said. “He gets it to the right guy, gives the guy an opportunity to catch it and also run with it. He doesn’t miss very often.”

The Broncos’ high-powered offense showed flashes of its old self against Oregon State. With BSU coming off a bye week and playing at home for the first time this season in front of an ESPN2 audience, expect the offense to produce big numbers.

Yellow fever

Oregon’s and Fresno State’s statistics were fairly similar except in the penalty column. FSU was flagged 16 times for 155 yards; Oregon six times 60 yards. The discrepancy didn’t go unnoticed by Bulldogs coach Pat Hill.

Hill said repeatedly Monday he wouldn’t blame the officials, but a sampling of his comments made it clear he wasn’t thrilled.

“I’ll tell you this, it was 17-0 (Fresno leading in the second quarter) and one penalty had been called,” he said. “I don’t know why all of a sudden we must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time… . There were some very, very big plays in the game that were affected by penalties.”

Hill later added: “Once it got to 17-13, it was a green light. Oregon was playing very, very aggressively and we were walking on egg shells, afraid to make a mistake – not of a play, but just afraid to make a penalty. It was very noticeable.”

Oregon won, 37-34.

Notes

The WAC is off to a dismal non-conference start, compiling a 3-16 record with two of the wins coming against I-AA opponents… . New Mexico State is making a change at quarterback with Joey Vincent getting the starting nod over Royal Gill for Friday’s game against California. Gill, a product of Eagle High near Boise, started the first three games… . Louisiana Tech’s defense held Kansas to 277 total yards, the seventh best performance by the Bulldogs in a decade, but the Jayhawks cashed in on favorable field position to score 24 points on drives that totaled just 91 yards in a 34-14 victory… . Nevada rebounded from a 55-21 loss to Washington State by defeating intrastate rival UNLV for the first time since 1998. UNLV, which gained 443 yards against Idaho two weeks ago, was limited to 263 yards.