Idaho patches up line quickly
MOSCOW, Idaho – Offensive line was considered a deep position for the University of Idaho football team last spring.
But the loss of two starters – one during spring ball and the other Saturday – has put Idaho in an unexpected position.
Just one of the linemen will likely return this season. Redshirt freshman left tackle Matt Cleveland, who broke a bone in his leg Saturday, will most likely miss the season.
Senior Mike Iupati, who had reconstructive shoulder surgery during the spring, is expected to miss a couple of games. The hope is he will be back by mid-September.
So the Vandals’ first scrimmage of the fall Tuesday was an opportunity to start patching up a line with others on the roster.
“I guess I’m not going to talk about depth anymore, because it seems to be the kiss of death,” Idaho coach Robb Akey said before practice. “Now we’ve got to find out who are going to be the five most reliable guys.”
The revamped line fared well as the offense moved the ball all over the field.
Three-year starting center Adam Korby isn’t concerned.
“There are a couple of guys stepping up,” said Korby, a senior who is a Rimington Award candidate for a third straight year. “(The) nice thing this year is we have depth. Guys are doing a real good job stepping (up). I’m not concerned at all.”
Sophomore quarterback Nathan Enderle, who led the first-team offense to six scores in seven possessions, also agrees with Korby.
“That’s the good thing about having depth,” Enderle said. “I’m hoping those guys will be back as soon as they can, but I’m really confident in the people we have that can fill those spots.”
Receivers answer call
Akey all but put out an all-points bulletin for receivers before fall camp began.
The Vandals’ roster lists plenty of bodies at receiver. Akey put out the challenge that he wanted a handful to step up and start making plays.
A handful of them did that during the scrimmage. Sophomores Maurice Shaw, Eric Greenwood and Dewey Hale, junior Max Komar and senior tight end Eddie Williams each made a couple of nice catches.
“That was good. I saw more than just one play by those guys,” Akey said. “That was one of the positives I was looking for today.”
Defense plays step behind
Defensive captain Shiloh Keo didn’t sugarcoat things.
“The offense came ready to play,” the junior safety said. “They did a lot of great things. It showed the defense that we’ve got a lot to work on. We’ve been practicing well as a defense – we’ve been having some great practices – but today it seemed like we kind of took a step back and we can’t afford to do that.”
Keo assured that the defense would spend extra time watching video and learn from its mistakes.
Quick kicks
A handful of players sat out with bumps and bruises. Sophomore running back Deonte Jackson, who led the Vandals with 1,175 yards last year, sat out nursing a sore back. The good news is it doesn’t appear serious. The other good news is there’s plenty of depth developing behind Jackson. … Enderle completed 16 of 19 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns. True freshman Justin Morales, a lefty from Carlsbad, Calif., completed 5 of 6 for 97 yards and one TD. … Redshirt freshman Corey White led all running backs with 52 yards on 10 carries and one TD. … Greenwood had four receptions for 72 yards and a TD.