WAC notebook: Ankle hobbles Jackson
We interrupt this potpourri of news from around the Western Athletic Conference to get right to the point for Idaho Vandals fans: Standout freshman running back Deonte Jackson is questionable for Saturday’s game against high-flying Hawaii.
Jackson sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of last week’s 42-35 loss to Northern Illinois.
He was prepared to return to the game, although coach Robb Akey held him out as a precaution. Jackson did go out for the Vandals’ successful on-side kick in the final minute.
Jackson had his third straight 100-yard game with 111 against the Huskies, giving him a conference-best 537 yards on 100 attempts. He’s seventh nationally at 134 yards a game.
Meanwhile, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, a Heisman Trophy candidate, is set to play after missing last week with a sprained ankle.
The Vandals have two other big question marks: cornerback Stanley Franks (knee) and left tackle Kris Anderson (ankle). Defensive linemen Ben Alexander (hamstring) Aaron Lavarias (ankle) and Jonathan Faraimo (hand) should play.
Moral and morale
Akey isn’t one to mention moral victories, unless it’s to say he doesn’t believe in them.
But after losses to Pac-10 foes USC and Washington State, when the Vandals covered the spread, Akey said that although he was not pleased his team lost, the coaches would build off the positives. His message was similar after a narrow win over Cal Poly.
The loss to NIU was different. The Vandals were favored but in surprisingly inept fashion they fell behind 35-7 in the first half, only to rally and have a chance to send the game into overtime.
“I’m disappointed. I expected this to be a win,” Akey said. “But disappointment isn’t going to fix anything. I can’t fret about where we’re at. What I can do is build off the gains we have made. … We’re still undefeated. Anybody can say what they want, but we’re still undefeated. The WAC starts this week.”
Even it wasn’t a moral victory, the first-year coach who was at Washington State last year, when the Cougars hung a 56-10 pasting on the Vandals, indicated it was a “morale” victory.
“I wasn’t here in the past, but I didn’t see this football team come back from things like that in the past,” he said. “I know when I was on the other end coaching against this team a year ago, we had a pretty strong upper hand and I didn’t see them fight their tails off like what they did today. In my opinion, that’s huge. That’s mental toughness.”
Akey said the Vandals’ comeback also showed the offensive potential of his young team.
“It shows you this can be a very explosive football team,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are going to be a whole lot of fun to watch. There’s not going to be a dull moment in the dome. It’s not going to be ‘3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-rubber.’ We’re going to be able to get it rolling. It’s going to be an exciting deal.”
Upon further review
Hawaii coach June Jones admitted it took him a day to realize how well Tyler Graunke played in place of Brennan in the 66-10 win over Charleston Southern.
“After watching tape, I thought he played much better than I initially did during the game,” Jones said. “He played pretty solid after a slow start.”
Jones also didn’t hear fans boo Graunke until hearing it on the television replay.
“That’s kind of disappointing that people would do that,” Jones told The Honolulu Advertiser. “I don’t know what would cause people to do that to kids.”
Fans chanted “We want Colt” in the first half when Graunke threw two interceptions.
“It shouldn’t have been 21-10 at the half,” Graunke said. “It should have been 51-10 at the half. We didn’t execute. I didn’t execute.
“I probably deserved it. … That’s how football is. If you’re not performing, you’re going to hear it from the fans. That’s cool. I’ve seen worse than that.”
Quick kicks
In the Louisiana Tech at Fresno State Bulldog vs. Bulldog battle, FSU is minus-6 in turnover margin and La Tech is plus-5. … New Mexico State lost 55-20 to Auburn after trailing 21-20 at the half, prompting Aggies coach Hal Mumme to say, “We should have left at halftime and got the check. I think our kids played well for a half.” NMSU was down to one experienced wide receiver after two ankle injuries and a suspension. … Fresno State travels with 42 freshmen or redshirt freshmen. … San Jose State used a five-receiver set only 16 times in its first three games and had 11 passing plays gain more than 10 yards. In a 23-20 win at Utah State the Spartans surprised the Aggies by going five wide 42 times and gaining more than 10 yards 18 times. Senior quarterback Adam Tafralis earned WAC honors after completing 35 of 48 passes for a career-high 426 yards and three touchdowns, including the winner with 53 seconds remaining.