Defense rules in Idaho scrimmage

MOSCOW, Idaho – First scrimmages seem to have a little bit of everything. For the Idaho Vandals, Saturday’s soggy outing was no different.

Luke Smith-Anderson provided the offensive highlight when he caught Steve Wichman’s pass near midfield and outran the defense for a 69-yard TD – the lone score of the day.

On defense, Stanley Franks had an interception, Ben Alexander had two sacks and Jaron Williams was in on five tackles.

“For the first full scrimmage, I thought it was very good defensively and I was a little disappointed in where we’re at offensively,” Vandals coach Dennis Erickson said in a school release. “We dropped too many balls. We turned the football over too many times, too many sacks – all of the above if you were taking a test.”

The offensive totals were 255 yards passing on 16 of 33 attempts and a net 38 yards rushing, including 27 yards in losses from sacks and tackles for loss.

Among the positives were the leadership of Wichman, the play of the tight ends and the overall defensive play, Erickson said.

The Vandals practice Tuesday and Thursday before Saturday’s scrimmage at Coeur d’Alene’s Lake City High School at 11 a.m.

Spring practice wraps up with the annual Silver and Gold Game at 7 p.m. April 21 at the Kibbie Dome.