Idaho has last chance for WAC win
Robb Akey told a little white lie this week.
Asked what a season-ending win against Utah State today would do for his football team, the first-year Idaho coach said, “It’s going to put a smile on my face for the first time in a long time.”
Truth be told, Akey smiles often as he tries to coax a win out of the Vandals, but the point is well-taken.
It hasn’t always been easy to stay positive. The Vandals have lost nine straight, either by digging an early hole and coming up short or by letting a potential win get away late.
Utah State has played much the same way this year until putting together a 35-17 win at New Mexico State last weekend to end a 16-game losing streak.
Now, instead of battling to get out of the Western Athletic Conference basement, the Vandals (1-10, 0-7) are trying to pull the Aggies (1-10, 1-6) back down. Kickoff in the Kibbie Dome has been moved up to 12:30 p.m.
“One game does not fix what has not been a great season in terms of wins and losses,” Akey said. “But I hope one win might show we are progressing. People keep hearing me say we are gaining ground, we are making progress. It needs to show up on the scoreboard.”
The Aggies are an aggressive, blitzing team on defense and feature an athletic quarterback in Leon Jackson, who has thrown for 1,458 yards and run for another 327. But without question, Kevin Robinson is the headliner.
Robinson, the younger brother of former Washington State Cougar John Rushing, now the Aggies’ cornerbacks coach, touches the ball almost 12 times a game and produces 197.7 yards.
A fine receiver with 48 catches for 554 yards who has also run the ball 12 times, the 6-foot, 199-pound senior is one of the most dangerous return men in the country. He has averaged 18.9 yards on 20 punt returns with one touchdown and 29.4 on 41 kickoffs with three touchdowns.
“He has everybody’s attention,” Akey said. “He’s a tremendous weapon.”
Last week’s win boosted USU’s confidence, especially coming off a 52-0 home loss to Boise State.
“We’re definitely excited to end the 16-game losing streak,” junior tight end Rob Myers said. “I said after the game that I forgot what it felt like to win and I think a lot of people had. I think that now that we have that feeling back, everyone wants that feeling again.”
The Aggies have not won back-to-back road games since 1999.
“This team, I’ve always believed, was a better football team than I’ve had the last two years,” third-year coach Brent Guy said. “We haven’t won as many games but we’ve been closer, especially in the WAC. I think we’re closing the gap a little bit. We saw what this football team can do when all three phases played together.”
Getting a complete game has also eluded the Vandals.
“I really do believe – and you’re probably getting tired of me saying this – but we have to pay attention to where we’re at and be hungry enough to make something happen,” Akey said. “They got a big gorilla off their back and doing that on the road, that is going to send them up here with a little confidence.”
The game marks the end of the careers of 15 Vandals seniors.