After a tough outing against Nebraska that showed the promise and peril of this year’s team, the Idaho Vandals return home to take on the UNLV Rebels in a bid to defend the Kibbie Dome turf on UI’s annual Dads Weekend. Under the lights and in front of national TV cameras broadcasting the game live on ESPNU, it’s Vandal Game Day once again!
In Lincoln, the Vandals’ defense stood strong and once again forced key turnovers, but offensive struggles and a series of ill-advised interceptions thrown by Nate Enderle blunted Idaho’s attack and led to a deflating defeat. Bouncing back will be key, as a victory tonight would keep the Silver and Gold on pace for bowl eligibility for the second consecutive year.
The Rebels are 0-2 to start the season, but both losses came against tough opponents: Wisconsin and Utah. Idaho last met UNLV in 2005, falling by the score of 34-31, and the Vandals trail in the all-time series, 3-2.
Join Vandal fans from across the nation as we once again bring you our play-by-play liveblog from the Kibbie Dome. Pregame starts at 7 p.m. Pacific time, kickoff at 7:30.
The last time Idaho and North Dakota met in college football was in 1954, when the Vandals handed the Fighting Sioux a 45-0 loss in old Neale Stadium.
Tonight in the Kibbie Dome, Idaho proved that history does repeat itself.
Backed by the Vandals’ best defensive performance in more than a decade, Idaho knocked out the Fighting Sioux, 45-0 — a score identical to the mark set 56 years ago.
Apart from a busted drive to open the game, the Vandals (1-0) pretty much had their way with North Dakota (0-1), a Football Championship Subdivision team from the Great West Football Conference. Seven of 14 Idaho drives led to scores, six of them touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Nate Enderle shook off a string of early sacks to throw for 311 yards and two scores on 24-of-37 passing, while backup Brian Reader racked up another 88 yards and one touchdown. Just under 12,000 fans cheered the Vandals’ first home-opening win since 1998.
Probably more important than the Vandals’ big offensive numbers, however, was the absence of any points on the other side of the scoreboard. After a bowl-winning 2009 season that was marred by an unending string of defensive lapses, senior safety Shiloh Keo said his unit was determined to redeem itself this year. In coming up with Idaho’s first shutout since 1997 — albeit against an FCS team — he felt a corner has been turned.
“It’s taken five years but we finally threw out a goose egg,” Keo said. “We have a long way to go and there were mistakes made out there, but we believe this can be a great defense. We were able to show a glimpse of that tonight.”
That’s right, it’s football season again — and tonight, Idaho kicks off what the Vandals hope will be a worthy followup to the team’s most successful season in more than a decade. After winning the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl in spectacular, heart-stopping fashion, there’s expectations for the Silver and Gold once again.
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are an FCS squad from the Great West Conference, and while this game may seem like just a tune-up for a bowl-champion FBS team like Idaho, the Vandals can’t afford to overlook anyone. History is littered with FCS-over-FBS upsets — most notably Appalachian State’s monster win at Michigan — and the Fighting Sioux aren’t going to roll over and play dead.
Can Robb Akey, Nate Enderle and the rest of the Vandals lead Idaho to a second-straight season opening victory? We’ll find out in just a few hours.
Join Vandal fans from across the nation as we once again bring you our play-by-play liveblog from the Kibbie Dome. Pregame starts at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, kickoff at 6.
Kicker Trey Farquhar once again got a workout on the field goal unit, as the Idaho Vandals’ defense showed renewed aggression and once again gained the upper hand in scrimmage action this afternoon. Linebacker Robert Siavii grabbed a pick and forced a fumble, one of several first-team Idaho defenders to make big plays during the scrimmage.
“That’s why the good Lord created defense: get the ball back without giving up any points and bang up as many people on the way as you can,” coach Robb Akey said.
Closing out fall camp with 90 minutes of action in the newly-daylit Kibbie Dome, Akey said he was pleased with the development of his team throughout the preseason workouts. Now, he and the Vandals will turn their attention to game preparation — as the season opener at home against North Dakota is in just two weeks.
“I thought it was a good scrimmage and I was happy with it. Our defense is playing its tail off right now,” Akey said. “Now it’s time to tighten things up and get this season kicked off.”
The most noteworthy announcement: Akey has set Idaho’s starting offensive line. The Vandals will initially go with Matt Cleveland at LT, Sam Tupua at LG, Clell Hasenbank at C, Tevita Halaholo at RG, Tyrone Novikoff at RT.
“I expect those five to be our five. They’ve earned themselves the opportunity,” Akey said. “We’ve gained good ground in the last few practices and there was good protection out there today. They’re coming together.”
Akey also talked about the recent pro successes of several Idaho alumni — including offensive lineman Adam Juratovac, who helped the Spokane Shock win their first ArenaBowl championship last night in Spokane. Juratovac was part of an offensive line that didn’t give up a sack all night, and he’ll return to Moscow to enter law school at the University of Idaho next week.
“If you want a chance to be on the national stage, go to the next level and get your degree, you can make that happen at the University of Idaho,” Akey said. “These guys are proving it.”
More on the scrimmage, plus a video interview with senior quarterback Nate Enderle, after the jump.
With two weeks to go before college football kicks off, the sudden disintegration of the Western Athletic Conference has woken up sportswriters and bloggers from their fall camp reverie. We’ve got a compilation of the best (and bizarrest) writing on the WACsplosion.
The latest-breaking development? Utah State confirms it, too, was approached by the MWC and offered membership — before either Fresno State or Nevada. But with honor and commitment, the Aggies refused to betray the WAC. Everyone left in the conference should consider USU their heroes. They rejected self-interested sabotage, and I hope they, and we, come out ahead for it.
Sam Wasson’s BleedCrimson.net has a great rundown of this morning’s press conference with Karl Benson.
San Jose State is left in limbo, Jon Wilner writes in the Mercury News. Join the club, says Louisiana Tech — most damningly, the Bulldogs’ AD all but invites his program to be poached by another conference, preferably C-USA. Stephen Tsai of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser says Hawaii should quit the WAC and go independent.
Whither BYU? Good question, as Cougar AD Tom Holmoe provides only cryptic answers to the Deseret News. “Things are playing out” indeed.
With the defections of Fresno State and Nevada to the Mountain West Conference effective in 2012, the future of the Western Athletic Conference is now in doubt — no matter how much WAC commish Karl Benson might try to deny it.
In an 80-minute marathon teleconference this morning, Benson spun like a top, talking about the “selfish” betrayal of the Bulldogs and the Wolf Pack on the eve of what could have been the conference’s grandest coup: recapturing BYU.
Yes, the WAC will get $10 million in buyout money and no, the latest defectors can’t leave for two years.
But the words WAC fans most needed to hear — solid commitments from new members — were conspicuously missing. Lots of what-ifs, possibilities and conversations, with Benson mentioning teams from Texas to California as being potentially interested in joining.
Unfortunately, the WAC can’t afford what-ifs, possibilities and conversations right now. The conference, and its six remaining members, need fresh blood to remain a viable league. If new members aren’t found by 2012, and the WAC drops to six teams for even a single season, we’re essentially talking about a dead league walking.
Already Benson admitted that Louisiana Tech is looking to bolt for Conference USA. Who else is thinking about finding an escape hatch? More to the point, who isn’t looking for an escape hatch at this point?
Imagine one of those ticking 24 clocks. Benson and the six WAC presidents realistically have only a few months to find a savior or two. Otherwise, it’s going to be every man for himself and the Western Athletic Conference will join the Pacific Coast Conference, the Metro Conference and the Southwest Conference, among others, in the annals of NCAA history.
For the Vandals’ part, we’ll have more thoughts after athletic director Rob Spear talks at 2 p.m. Pacific. The upshot? Idaho is in a horrible situation, yet there’s really no better alternative. It’s either ride out the WAC storm, go down with the ship or limp back to the Big Sky and FCS. If anyone has a better idea, let me know.
Robb Akey fired up his troops this morning for an early practice, one of two on today’s slate. While I arrived late to the party, we did see Eric Greenwood running some deep routes and a great batch of goal-line blocking drills. With Mike Iupati in the NFL and several other senior linemen gone, up-front play will be a key to watch as fall camp progresses.
RICHMOND, Calif. — It’s that time again, and the gridiron is beginning to warm up. So too, then, is Vandal Nation.
We’ve been on hiatus since the end of college sports earlier this year, but rest assured, we’re not down for the count. I’ll be back in Moscow later this week with updates from the opening weeks of Idaho football camp. Stay tuned!
Mike Iupati. Photo Courtesy Bill Starling/The Press Register
Mike Iupati, the Vandals’ standout left guard, is going to the NFL, as the San Francisco 49ers grabbed him with the 17th pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
RENO, Nev. — After five years of futility, an Idaho Vandals basketball team finally made it to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals — just two wins away from a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Unfortunately for Idaho’s women, after a decisive quarterfinal win over New Mexico State on Wednesday, they ran headlong into the WAC’s hottest team, and the improbable dream was over.
The fourth-seeded Vandals fell to No. 1 seed Fresno State, 80-66, ending a season that saw Idaho’s women endure a two-win non-conference campaign before coming together for a historic trip deeper into the WAC Tournament than any Idaho team has ever gone. Idaho finished the season with an 11-20 record, 8-8 in conference play. The Bulldogs advanced to the tournament championship, where they’ll play Louisiana Tech tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Idaho coach Jon Newlee credited Fresno State with taking the fight right at the Vandals, but considers the season a success for the way his team responded to the adversity it faced early on. Last year’s leading scorer Derisa Taleni was lost to a season-ending injury in preseason practice, and her absence was a big reason the team suffered 11 non-conference losses, including a six-game losing streak.
“After a really bad start to the year, to fight back the way we did, to finish fourth in the WAC and get the first ever WAC Tournament win for this team, it’s tremendous for our program,” Newlee said. “Fresno State is an extremely talented basketball team that will go a couple rounds in the NCAA Tournament if they get the right draw.”
But Newlee had harsh words for the game’s referees, who he said were biased against his squad.
“Today was probably one of the most horrendous, one-sided jobs of officiating that I’ve been involved in, and I’ve been involved in a lot of postseason tournaments in my 22 years,” Newlee said. “It was absolutely horrible, and I’m embarrassed for our league, embarrassed for our kids that we had to go and be subjected to that. Fresno State doesn’t need any help, they’re good enough on their own. It was just bad officiating and I’m not happy about it.”
Shortly after the postgame press conference, Newlee was publicly reprimanded by WAC commissioner Karl Benson for violating the league’s sportsmanship code.
RENO, Nev. — On Wednesday night, Idaho’s women made history, becoming the first Vandal basketball team to advance to a Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal game.
Today, they face that challenge — against a No. 1-seeded Fresno State squad that hasn’t lost a game in WAC play this year.
Powered by guard Jaleesa Ross’ unconscious shooting, the Bulldogs have been the class of the conference all season long, and destroyed the Vandals last time out in Fresno. Charlotte Otero, Yinka Olorunnife and the rest of the Vandals will no doubt be out for revenge.
Complete pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m., with tipoff at noon.
RENO, Nev. — In four minutes and 39 seconds of the first half of Idaho’s Western Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup against Nevada, the Vandals’ dreams of making it to the NCAA Tournament were shattered. The remaining 25 minutes of play were merely a formality.
After giving up a 13-2 run to open the game, Idaho clawed back in with red-hot outside shooting from Luciano de Souza, putting the Vandals within striking distance of Nevada midway through the first half. The homestanding Wolf Pack led, 27-21, with 9:43 remaining in the period, but all the momentum was with the black-clad Idaho squad.
Wolf Pack guard Brandon Fields, however, had other plans.
In a minute and 14 seconds, Fields drained back-to-back 3-pointers and slammed home a dunk, making for a personal 8-0 run. Add a pair of Luke Babbitt jumpers and all of a sudden, the Vandals trailed by 18 points with 5:04 to play in the first half. Nevada’s advantage would never be less than double digits the rest of the way.
Idaho fell to the Wolf Pack tonight, 87-71, ending a season that has been, for the Vandals, a frustrating campaign of unfulfilled potential.
“We had a lot of adversity this season, but we’ve kept fighting,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “We beat a Top 25 team, we went on the road and won in Utah and I can’t tell you how proud I am of my seniors. There’s so many positives, but it’s still tough to go out like this.”
The Vandals finish the season with a 15-16 record, 6-10 in WAC regular-season play. Nevada (20-11, 11-5 WAC) continues to the semifinals, where they’ll play New Mexico State tomorrow.
On the night, Nevada shot 55 percent from the floor and 55 percent from downtown, while holding Idaho to just 40 and 30 percent, respectively. The Vandals simply couldn’t get the ball in the basket.
The stat sheet tells the tale. After a red-hot 8-for-14 performance from downtown against Hawaii, Steffan Johnson went ice-cold, hitting just one of eight shots from the floor and missing all five attempts from beyond the arc. Mac Hopson shot just 4-for-16 and Shawn Henderson could convert only three of his 11 tries. Another double-double night from Marvin Jefferson — 14 points on 6-11 shooting to go with 10 rebounds — and a career-best 20 points from de Souza couldn’t make up for the lack of backcourt production.
RENO, Nev. — It’s a tough challenge, being the No. 7 seed facing off against a No. 2 seed. It’s even tougher when you’re playing the No. 2 seed on their own home floor.
That’s the task facing the Idaho Vandals tonight in the Lawlor Events Center, as they square off against the Nevada Wolf Pack in a Western Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal. The winner goes on to the WAC Tournament semifinals tomorrow.
Don Verlin’s squad has struggled to find consistency this year, as chemistry and mental lapses cost the Vandals valuable victories. Idaho’s season, which started so promisingly with an upset of Utah in Salt Lake City, now comes down to this game. Win, and the dream is alive. Lose, and it’s back to Moscow for the long wait until November.
Can the Vandals pull off the improbable bracket upset? Join us, live from courtside, and find out.
Complete pregame coverage begins at 5:30 p.m., with tipoff at 6.
RENO, Nev. — We’re back in the Lawlor Events Center for the second day of quarterfinal action in the 2010 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament.
The bracket for the men’s quarterfinals looks like this:
(1) Utah State vs. (8) Boise State — noon
(4) Louisiana Tech vs. (5) Fresno State — 2:30 p.m.
The winners will play Friday in the semifinals, with the 1/8 and 4/5 winners squaring off in one matchup, the 2/7 and 3/6 winners in the other.
Yesterday, Idaho’s women made history, becoming the first Vandal team to reach the semifinals in any WAC basketball tournament since Idaho joined the conference in 2005. They defeated New Mexico State, 75-63, and will play the No. 1 seeded Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday at noon.
Men’s basketball
For a complete rundown on the day’s conference tournament action across the mid-major leagues, check out The Mid-Majority’s Tourney Central.
Follow us on Twitter — @VandalNation — for live courtside scoring updates throughout the WAC Tournament.
The Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright has a game preview of this evening’s Idaho/Nevada showdown.
RENO, Nev. — Since Idaho joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2005, neither the men nor the women had ever advanced past the quarterfinals in the conference basketball tournament. Excepting a pair of play-in game victories, the WAC Tournament represented an unbroken streak of futility for the Silver and Gold.
No more.
Led by a pair of double-doubles from stalwart starters Yinka Olorunnife and Shaena Kuehu, the Vandal women pulled away from New Mexico State late in the second half to secure a 75-63 victory over the Aggies in WAC Tournament quarterfinal action at the Lawlor Events Center. The fourth-seeded Vandals now advance to the semifinals, where they’ll face No. 1 Fresno State at noon Friday.
“This is a big win for our program and I’m proud of this whole team for gutting it out, hanging tough and getting the win,” Idaho coach Jon Newlee said. “I know this means a lot to everyone, but particularly for Charlotte (Otero), who can cap off her senior year with some success in the tournament.”
Idaho and New Mexico State traded the lead back and forth throughout the first half, though the Vandals had to crawl out of a 7-point deficit early. After that, neither team could gain more than a two-possession advantage, and it took Bianca Cheever’s baseline jumper with 3 seconds on the clock to give Idaho a two-point edge into the locker room.
In the second half, the Vandals twice made bids to control the game. Idaho opened on a 6-0 run to push the lead to 8, keyed by buckets from Kuehu and Olorunnife. But the Aggies responded with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game, with Tabytha Wampler and Jasmine Lowe earning 3-point plays. With 12:17 to play, Crystal Boyd’s free throw gave NMSU a one-point lead — but it would be their last.
That’s because Olorunnife chose that moment to take over the game for Idaho. She drilled a jumper to put the Vandals back in the lead, dished up to Kuehu for a 3-pointer and then canned a trey of her own — Idaho by seven, 10:32 to play.
New Mexico State wasn’t done, though. For the next eight minutes, both teams turned the Lawlor hardwood into a 3-point shooting gallery. Lowe drilled a three — Otero responded likewise. Danisha Corbett knocked down back-to-back shots from long range, putting the Aggies within a point of tying the game. Right-back-atcha came Otero and Cheever to keep Idaho ahead, and time was running out for New Mexico State. A deep dagger from Otero and two free throws from Olorunnife with a minute left sealed the Aggies’ fate.
“Every time they made a run, one of these guys right here (Kuehu, Olorunnife and Otero) made a big shot to keep us in front, and I thought it was important that we keep the lead down the stretch,” Newlee said. “It just seemed like big shot after big shot. They’d hit one and then we would.”
Benson talks much, delivers little in WACsplosion presser
19 AugWith the defections of Fresno State and Nevada to the Mountain West Conference effective in 2012, the future of the Western Athletic Conference is now in doubt — no matter how much WAC commish Karl Benson might try to deny it.
In an 80-minute marathon teleconference this morning, Benson spun like a top, talking about the “selfish” betrayal of the Bulldogs and the Wolf Pack on the eve of what could have been the conference’s grandest coup: recapturing BYU.
Yes, the WAC will get $10 million in buyout money and no, the latest defectors can’t leave for two years.
But the words WAC fans most needed to hear — solid commitments from new members — were conspicuously missing. Lots of what-ifs, possibilities and conversations, with Benson mentioning teams from Texas to California as being potentially interested in joining.
Unfortunately, the WAC can’t afford what-ifs, possibilities and conversations right now. The conference, and its six remaining members, need fresh blood to remain a viable league. If new members aren’t found by 2012, and the WAC drops to six teams for even a single season, we’re essentially talking about a dead league walking.
Already Benson admitted that Louisiana Tech is looking to bolt for Conference USA. Who else is thinking about finding an escape hatch? More to the point, who isn’t looking for an escape hatch at this point?
Imagine one of those ticking 24 clocks. Benson and the six WAC presidents realistically have only a few months to find a savior or two. Otherwise, it’s going to be every man for himself and the Western Athletic Conference will join the Pacific Coast Conference, the Metro Conference and the Southwest Conference, among others, in the annals of NCAA history.
For the Vandals’ part, we’ll have more thoughts after athletic director Rob Spear talks at 2 p.m. Pacific. The upshot? Idaho is in a horrible situation, yet there’s really no better alternative. It’s either ride out the WAC storm, go down with the ship or limp back to the Big Sky and FCS. If anyone has a better idea, let me know.
Tags: Big Sky Conference, Boise State Broncos, College football, Conference USA, Fresno State Bulldogs, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Idaho Vandals, Karl Benson, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Mountain West Conference, MWC, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico State Aggies, Rob Spear, San Jose State Spartans, Utah State Aggies, WAC, Western Athletic Conference