RB Bass headlines first Idaho scrimmage

From the nasty wind and brief rain to the sloppy play on offense, it wasn’t a memorable first scrimmage of the spring for the Idaho Vandals. But, like Robb Akey said afterward, it was just the beginning. Idaho will scrimmage three more times — the next two Saturdays before the Silver and Gold game on April 23.

Click here for our report from the scrimmage, which centers on Arizona State transfer Ryan Bass, and click below for lots of notes.

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Bass, as I mentioned in my story, provided the only real fireworks from the scrimmage. He expects to be a key figure in the Vandals’ running game, and I don’t doubt it. Remember, last year Idaho finished 118th in the FBS in rushing.

Early on in the spring, it’s also clear that UI coaches have the quarterback depth chart at least partially figured out. Brian Reader is the clear No. 1 and Taylor Davis looks like a solid bet to be the second QB. He took the large majority of snaps with the second team on Saturday.

Here’s what Akey had to say about Davis: “I think Taylor is doing some good things for us this spring. And he got the majority of the reps with the second group today, and he made a couple nice plays and had a chance to get things going a little bit. I’ve seen good sparks out of what he’s doing.”

Logan Bushnell only attempted two passes Saturday, and both were at the end of the scrimmage. He looks to be the No. 3 QB, followed by redshirt freshman Justin Podrabsky.

We’ve got lots more from Akey, Reader, Matt Cleveland and Ryan Bass below. As always, you can throw any questions or comments my way via Twitter ( @SR_JoshWright ).

ROBB AKEY

Opening thoughts : “It was a little sloppier that I’d like to see. I’m not going to lie to you there. But I did I see some things on both sides of the ball that were good. Defensively, I thought we made some good stops, and that’s very positive. We’re going to see some things in the running game that we’re probably going to like based off today’s scrimmage.

“I thought we didn’t catch some balls that were catchable. I wasn’t real happy with the way we performed in that respect. I saw a nice home run hit with Ryan Bass. I think we saw what his speed is capable of doing. Granted, that was against our (No.) 2 defense, but he’s going to get more opportunity.

“It was a starting point more than anything. And I what told the players — ‘this is the beginning.’ What matters is that we get better next week and that the next scrimmage is better. But it’s got to be better than what it was today.”

On the running game and offense : “I think we’ve got a chance to run the ball well with this group when we keep the bodies out there that are going to be our guys. I would expect us to run the ball better. We had some good runs today; there was only one great run today. I expect to see that to be better. And I think some of that is a combination of I think we’ve got a chance to play the run better on defense with who we are this year. So I’m taking that as a positive also.

“Coming out I would have liked to feel better. I just didn’t think it was quite what I wanted to see. I saw (Justin) Veltung show up. I saw Preston Davis show up with a nice play. There were a couple nice throws. But in regards to consistency, it wasn’t good enough offensively speaking today. And our defense had a chance to do pretty well and for the most part they did.”

On the elements: “I think the wind had a little bit of an impact on the throwing game. And it affected some of our kicking, there’s no question about that. It was a gale-force win. … It did give us a chance to run the football a little, so you just take it for what’s it’s worth. We got play a couple of these games next year, we could have the wind blowing like a son of a gun. That’s going to help and maybe makes everybody appreciate how nice that Dome really is. You’ll say you want an outdoor stadium; I think it’s nice to be inside on a day like this.”

BRIAN READER

Overall thoughts: ” The weather was obviously a factor. But as Coach said before practice, we’re going to have games like this next year. We go down to Provo to play BYU, it’s probably going to be like this with snow instead of with little speckles of rain here and there.”

On the offense : “Once we got the ball rolling, we were gone. We started going, going going. We saw a great run from Ryan Bass. That was impressive. We haven’t got to see that yet because we (sat out) last year.

On the running game : “If we run the ball, teams are going to have to start respecting that. They have to pack up the box, put seven or eight guys in there and that will just open up big pass plays. Two years ago we saw that all the time.”

On his personal development: “It amazes me how you get older and older how everything starts to slow down. You can see stuff easier. There’s a lot less going on in your head. Your eyes aren’t going back and forth. You can kind of lock on to what you really want to do, what you want to see.”

On talking to his receivers after dropped passes : “Everybody makes mistakes and I definitely made a few mistakes as well. And everybody learns. I’ll never be mad at them. I’ll just take them to the side and say, Hey, is there anything I can do to help you out. Or hey, do you want to stay after practice and catch more balls.

On the defense : “I thought we were going to have a few big runs. And Korey Toomer on one play just filled a hole and popped a guy. Instead of a 10-yard gain, we had a 2-yard gain. Really good on defense but they better be ready for us come next week.

MATT CLEVELAND

On the key to the running game : ” … As offensive line, just being physical. If were physical in the run game, it’s going to go. Just about in every offense you want to the run game going.

“(Saturday was) really encouraging. Obviously running the ball last year was a disappointment in my eyes. But we came out here today … and seemed like we were busting out some pretty good runs.”

RYAN BASS

Overall thoughts: ” It feels great. I had to sit out the whole year. I just worked out, got better, got bigger, faster. I’m looking forward to having a big year this year.”

On being able to contribute : “I’m very excited about that. Last year I had sit out and watch them practice every single day. I was anxious to get on the field. Our defense is looking real solid. Our O-line is looking a lot better. I’m looking forward to working to those guys.

On sitting out last year : “Oh, it’s very hard. But I’ve got my parents. I’ve got support. I worked out hard everyday and I just wanted to work hard. I see good things happening here. I’ve got a lot of things to look forward to.

On whether he’s enjoying Idaho: “It’s a lot different than Arizona State, but I’m used to it now. It’s a lot of different. … I don’t know, that’s a hard question.”

On his brother Dion signing with the Vandals : “My little brother, I talked to him every day about coming here. At the end of the day he wanted to play with me at college. That was his choice. He made a good choice.”