Idaho and Fresno State mirror each other in many ways. Fresno State has the No. 3 offense in the WAC, averaging 36.5 points a game, while Idaho is the No. 4 offense in the conference, averaging 33 points a game. The Bulldogs have scored 23 touchdowns while the Vandals have scored 22. The Vandals have the slight edge in total offense, putting up 445 yards a game, while Fresno State averages 444. Offensively, the difference is on the ground. Idaho is sixth in the WAC on the ground, putting up 172 yards a game, but between Princeton McCarty, De’Maundray Woolridge and Deonte Jackson, the Vandals can rack up yards on the ground in the blink of they eye. The Bulldogs have the best rusher in the nation in Mathews, who averages 191 yards a game. The Bulldogs also can throw the rock. Fresno State quarterback Ryan Colburn averages just over 160 yards a game, hitting Seyi Ajirotutu for nearly 100 yards a game. The game should come down to whose defense steps up/ Sandra Kelly , Moscow Pullman Daily News. Full story below .

Question: OK, prognosticators, let’s try again. Who’s going to win and by what score?

Vandals set for their stiffest test of the year Idaho puts it on the line against Fresno State

By Sandra Kelly, Daily News staff writer

Posted on: Saturday, November 07, 2009

It’s been a wild ride for Vandal fans. Idaho opened the season in Las Cruces by beating New Mexico State, and then proceeded to win every game in the Kibbie Dome.

It’s a streak Idaho coach Robb Akey is proud of, and one he wants to keep intact this week when Idaho hosts Fresno State.

The task at hand isn’t easy for Idaho. Like Nevada and Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs like to run the ball, but they aren’t a singular threat.

“We’ll have to do a lot better with Fresno coming in here,” Akey said. “They have one of the top teams in our conference. They run the ball very well. (Ryan) Mathews is leading the country in running, but he’s not alone back there. I have a lot of respect for the guys carrying the ball. They are a good outfit. And I like their quarterback (Ryan Colburn).”

The main thing the Vandals need to do is focus on their game.

The last couple of games the Vandals have started slow. Akey said he’d like to see his team come out on task from start to finish.

“Let’s start the ballgame that way instead of finish that way,” he said.

The Vandals have a lot of weapons to throw at Fresno State.

Quarterback Nate Enderle leads the WAC in passing average at nearly 260 a game. He has an efficiency rating of 150.4 and he’s thrown to 13 different receivers this season.

“I think we have so many weapons they can’t key on one player,” Idaho senior receiver Max Komar said. “It’s hard for a team to game-plan for us when we have some many weapons. That has to do with depth. In practice everyone pushes each other because of that depth. I think that’s why we all got better this year.”

Komar is Enderle’s top receiver. In WAC play, Komar averages 93 yards a game and has 27 catches for 467 yards and six touchdowns. He averages 17.3 yards a catch and just over five catches a game.

Komar has always been a big threat guy, but in the past he’s been haunted by mistakes - his and his quarterback’s.

Last week against La. Tech, Komar was wide open in the first half and dropped a pass. In the past, a miss like that would have thrown Komar for a loop. This year he’s learned how to put mistakes behind him and move on.

“That drop, that hurt me,” he said. “That was my first of the season. The turf monster got me. Coach (Luther) Carr told me to keep my head up and bounced back. I’ve been working really hard on that - not letting plays get to me but to move forward. And that’s what I did.”

Komar more than made up for the miss. In the first half against the Bulldogs, Komar had two catches for 40 yards, but he finished the game with seven catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Komar was one of eight Idaho receivers who caught a pass on Saturday, and if Idaho is going to keep its Kibbie Dome winning streak alive, all the running backs and receivers must be ready to catch and run against Fresno State.

Idaho and Fresno State mirror each other in many ways.

Fresno State has the No. 3 offense in the WAC, averaging 36.5 points a game, while Idaho is the No. 4 offense in the conference, averaging 33 points a game. The Bulldogs have scored 23 touchdowns while the Vandals have scored 22.

The Vandals have the slight edge in total offense, putting up 445 yards a game, while Fresno State averages 444.

Offensively, the difference is on the ground. Idaho is sixth in the WAC on the ground, putting up 172 yards a game, but between Princeton McCarty, De’Maundray Woolridge and Deonte Jackson, the Vandals can rack up yards on the ground in the blink of they eye.

The Bulldogs have the best rusher in the nation in Mathews, who averages 191 yards a game.

The Bulldogs also can throw the rock. Fresno State quarterback Ryan Colburn averages just over 160 yards a game, hitting Seyi Ajirotutu for nearly 100 yards a game.

The game should come down to whose defense steps up.

On paper the Bulldogs have the advantage, holding teams to 395 yards a game, while the Vandals rank ninth in total defense in the conference, giving up 467 yards each night.

“It’s going to be fun,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for coach Akey and what they’ve done. They are 7-2 up there. We’re looking forward to a very physical game against a very good football team. Our kids are excited for this one.”

ESPNU will be broadcasting from the Kibbie Dome for the second time this season, moving the kickoff to 7:30 p.m.

Sandra Kelly can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 231, or by e-mail at skelly@dnews.com .