Conley gets his kicks

MOSCOW, Idaho – Back when he was a gangly 6-foot-3 teenager, T.J. Conley came to the Idaho football program confident that he would soon secure the starting quarterback post. He had flourished as a QB in high school, and that’s what he intended to do in college.

But now, in his last week as a Vandal, Conley offers a sheepish smile when thinking back to that plan. These days, everyone wants to reflect on his stellar career … as a punter.

“I definitely wanted to stick with the quarterback stuff, just because you can affect the game so much more,” the senior said. “(The switch) worked out pretty good for me, I think, so I’m happy with how it all turned out.”

Conley moved to special teams after impressing UI coaches with a strong leg while messing around before practice as a freshman. After getting injured and grayshirting his first year, he’s been the Vandals’ starting punter the last three seasons.

Nothing he’s accomplished in the past, though, has topped this fall. Coming into Saturday’s season finale at Hawaii, Conley leads the nation with a 47.2-yard punting average. He’s on pace to shatter Tom Sugg’s single-season school record, set in 1991, of 44.8 yards.

The Walla Walla native and DeSales High graduate is also one of the Vandals’ top NFL prospects. His booming, high-arching kicks, not to mention his much-improved consistency, seem to have caught the eye of at least a few scouts.

“He’s doing a fantastic job,” coach Robb Akey said. “It makes a big difference for us in helping with the field-position game.”

Yet for all his eye-catching kicks over returners’ heads, Conley wasn’t one of 10 semifinalists named recently for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s finest punter. The disheartening news came after he made the initial watch list for the award in September.

“I was a little bit disappointed,” Conley said. “But I kind of figured I wouldn’t be just because of my stats inside the 20 and my net punt (average) wasn’t really that great.”

When it comes to pinning down opponents near the goal line, Conley said he’s been hindered by a lack of opportunity. Since about the midpoint of the season, Akey and his staff have become increasingly aggressive with play calling.

More often than not, the long-suffering Vandals (2-9, 1-6 WAC) haven’t thought about punting once they’ve reached midfield.

“I’ve had a really long field for a lot of my punts,” he said. “That’s probably part of the reason why my average is so long. When I have the opportunity, I’ve done pretty well inside the 20, I feel.”

Williams needs surgery

In his final game at the Kibbie Dome last week, Vandals H-back Eddie Williams tried to return from an injury suffered earlier in the day, only to have to hobble off the field again.

Afterward, the news wasn’t good. Williams had torn his left ACL and must undergo surgery in the next two weeks.

How does that affect his future as an NFL prospect? Williams sounded upbeat this week when discussing the injury. He hopes to be making cuts on the practice field in 3½-4 months, which would be right before the April draft.

Around the conference

Utah State coach Brent Guy was fired this week, and he probably won’t be the only WAC coach to be let go. It seems unlikely that Hal Mumme will keep his job with New Mexico State at 3-7 and on a five-game losing streak. … Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the WAC co-offensive player of the week, will face his stiffest challenge Saturday when the Wolf Pack host No. 9 Boise State. BSU can collect a WAC title with a win. … By holding off Utah State last week, Louisiana Tech won its third straight game and became bowl eligible. The Bulldogs, led by tailback Daniel Porter, are the conference’s hottest team outside of Boise.