QB battle still ongoing for Vandals

MOSCOW, Idaho – Consider it an indication of University of Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle’s progress over the last couple weeks that he could go 3 of 9 in Saturday’s scrimmage and still stay a couple of steps ahead of Luke Tracy on the depth chart.

Enderle was sacked on his first play and threw an interception on his last play. In between, he wasn’t red hot, but he was stung by a couple of dropped passes.

Asked if Enderle is pulling away in the quarterback race, head coach Robb Akey said, “I think that’s a fair statement.”

Tracy, who is No. 2 at present, was 7 of 8 for 63 yards and one touchdown working against the second-team defense. He was sacked twice. Brian Nooy struggled early, but threw a late TD pass.

“(Enderle) had a good week of practice,” Akey said. “It’s become more consistent with him. He does appear to be a bit of a gamer and under pressure he seems to perform a little better.”

Idaho has experimented with several schemes under new offensive coordinator Steve Axman. They used some spread option popularized by Urban Meyer a few years ago at Utah and also moved the quarterback on designed rollouts. Early in camp, they worked on option.

Drills conclude with the annual spring game Friday at 7 p.m.

“I’m glad I have the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy right now, but we have three great quarterbacks working hard,” Enderle said. “It’s still good competition so I have to keep on top of my game.”

Defense rebounds

The defense, scorched in last Saturday’s scrimmage, posted six sacks, two interceptions and allowed 3.9 yards per rush.

“We’ve been dwelling on that the whole week,” said linebacker Brandon Ogletree, who intercepted an Enderle pass in the right flat. “We knew we had to come out and give a better effort.”

The offense generated five touchdowns – some of the possessions started in the red zone – compared to nine a week ago. Sandpoint product Rory Fawley returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown. Stanley Franks had two sacks on corner blitzes.

Rules and regulations

Linebacker Jo Artis Ratti was absent Saturday. He’s serving a week-long suspension for violating team rules. Numerous Vandals have been disciplined for academic issues or violations of team rules.

“He’s putting his foot down,” Franks said of Akey. “It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’re doing for the team or what the situation was, he wants your grades taken care of. If not, he’s going to sit you down.”

Ratti will return Tuesday if “he’s done what he needed to do,” Akey said.

Notes

Receiver Max Komar took a hit in the lower back and was sidelined. End Taylor Rust left the field with a collar bone injury. … In addition to Tracy’s numbers, other offensive highlights included Tino Amancio’s 53-yard field goal, second-team receiver Daniel Hardy’s two touchdown grabs and Andre Harris’ 67 yards rushing. … Running back Yusuf Salahuddin has moved to cornerback, a position thin on numbers.