Idaho looks for way out of winless WAC season
MOSCOW, Idaho – Maybe it’s fitting that Idaho football coach Robb Akey came up with a simile about being lost in a forest when talking about facing the offensive line of Louisiana Tech, this afternoon’s opponent at the Kibbie Dome.
With a 1-8 record, 0-5 in the Western Athletic Conference, it might appear to many that the Vandals’ program has been lost.
But Akey doesn’t see it that way at all, not when he can honestly say the Vandals have been in every game, despite a seven-game losing streak.
“The kids practice well, they play hard. They’re leaving it on the field,” he said. “Where we need to get things cleaned up is in our execution. We see it starting for a longer period of time. It needs to happen for a whole ballgame. Maybe this is the week we get that quarter-and-a-half going our way.”
What concerns Akey the most about the Bulldogs is stopping the 1-2 punch of running backs Patrick Jackson and Daniel Porter, who have combined for 1,023 yards.
“Those two running backs appear to have nice speed, I’ve seen some nice big runs,” Akey said. “We have to do everything we can to handle those cats. The challenge is going to be to even find them. They have a forest for an offensive line. Those suckers are as big as can be. I think they go 6-7, 6-8, 6-12.”
Porter had 129 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson 101 and two scores in a 31-21 win at Utah State last week, the Bulldogs’ first WAC win on the road since the end of the 2005 season. The game was won when Tech outgained the Aggies 235-2 in the third quarter.
On the flip side, Akey is impressed with linebacker Quin Harris and the defensive line.
“I see a big front, big bodies,” Akey said. “They’re athletic and they put good pressure on the quarterback. … They’re a blitz-oriented group, too. They’re not shy about zero-cover and bringing the house.”
It would seem the biggest difference between Idaho and Louisiana Tech (3-5, 2-3) is that the Bulldogs have some success to show for their effort under first-year coach Derek Dooley.
The Bulldogs took Hawaii to overtime before losing 45-44 and were within a touchdown of Boise State midway through the fourth quarter of a 45-31 loss, both at home, before getting the breakthrough road win.
“What we have not done well as a team is play four quarters consistently,” Dooley said. “We haven’t done that really at home or on the road. That’s what we have been emphasizing, not to lose focus in the course of the game and we did a much better job of that last week.”
Akey’s plan is to stay the course, including using both young quarterbacks, Nathan Enderle and Quin Ashley, and try to plan a cleaner game.
“We’re getting so much closer it’s not even funny,” he said. “The scoreboard doesn’t show it. … That’s what’s keeping us going. We keep pounding on that wall. We’re going to break it down. There’s going to be a big ol’ hole in that wall.”