Vandals pursue fresh start
With three consecutive losses leading to a 1-4 record and the baggage of seven consecutive losing seasons, it would appear the conditions are right for the Idaho football team to fold the tent heading to San Jose State for its second Western Athletic Conference game this afternoon.
“Definitely not,” sophomore safety Shiloh Keo said. “That’s the biggest change from last year to this year. No one likes to lose on this team. That’s the difference between the years.
“We shake the (last) game off really good. We come in Sundays and we’re focused. We’re ready to accept our game plan and go on from there.”
By no means are the Vandals accepting defeat, despite the miserable first halves that contributed to 42-35 and 48-20 home losses to Northern Illinois and Hawaii, respectively, the last two weeks.
“We’re on a losing streak right now, no one likes that feeling,” Keo said. “We have to take this week seriously. I don’t think we have room to joke around because we have to get a win.
“We need to change this program around and it starts right now.”
Coach Robb Akey sees that attitude as one of the positives heading into the 1 p.m. game against the Spartans, who have won two straight after opening with three losses against BCS teams.
“I like way the this team is going – they have stayed together,” Akey said. “They were closer as a team, still are. We’re operating as a family. We need to stay persistent.”
There is a twist for today’s game, with the Vandals losing starting quarterback Nathan Enderle and turning to seldom-used senior Brian Nooy, who has thrown eight passes this year and 84 in his career.
“He’s been in that situation; he’s been in games,” Akey said. “It’s not like we’re throwing a rookie in that never played a game. He has shown the ability to run around. He’s probably a little bit more mobile than Nate. He throws the ball well enough. We can keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Nooy played in six games as a redshirt freshman and six last year, throwing 76 passes, just one for a touchdown, but he’s confident.
“I’m sure there will be some butterflies, naturally,” he said. “I’ve always had butterflies before the game. This week of preparation will help get rid of some of those. Since last spring, Nathan and I have been running the same stuff. We’re still going to do what we do.”
Adam Korby, the center and offensive captain, said knowing Enderle was out all week helped.
“It’s going to be a little different but we have confidence in Brian,” he said. “He’s a veteran, he’s played in games. There are always things you have to get used to from one quarterback to another. That’s why we invented practices. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
The Vandals face a team that has turned things around through the air but that isn’t what they’re expecting.
“They’re throwing ball all over the place. The quarterback is doing a good job,” Akey said. “Coach (Dick) Tomey always has a physical team that’s going to play hard. We’re certain they’ll try to run the ball more. We’ll prepare for both scenarios.”
San Jose hasn’t had 100 yards rushing in a game yet.
Part of that is the schedule. The Spartans opened with Arizona State, Kansas State and Stanford. Then Tomey called a 6 a.m. Sunday practice and the team responded with wins over Utah State in its Western Athletic Conference opener, and UC Davis last week.