Volleyball unable to finish in Las Cruces

Theo Lawson

Photo by Zach Edwards

Despite winning a decisive second set, the Idaho volleyball team came up short Thursday night in Las Cruces against WAC foe New Mexico State. The Vandals dropped the first set 18-25, dominated in the second 25-14 but were unable to finish in the third and fourth losing 22-25 and 23-25.

Idaho, now 1-2 in the WAC and 6-9 overall, were led by two double-double performances, one from sophomore Allison Walker, who had 14 kills and 10 digs and the other coming from Jenny Feicht, who had 32 assists and 10 digs.

A dramatic third set saw six ties and four-lead changes. After the hosts allowed the Vandals four consecutive points, and the score sat at 24-23, NMSU were able to close out the set victory. Idaho competed in the fourth set and closed another gap to come within one point once again, but at 23-22, the Aggies would clinch the final two points and second WAC win of the season.

“This one is on us,” coach Debbie Buchanan said. “We outplayed New Mexico State in a lot of ways. We just committed too many errors. The one game  we won we only gave up five errors, but we’ve got to be better and we need to have a higher expectation. We’ve played at a high level for the last three months. Hopefully we learned something from this and we get better. There’s no way that we’re going to win when our outsides have 32 kills but 24 errors. That’s not going to win matches.”

The Vandals close out their two-game roadtrip Saturday in Ruston, La., when they square off with another WAC opponent, Louisiana Tech. The match starts at 12:00 P.T.

 

 

{VIDEO} Scouting Report vs. Virginia

Idaho vs. Virginia- VN Scouting Report

  

University of Idaho (1-3, 0-1 WAC) vs. University of Virginia (2-2, 0-1 ACC)

October 1,2011 3:30 P.M. ET, 12:30 P.T. - Scott Stadium/Charlottesville, VA.

TV/Radio coverage- ESPN3, Vandals Xtra

Idaho-  The defense didn’t show up last weekend against Fresno State but coach Akey says they WILL in fact make the trip to Charlottesville. Problems within the secondary need to be resolved but Akey was clear that the D-line, who only have two sacks on the season, will need to “get off Gilligan’s Island” and pressure interception-prone quarterback Michael Rocco. Offensively, the Vandals will be without wide receiver Preston Davis and running back Ryan Bass once again. Quarterback Brian Reader has thrown just one interception this season and will need to to exploit a struggling Cavalier defense which has allowed 92 points this season and 29 points per game against FBS opponents. Reader told us he hasn’t favored specific receivers during practice this week, but Biletnikoff Award watch list selection Mike Scott leads the team in receptions and has been a rare offensive hot spot for the Vandals this season.

Virginia-  The Cavaliers have relied on a thriving rushing attack, led by freshman Kevin Park. In his college debut against William & Mary, Park racked up 114 yards on 16 carries with three touchdowns. Park has 282 yards in four games and junior Perry Jones trails closely behind with 255 rushing yards and one touchdown. Virginia’s lack of a consistent passing game may aid the Vandals, who have only allowed four rushing touchdowns this season, two of those coming from Texas A&M All-American Cyrus Gray. If Rocco can overcome the turnover barrier and hit the navy and orange Cavalier jerseys, Idaho’s pass defense may be susceptible to big plays. Nevertheless, Virginia have only thrown for two touchdowns this year. The Cavaliers’ D-line has recorded eight sacks this season and will penetrate a mediocre Vandal O-line.

Other game notes:

• Idaho has never met UVA or for that matter, has never travelled to the state of Virginia in program history.
• The Cavaliers have only faced active WAC teams twice, losing to Fresno State and beating San Jose State. 
• The Vandals’ current roster has no Virginia natives or players from bordering states.
• This will be the first time Idaho has played an active member of the ACC.
• Idaho have lost 23 straight games against schools from current BCS conferences, the last win came against Washington State in 2000 under head coach Tom Cable.

The line- Virginia by 17

VN final analysis- On paper, Virginia look to be the stronger team but the Vandal faithful have yet to see the offense, defense and special teams come together at the same time. The 50,000 fans in Charlottesville will play a significant role and the Cavs will take it by no more than two touchdowns.

WAC Round-up: Week 4

San Jose State- 34 New Mexico State- 24

Despite only one win in their first four games, San Jose State has proven they may be a contender in the WAC this season. Led by a pair of seniors, quarterback Matt Faulkner and running back Brandon Rutley, the Spartans amassed 450 total offensive yards, handing the Aggies their third loss of the 2011 season. Following a 78-yard touchdown run from NMSU’s Kenny Turner which would put the Aggies up 24-17, the Spartan defense clamped down, while the offense thrived. Two consecutive SJSU touchdowns, followed by a field goal gave them a 34-24 advantage and the Spartans wouldn’t look back from there. Rutley rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns while Faulkner threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas Tech- 35 Nevada- 34

The Wolf Pack staged a raid of their own on Saturday, but couldn’t contain the Texas Tech. offense in the second half. The Red Raiders clinched the win with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when quarterback Eric Ward hooked up with Seth Doege. Nevada led by two touchdowns in the third quarter but only managed two field goals in the fourth, while the Raiders converted two touchdowns. Doege was 22 for 38 with two touchdown passes and 222 passing yards. Nevada quarterbacks Tyler Lantrip and Cody Fajardo combined for 250 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Wolf Pack (1-2) take on No. 4 Boise State next Saturday with hopes to upset the Broncos for the second straight year.

Hawaii- 56 UC Davis- 14

Quarterback Bryant Moniz tossed seven touchdowns in the first half and the Rainbow Warriors steamrolled a subpar Aggie team. The Hawaii defense prevented UC Davis from scoring until midway through the third quarter when the Warriors were already leading 49-0. The hosts had a chance to see four quarterbacks take snaps, although Moniz would be the only one to complete a touchdown pass. The senior racked up 424 total passing yards, completing 75 percent of his passes. Davis were held to less than 200 total offensive yards while the Warriors posted 637. Hawaii are now 2-2 and open up WAC play next week in Ruston, La., against Louisiana Tech.

Mississippi State- 26 Louisiana Tech- 20

An overtime period was necessary to decide which Bulldogs squad would come out on top of a dogfight that lacked any kind of offense whatsoever. After a La. Tech field goal put the game at a 20-20 with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, both defenses held their own, forcing overtime. Quarterback Chris Relf connected with LaDarius Perkins for a 17-yard touchdown pass and the Miss. St. Bulldogs earned their second win of the season. Three interceptions were thrown and four field goals were converted in a defensive battle between two sides who have struggled to prove themselves thus far.

Colorado State- 35 Utah State- 34

Another example of the WAC falling to a rival conference in overtime, but this time double overtime would be required to settle things. The Rams tied it up with 42 seconds remaining and would each score during the first overtime. The second overtime saw Colorado State punch it in first but Utah State would respond with a touchdown of their own. Aggie coach Gary Anderson opted for the win and a two-point conversion but the Rams denied the attempt from running back Robert Turbin and walked away with the victory. Turbin led the Aggies with four touchdowns and 115 total rushing yards, but the passing game failed to show any consistency as USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton only completed nine passes for 86 yards. Ram CSU sophomore Chris Nwoke ran for 85 yards and two touchdowns, including one in the second overtime.

Coach Akey press conference

Vandals lack togetherness in WAC opener

By: Theo Lawson

Argonaut

Idaho scratched and clawed in the first half but Fresno State ended up the top dogs in Saturday’s WAC opener, a 48-24 Vandal loss in the Kibbie Dome.

Idaho (1-3) came out strong offensively in the first half and led early in the second quarter but the Vandal secondary weren’t able to contain the dart-thrower that was Bulldog quarterback Derek Carr.

“Very disappointed in the way the second half played out. I thought it was a hell of a football game in the first half, I thought we had to fix one thing and that was the damn score,” coach Akey said.

After the Bulldogs took an early lead, Brian Reader threw a fade to receiver Clayton Homme who was waiting in the end zone. Fresno State responded with a field goal and Princeton McCarty’s 18-yard touchdown run put the Vandals up 14-10.

After Trey Farquhar’s second quarter field goal, Idaho wouldn’t manage another touchdown until early in the fourth quarter. During that time span the Bulldogs converted a field goal and three touchdowns, one coming off of a 40-yard fumble recovery that saw the ball slip out of Reader’s hands and into Nat Harrison’s, who would take it all the way back and give Fresno State a 41-17 lead.

“I saw him battle himself out of it initially and he got us a score down there, it was a great catch by Kama and he made some great throws in the process of getting us down there,” Akey said about Reader. “I am proud to see that he responded and came out of it but then we started running short on time and unfortunately our defense was having its issues at that point in time also.”

Statistically Reader looked impressive, completing 28-38, throwing for 235 yards and two touchdowns. McCarty amassed 100 total offensive yards, rushing for 33, receiving for 11 and tallying 59 from kick returns.

Akey and Idaho plan on regrouping prior to visiting the University of Virginia in Charlottesville next Saturday.

“It’s aggravating because I do think we can fix it, frustrating means you don’t know how to,” Akey said. You’re going to see a football team that’s going to have their butts in here tomorrow and they’re going to pick their heads back up.”

LIVE BLOG: Idaho Vandals vs. Fresno State Bulldogs

Click the link below to follow Vandal Nation’s live blog of Saturday’s game against Fresno State.

http://www.coveritlive.com/index.php?option=com_altcaster&task=playaltcast&altcast_code=fd5806674c

Akey press conference – September 19, 2011

VN Scouting Report – Texas A&M

Akey Weekly Press Conference – 9/12/11

North Dakota Post Game Press Conference

WAC Round-up: Week 2

Idaho-44  North Dakota-14:

When the Fighting Sioux went up 14-3, Vandal fans questioned coach Robb Akey and his reasons for leaving quarterback Brian Reader in the game.  Akey’s faith in Reader proved to be beneficial for Idaho’s success and the senior completed 15 consecutive passes in the second and third quarter. Idaho closed the gap to 14-10 at halftime and went up when Reader and Marsel Posey hooked up early in the third.  Freshman Bradley Njoku notched a pick six in the fourth quarter and the Vandals rolled to their first win of the season. Reader threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns; Vandal fans can now breathe. 

 

Oregon-69  Nevada-20

Darron Thomas and the Ducks flew high over the Wolfpack defense, and the junior quarterback threw for 295 yards, while tying the school record for touchdowns in a game (6).  Wolfpack quarterbacks Tyler Lantrip and Cody Fajardo combined for three interceptions and Nevada didn’t score until late in the first half, already down 34-0. Ducks freshman DeAnthony Thomas made up for two fumbles in last week’s loss to LSU by rushing for 81 yards on eight carries and receiving for 93 yards on two receptions and two touchdowns. End result- Nevada without Colin Kaepernick.

 

New Mexico State-28  Minnesota-21

The Aggies beat the Big-Ten! The Aggies beat the Big-Ten! Believe it or not but it did happen. The toilet team of the WAC upset the Golden Gophers in a game that saw NMSU up by two touchdownson two occasions. In terms of total offensive yards, the Aggies tallied just two more than the Gophers and each forced two turnovers.  Andrew Manley’s 288 passing yards and three touchdown passes made the difference in this one, despite his two intereptions.  NMSU will take advantage of the momentum going into three winnable games against UTEP, San Jose State and New Mexico.

 

Washington-40  Hawaii-32:

The Rainbow Warriors proved too feeble away from the island and Husky quarterback Keith Price made the most of his second start for the Holuday Bowl Champions. Hawaii’s slow start led to three unanswered touchdowns from UW, two of those coming from Price and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who only hooked up twice. Hawaii received a late second quarter boost from Richard Torres’ 99-yard interception return but Price took over once again, connecting with Devin Aguilar to put UW up by two touchdowns.  Price finished with 315 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. 

 

Nebraska-42  Fresno State-29

Nearly a miracle in Lincoln on Saturday. The Bulldogs took a three-point lead into halftime and added to it following an early third quarter field goal.  Cornhusker quarterback Taylor Martinez led the game in rushing touchdowns with two but the sophomore’s passing TD to Quincy Enunwa would give the hosts the lead and Nebraska wouldn’t look back from there.  Fresno State staged a late comeback effort that saw them down by two, but a 100-yard kickoff return sealed the deal for the No. 10 Cornhuskers.  With tough battles against Cal and Nebraska, the Bulldogs look for a much easier challenege against North Dakota next weekend. 

 

Louisiana Tech-48  Central Arkansas-42

La. Tech were less than impressive against their Southland Conference opponents but came away with the win in overtime to give the Bulldogs their second win of the season. Down 42-35 late in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs relied on their ground game and a rushing touchdown from Ray Holley, followed by one from Lennon Creer in overtime.  The Bulldogs survived a career night from Bears quarterback Nathan Dick, who completed 29 passes and amassed 370 yards while throwing for four touchdowns. 

 

Utah State- 54  Weber State- 17

After a four-point loss to last year’s national champion Auburn Tigers, the Aggies achieved the revenge they were seeking, against in-state rival Weber State. Robert Turbin led an upbeat Aggie squad with 180 rushing yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.  The Wildcats posted a second quarter threat to the hosts when a touchdown pass and field goal gave Weber St. a seven point lead.  Turbin’s 14-yard touchdown run set the game at a 17-17 deadlock but Utah St. stormed out in the second half to shut the Wildcats out and score five unanswered touchdowns.

 

UCLA-27  San Jose State-17

The Spartans had Bruins fans worried heading into the fourth quarter, when San Jose State’s Brandon Rutley ran for a 65-yard touchdown, tying the game at 17-17 late in the third.  UCLA held their own in the fourth, scoring twice to help the Bruins to their first 2011 victory.  SJSU, still winless, couldn’t find an offensive rhythm and quarterback Dasmen Stewart was 15 for 31 with 111 yards and one interception.  Derrick Coleman and Jonathan Franklin combined for two rushing touchdowns and over 200 rushing yards for the Bruins, ultimately making the difference in this one.

Idaho stomps North Dakota

By: Theo Lawson

A second-half offensive burst proved vital to the Idaho Vandals’ success during a 44-14 romp of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

It took quarterback Brian Reader nearly the entire first half to find a groove that was missing during the teams’ loss to Bowling Green last Thursday, but the senior captain completed 15 consecutive passes in the second and third quarter, ultimately leading Idaho to victory.

“I’m happy, it’s nice to smile, it’s nice to see those players smiling again,” coach Robb Akey said. “I’m glad to have a finish like we expected to have, I thought we performed better in the second half, more like I expected them to, more like our players expected themselves to.”

Idaho fell victim to back-to-back UND touchdowns, including a 79-yard punt return, and fell behind 14-3 early in the second quarter. Reader escaped an extremely slow start late in the first half when he connected with Armauni Johnson for a touchdown with 1:01 remaining.

In the second half Reader started where he left off, throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Marsel Posey for the junior’s first ever touchdown in a Vandal uniform.

The Vandal secondary took care of the rest, tallying two interceptions and holding the Sioux to zero second-half points.

“We just got back into that rhythm that you see when we’re a more successful offense,” Reader said. “We were in that same hole we were in against Bowling Green and we finally started coming out of it at the end of the first half. That’s just sort of how we worked our offense , we got a little momentum going, a little rhythm going and like I was saying all camp, we’re hard to stop once that happens.”

Five different Vandals scored the teams’ five touchdowns, and Reader ended the game with four touchdown passes and 299 passing yards. Mike Scott and Johnson each caught for 90 plus yards and one touchdown.

Freshman Bradley Njoku ran an interception back for a touchdown during his second appearance as a Vandal and junior running back Ryan Bass rushed for 60 yards and one touchdown.

The Vandals will head to College Station, Texas next weekend for a showdown with Big-12 powerhouse Texas A&M.

Live Blog: Idaho vs. North Dakota

Click Here

WAC Round-Up: Week 1

 

Bowling Green-32  Idaho-15: Most of us overamplified and overhyped this 2009 Humanitarian Bowl re-match.  The Falcons, led by quarterback Matt Schilz, routed the injury-affected Vandals in a game that saw Schilz complete 291 passing yards and two touchdown passes.  Vandal quarterback Brian Reader led an early scoring drive but the Falcons charged back with four consecutive touchdowns and Reader came across accuracy problems late in the game.  Idaho expects an easier test next Saturday against FCS opponent North Dakota, who fell 45-0 in Moscow last year. 

 

 

Auburn-42  Utah State- 38:  Utah State got oh so close to doing the unthinkable, upsetting the national champion Auburn Tigers.  The Aggies led by 10 with under four minutes remaining but Gene Chisik’s troops rallied to score twice and preserve a streak that has seen the previous year’s national champion win 13 straight season openers.  It’s safe to say Chisik will have his work cut out for him before SEC match-ups commence.  Utah State will be heavy favorites next weekend when they host Weber State. 

 

 

Stanford-57  San Jose State-3:  Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck pounded fellow Bay Area opponent San Jose State in a 57-3 Cardinal romp.  The Spartans fumbled six times and although SJSU quarterback Matt Faulkner racked up more passing yards than Luck, Stanford’s 141 rushing yards topped 27 from SJSU and the David Shaw era began in fashion for the potential BCS contenders.  SJSU head to Pasadena next Saturday for another Pac-12 challenge, this time against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. 

 

 

Southern Mississippi-19 Louisiana Tech.-17:  In a game where field goals accounted for 15 of the 36 points scored, USM relied on a 49-yard attempt from senior kicker Danny Hrapmann to close out the game and down the Bulldogs.  La. Tech received a boost from Lyle Fitte’s 86-yard kickoff return and took advantage of a muffed punt that left them at the Golden Eagles’ one-yard line but Hrapmann and Corey Acosta each tacked on two field goals to earn USM’s second-straight win against La. Tech.  17 year-old starting quarterback Nick Isham and the Bulldogs host Central Arkansas next Saturday.

 

 

Hawaii-34  Colorado-17:  The Rainbow Warriors performed a traditional Hawaiian luau, feasting on the slow feet of Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen, who lost 35 total yards on seven sacks.  Meanwhile, Hawaii running back Bryant Moniz bulldozed through the Buffalo defense, rushing for a career-best 121 yards and three touchdowns.  The Rainbows were picked to win the WAC this fall and coincidentally earned the conference’s only victory this weekend.  Hawaii crosses the Pacific Ocean next weekend to meet Pac-12 foe Washington in Seattle.   

 

 

California-36  Fresno State-21:  The WAC and Pac-12 clashed again and the Bears surprised few with their convincing win over the Bulldogs at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.  Two quarterbacks earned debut starts for their respective squads but Zach Maynard of Cal won the battle, passing for 266 yards and two touchdowns while Fresno State underclassman Derek Carr finished with 142 yards, one touchdown and one interception.  The Bulldogs will face a much tougher opponent next Saturday in Nebraska, who disposed of Chattanooga 40-7 in their opener. 

 

 

 

University of Ohio-44  New Mexico State-24:  Picked to finish last in the WAC, it’s not unreasonable to say the Aggies could go 0-13 this season; their 20-point loss to the Bobcats Saturday proved why.  New Mexico State couldn’t handle quarterback Tyler Tettleton’s versatility, and the sophomore broke out his cage for four touchdowns to silence the Aggie faithful in Las Cruces.  NMSU’s Andrew Manley lit up for 362 yards and two touchdowns but not even a 97-yard kickoff return from Taveon Rogers could ignite any sort of fourth quarter comeback attempt.  The Aggies will go Gopher hunting September 10th when they square off at Minnesota.     

 

 

 

Nevada open the 2011 campaign next Saturday in Eugene, Oregon when they face the national runner-up Oregon Ducks.