Vandal seniors accentuate positive

You can say resilient, but don’t try unfair.

Though some of the Vandals’ fourth- and fifth-year players have had four coaches and only 13 wins to show for their football careers at Idaho, the seniors are surprisingly positive as they face their last game on Saturday.

“It’s more of an emotional process,” tight end Rolly Lumbala said. “It’s been a long haul, but it’s definitely worth it. I’ve met a lot of great guys. It seems like I just got here.”

Linebacker David Vobora said, “Angry, unfair – those aren’t good words to describe. At times I wish our group stayed together, had the same coach all four years. It’s hard getting set back all the time but I wouldn’t change it. Unfair? That’s life. This is going to help make us successful people. Even though we didn’t always get it done, these guys are strong. Whatever each guy chooses to do in life, they’re going to be awesome.

“I would love to get more wins, but I wouldn’t say I regret anything because I know I wouldn’t be the man or the football player I am today if stuff would have been different.”

That’s why first-year Vandals coach Robb Akey called his 15 seniors, 10 of them completing their fourth or fifth season, resilient.

“Unfortunately life isn’t fair,” he said. “They came here to accomplish something, and they are going to accomplish something, they’re coming out of here with their degrees. That’s what you go to college for. … Unfortunately there is a business side to (football) and these seniors … have seen the business side of it, more so than any college football players in America. For that I do feel for them.”

Heading into Saturday’s games against Utah State – kickoff in the Kibbie Dome has been moved up to 12:30 – the Vandals are 1-10, 0-7 in the Western Athletic Conference.

“We’re having just as much fun today as when we were preparing for USC,” linebacker Brandon Ogletree said. “We take them one at a time. You can’t do anything about the past, we just look forward to the future, we look forward to Saturdays.”

Offensive guard Marcis Fennell added, “I haven’t thought about the whole senior thing, I don’t think it’s hit me. I’m a competitor, I want to win, that’s the only thing I’m thinking about now. We just want to win.”

Despite the record, the seniors believe there is progress.

“I do think we’re a better team than we were last year,” Vobora said. “The win column doesn’t show that but this team has never quit.”

“For people who watch the games, you can see the progress,” Fennell said. “Coach Akey is going to do it, there’s no doubt in my mind. … The biggest thing, when the game is close we have to hold on even more, definitely seize the moment. I think that’s part of the growing process of this program. This program is going to be OK, it’s going to better next year, they’re going to learn from that.”

They credit the always positive Akey, and the improved facilities with plans for more improvements, for keeping them upbeat.

“In the past we had guys go through the motions because they’re ready to get out of here,” Ogletree said. “They weren’t really focused on what they had to do. These coaches, they know what they’re talking about. That’s why I think they’re headed in the direction; all these guys buy in to what they’re saying.”

Lumbala added, “I can tell you we’re headed the right way. Unfortunately I won’t be here to be part of it.”

Akey said it won’t be long before they can see the rewards.

“They came in with football goals set high and a lot of those goals didn’t get achieved. I feel for them,” he said. “What I hope is what we have been through together, we put a little more positive feel on them for what college football is all about … I would like to think when we are having success in this college football program in a short period of time, they’re going to be able to look back and say they had a lot to do with building the foundation that allowed that to take place.”

The Big Game

No. 17 Boise State (10-1, 7-0) is at No. 13 Hawaii (10-0, 7-0) for the WAC championship, kickoff at 6 p.m. (Pacific) on ESPN2

This is the highest two WAC teams have been ranked for a matchup since Oct. 22, 1994, when No 15 Utah won at No. 11 Colorado State.

BSU has won or shared five straight WAC titles and is 46-1 in the league since the beginning of that streak. The Broncos have won 17 straight league games and Hawaii 14 since losing 41-34 at Boise last year.

Hawaii leads the nation in scoring at 48 points a game, BSU is third at 44.2.

Quick kicks

Strange scheduling: Fresno State is at Kansas State and Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State have byes this weekend before finishing next week. … Seven active players have more than 3,000 receiving yards, three play at Hawaii, Davone Bess (3,327), Jason Rivers (3,534) and Ryan Grice-Mullen (3,169). Bess, who became the league’s all-time leader in receptions (266), and Grice-Mullen are the only two juniors. … Fresno State sophomore A.J. Jefferson leads the country in kick returns with a 35.8 average. … Idaho sophomore Shiloh Keo is second in punt returns at 18.9. … Idaho senior David Vobora, with 136 tackles in 11 games, leads the league and is second in the country at 12.36 per game, just .04 off the lead. His 331 tackles are sixth in school history.