Vandals get rare home game

If you’re a Vandal football fan who enjoys Saturdays in the Kibbie Dome, soak up all you can today (and I mean more than the rain that pelted Moscow all night). It’s going to be a while before Idaho plays another home game after tonight’s nonconference tilt with UNLV — Oct. 23 to be exact.

Read below for links and more on the UNLV game (7:30 p.m., ESPNU).

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Here’s my short preview in the SR. And the Idaho Statesman has this short advance and a story on linebacker Robert Siavii. Also, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has a preview from the Rebels’ point of view.

Just like the Vandals, UNLV views this as a key game in determining what kind of season it’s going to be. The Rebels haven’t had a winning season in 10 years, and a loss today would push them to 0-3 in Bobby Hauck’s first year after coming from Montana. “It’s definitely a pivotal game,” offensive tackle Matt Murphy told the Review-Journal. “There’s no more, ‘This is a new offense. This is a new team.’ ”

UI, on the other hand, knows much more about its personnel and coaching staff. And it also knows that last year these were the sort of games that it thrived in en route to an 8-5 season. The Vandals played their best in 2009 against foes from similar conferences — the Mountain West, MAC, etc.

Tonight is the first such game of 2010 for the Vandals, who are coming off a flat offensive performance at NU.

“We’re not going away with our tail between our legs,” wide receiver Preston Davis said this week. “We had a bad week. It happens. Just as a group, we all collectively need to come together and get better.”

So, what can UI expect from UNLV? Akey pointed out that the Rebels have a hefty defensive lineman, Isaako Aaitui, who clogs the middle and could make it tough to run. Yet UNLV has yet to register a sack. Something’s got to budge there. The Vandals’ offensive line has been porous so far, yielding 11 sacks in two games — the most at the FBS level.

“I think Saturday against UNLV will be a very big measuring stick of where our progress is,” offensive coordinator Steve Axman said, referring specifically to the O-line.

Offensively, the Rebels have alternated between two QBs, Omar Clayton and Mike Clausen. Clausen started the opener and gave way to the more mobile Clayton in the middle of the third quarter vs. Wisconsin in Week 1 (UNLV trailed just 17-14 at the half in that game). Clayton is listed as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart for today.

After this , the Vandals play at Colorado State and Western Michigan, then have a bye week before starting the WAC season at Louisiana Tech. They’ll only have four home games after tonight — and two are against Boise State and Nevada.

Lastly, earlier this week we mentioned how four Vandals are from Las Vegas, which adds some extra zest to this matchup. Preston Davis and Deonte Jackson had some strong comments in this regard.

First, Davis: “I’m excited to play against them because they didn’t offer me out of high school, so I’ve got a little something for them. But it will like any other game really — you go out there and play the best you can.”

Then, Jackson, on his Twitter page, “been staying off this thing to keep myself out of trouble.. but i cant resist it anymore.. gettin hype.. bout to smash UNLV this weekend..” Then he added, “to those UNLV suckas talkin bout im not from vegas.. dont let the media guide fool you.. bout to show ull that real “DooLittle” football..”

By the way, you can follow my updates throughout the game on Twitter here .