Good Morning Vandal Nation: Oct. 15, 2009

T-minus two days to kickoff, and things are beginning to heat up on the Palouse.

For those who might have missed it, there was a significant announcement yesterday: the Nov. 7 Idaho/Fresno State football game will be nationally televised on ESPNU in prime time, with kickoff moved to 7:30 p.m.

Today on the blog, we’ll have the second part of our Vandal football midseason report card and continue our Western Athletic Conference basketball preview series. With tomorrow looking jam-packed as well, we may post up our Better Know a Foe conversation today too.

Remember that we’ll have an interactive play-by-play liveblog/chat from Saturday’s game beginning at 1:15 p.m. Join us!

Football

• We posted up a midseason report card on the Idaho offense.

• The Idaho Press-Tribune’s Jake Alger makes a few midseason award picks and looks at the game ahead.

• ESPN.com’s Graham Watson picks Idaho to beat Hawaii, albeit in yet another close one.

• The Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright has a nice feature on Mike Iupati, the Vandals’ O-line monster and probable NFL draft pick.

• Football on the Fringe posts its own midseason report card on Idaho, and the Vandals come out smelling like roses.

• Rivals.com asks its football reporters what the biggest surprise of the year is. Two of them say Idaho’s resurgence.

• ESPN.com’s Bottom 10 doesn’t include any WAC teams this week, but San Jose State and Utah State loom on the waiting list.

• The Idaho Statesman’s Brian Murphy says Boise State coach Chris Petersen isn’t worrying about the polls in the wake of the Broncos’ 28-21 squeaker at Tulsa last night.

• The Las Cruces Sun-News’ Teddy Feinberg writes that the Newmags need to stop La. Tech’s big-play ability, and posts raw quotes from the team’s’ weekly presser. (h/t to Bleed Crimson)

Men’s basketball

• We continued our WAC preview series with a look at underachieving #8 San Jose State.

• The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Chris Murray continues his WAC preview series by picking Idaho to finish fourth in the conference. The Vandals load up with talent and will finish worse than they did last year? *boggle* We’ll have a critique of that pick later.

• Chris also posted an excellent piece of statistical number-crunching, breaking down the non-conference schedules of every team in the WAC. Read it.

• Parsing the WAC’s Kevin McCarthy apparently doesn’t get a media poll vote — but he should. Here’s his lighthearted take on some preseason conference bests.

Good Morning Vandal Nation: Oct. 2, 2009

Today is Friday — and like every Friday, it’s Vandal Spirit Friday, so wear your Vandal gear!

Remember to pick up your student tickets at the Kibbie Dome ticket office for tomorrow’s game — there can’t be many left.

Coming today on Vandal Nation is our Better Know a Foe with The Coloradoan’s Kelly Lyell, complete previews of every WAC game this weekend and more.

There’s a whole pile of links today, given that tomorrow is gameday, so let’s get right to it.

Football

• The Argonaut’s Jennifer Schlake previews tomorrow’s Idaho/Colorado State battle.

• The Argonaut’s got my analysis of what the Colorado State game means for the Vandals.

• Matt Dessert of GoVandals.net chimes in with his game preview.

• The Coloradoan’s Kelly Lyell continues his excellent coverage with a feature on Nathan Enderle and his brother Derek — perhaps the only Colorado State student rooting for Idaho.

• I answer five questions about the Vandals for the Mountain West Connection, which also has a game preview.

• The Twin Falls Times-News has a Josh Wright piece on Idaho’s O-line.

• The Logan Herald-Journal’s Craig Hislop says the Utah State/BYU rivalry isn’t much of one.

• Lewiston Tribune writer Jesse Baumgartner does his own version of Better Know a Foe with the Denver Post’s Natalie Meisler.

• The Las Cruces Sun-News’ Teddy Feinberg says despite the Aztecs’ struggles, NMSU is fearful of underestimating them. (h/t to Bleed Crimson)

Men’s basketball

• We posted our picks for the WAC’s best juniors.

Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: Sept. 29, 2009

We’re back, with a big pile of links from the weekend that was. All sorts of good stuff relating to the Idaho Vandals’ upset of Northern Illinois. We apologize for the day-long hiatus, but there was homework to catch up on!

The Vandals are receiving more national attention than ever — as well they should, given their 3-1 record, the best FBS start in school history and the best overall since 1994.

But the gridiron Vandals aren’t the only squad on a hot start. Idaho’s women’s soccer squad is 7-4 heading into conference play this weekend, also its best-ever season start.

On Saturday, the Vandals will take to the Kibbie Dome for a nationally-televised night battle against the Colorado State Rams, which will close out the non-conference season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. — students are advised to pick up their tickets soon, as nearly three-quarters of the allocation has already been distributed.

Football

• The Argonaut’s Jennifer Schlake has a game report that also mentions Nathan Enderle’s WAC Player of the Week honors.

• ESPN.com’s Pat Forde gives props to Idaho’s turnaround.

• The Coloradoan’s Kelly Lyell says the Rams aren’t going to overlook a “dangerous” Vandal squad.

• Jennifer Schlake chimes in again with a recruiting update on coach Robb Akey’s quest for size.

• Mike Brohard of the Loveland Reporter-Herald reports on the “unique challenges” posed by the Vandals and the Kibbie Dome.

• The Red and Black Attack wraps up the Huskies’ loss, saying “It will be tough for anyone to shut (Idaho) down and they will be very, very difficult to beat at home in their dome.”

• The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the Poinsettia Bowl will take WAC teams in 2011 and 2012.

• The Lewiston Tribune’s Jesse Baumgartner posts up his WAC power rankings.

Men’s basketball

• Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal and Jason Groves of the Las Cruces Sun-News both make preseason picks for the WAC’s best players. Murray’s top seniors and juniors; Groves’ top seniors and juniors. No surprise, Mac Hopson is among them.

Good Morning Vandal Nation: Sept. 25, 2009

The sun rises on another day in Vandal Nation, and it’s just one day to gameday in DeKalb, Ill.

On tap today here, we’ll have previews of every Western Athletic Conference football matchup, along with coverage of today’s Idaho Vandals/South Dakota Coyotes soccer game.

Football

• The Argonaut’s Jennifer Schlake has a preview of the Vandals/Huskies matchup and a feature story on DeMaundray Woolridge.

• The Northern Star previews the Vandals/Huskies game from an NIU perspective.

• The Lewiston Tribune’s Jesse Baumgartner, as always, has some good audio tidbits on his blog.

• The Spokesman’s Josh Wright features Vandal wideout Max Komar.

• Bleed Crimson has a Know the Foe on NMSU’s upcoming rivalry game with New Mexico. That game has been named ESPN’s Pillow Fight of the Week.

• Teddy Feinberg of the Las Cruces Sun-News has another preview of the NMSU/New Mexico battle.

• The Red and Black Attack reports that the only female referee in FBS will be working the Vandals/Huskies game.

• Bulldog Bounce previews the Fresno State/Cincinnati game — a key test for the Bulldogs, if they hope to come out of non-conference play with anything resembling a decent record.

• FalconBlog previews the Bowling Green/Boise State matchup, and the Broncos will be a tough fight for the Falcons.

• The Toledo Blade’s Dave Hackenberg calls Boise State “a model for mid-majors.”

• The Spartan Daily’s Ryan Buchan previews the Spartans’ game against Cal Poly — what could be San Jose State’s last hope for a non-conference win.

• The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Dan Hinxman has a preview of the Wolf Pack’s home opener against Missouri. Nevada will be fighting desperately to avoid a 0-3 start.

• We can’t find any reporting on the Utah State/Southern Utah game, so here’s the official Aggies release.

Men’s basketball

• Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman takes notice of the Vandals’ hoops resurgence, noting “I’m not sure there’s a better backcourt in the WAC than the duo of Mac Hopson and Steffan Johnson.” (h/t to Parsing the WAC.)

Good Morning Vandal Nation: Sept. 24, 2009

That’s right, it’s time for another morning slug of coffee, a biscuit and your WAC news links.

On tap today here will be another installment of Better Know a Foe with the NIU Huskies.

Football

• KMVT has a video preview of the Vandals’ game at Northern Illinois on Saturday.

• The Red and Black Attack, an NIU blog, takes a look at the Vandals and isn’t impressed with what they see.

• Northern Illinois University students sing the Idaho Vandals fight song for extra credit. Hilarious.

• The Las Cruces Sun-News’ Teddy Feinberg has more notes on the quarterback battle in Aggieland.

• The Lewiston Tribune’s Jesse Baumgartner has a feature on Vandal WR Daniel Hardy.

• The Lewiston Tribune’s Ryan Collingwood reports that Asotin TE Jesse Davis has verbally committed to join the Vandals next year.

• The Collegian’s Chris Aguirre ranks the WAC.

Men’s basketball

• The Vandals get six games on The ESPN Family of Networks. The Broncos get one. Ha ha.

• Over at Parsing the WAC, Kevin McCarthy has the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook’s WAC preview. Idaho seventh? No way. Period.

Women’s basketball

• I’ve got a Vandal Spotlight with senior point guard Charlotte Otero.

Golf

• The Vandals women’s golf team won the WSU Inland Cup yesterday, and GoVandals.com has the story.

Volleyball

• The Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s Cindy Luis previews the Rainbow Wahine’s WAC season.

Good Morning Vandal Nation: Sept. 23, 2009

We’ve reached the midpoint of the week and as usual for Hump Day, there’s plenty of news from all around the WAC.

Today, we’ll have that basketball announcement (it would have gone out yesterday but for a little thing called homework) and a Vandal Spotlight on senior point guard Charlotte Otero.

Another reminder: students who want to attend next week’s televised battle between the Vandals and the Colorado State Rams need to pick up tickets from the ticket office in the Kibbie Dome east-end building. Swiping your Vandal Card won’t be enough.

Football

• The Tacoma News-Tribune has a capsule preview of the Idaho/Northern Illinois contest.

• ESPN.com’s Graham Watson notes that the Idaho Vandals are off to their best start in a decade.

• Michael Hamlin of The Collegian reports on an unexpected surplus in the Fresno State athletic budget.

• Dan Hinxman of the Reno Gazette-Journal has a feature story on the struggles of Wolf Pack QB Colin Kaepernick and asks whether Kaepernick is regressing.

• The Las Cruces Sun-News’ Teddy Feinberg says the quarterback competition is on at NMSU as coach DeWayne Walker looks to reboot an ineffective offense.

• BleedCrimson.net has a feature story on two-sport athlete Tanner Rust, who plays baseball and football for the Aggies.

• The Logan Herald-Journal’s Wade Denniston features a heartwarming walk-on-to-scholarship story from the Utah State Aggies.

• Vandal fan Matthew Shifely blogs his gameday experience at the Kibbie Dome for the Vandals’ victory over San Diego State.

• ESPN.com’s Graham Watson says Boise State will be a “marked team” when they visit Bowling Green.

• The Collegian’s Chris Aguirre previews this weekend’s Fresno State/Cincinnati matchup.

Men’s basketball

• Rene Ferran of the Tri-City Herald talks to Vandal recruit Gary Winston, who reaffirmed his commitment to join Verlin’s program.

• The RGJ’s Chris Murray has some tidbits from the WAC preseason prospectus.

Golf

• GoVandals.com reports on the WSU Inland Cup, where the Vandal women lead after the first day of competition.

Good Morning Vandal Nation: Sept. 22, 2009

The sun has risen on another day on the Palouse, and that means it’s time for another dose of WAC news at Vandal Nation.

Coming this afternoon, we’ll have a special announcement about hoops season that we’re very excited about. Don Verlin’s team is perhaps the best Idaho basketball squad since the Don Monson years, and we’re going all-out to cover his quest for an NCAA Tournament berth.

This week as a whole will be jam-packed… we’ll have Vandal Spotlights on Nate Enderle and Charlotte Otero, Better Know a Foe with The Red and Black Attack, previews of every WAC game and more.

Football

• The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Dan Hinxman reports on the surprising early strength of Idaho Vandals football.

• Dave Southorn of the Idaho Press-Tribune writes on much the same vein.

• The Bulldog Bounce has a snark-ridden piece suggesting the Broncos play dirty — and that the WAC lets them get away with it.

• The Las Cruces Sun-News’ Teddy Feinberg says expectations need to be lowered for what has been a woeful NMSU Aggie football team.

• The Red and Black Attack, a Northern Illinois Huskies blog, has a notebook from the Huskies’ upset of Purdue last Saturday. They’ll be a tough foe for the Vandals.

• The Nevada Sagebrush has some excellent coverage of the Nevada Wolf Pack’s awful start to the season. There’s a commentary suggesting expectations were too high and one that says the program’s in danger of losing fans, along with an audio slideshow looking at the career of coach Chris Ault.

• The Idaho Statesman’s Chadd Cripe reports on the Boise State Broncos’ efforts to replace leading rusher D.J. Harper, who’s out for the season with a torn ACL.

• Warriors Will Throw, the Hawaii football blog, has a roundup of reports from the Warriors’ shootout loss to UNLV.

Vandal Roundup: Sept. 1, 2009

With this post, Vandal Nation restarts the Vandal Roundup – your one-post home for the best coverage of Idaho Vandals and WAC sports.

Football

Jennifer Schlake previews the Vandals’ season opener at New Mexico State for The Argonaut:

One thing coach Robb Akey wants for the Vandals more than anything Saturday, is to remember the way it felt when they beat New Mexico State last season.

“The last time the two of us got together in a stadium, we won the game and I want that in those kids’ heads,” Akey said. “That should bring a little extra confidence going into the game.”

As part of GoVandals.net‘s gridiron preview, Pat Hauge has an excellent story on the Vandals’ receiving corps:

The wide receiver unit has taken their lumps in recent years, both in the press and on the field. In the last five years Idaho has operated under three different offensive coordinators, and this unit has suffered its share of attrition over the years. But this season, led by senior slot receiver Max Komar and an experienced depth chart, the Vandals are poised to make the passing game a weapon.

Josh Wright previews the Vandals’ season for the Spokane Spokesman-Review:

MOSCOW, Idaho — In five days, Idaho football coach Robb Akey will unveil an on-the-field product that figures to be the most polished since his arrival three years ago. The defense has never been so rangy and athletic. A stocked supply of skill players is starting to come of age. The defensive line finally has more than a smattering of able (and thick) bodies.

Yes, everything points to a much healthier program than the one Akey inherited after Dennis Erickson’s swift departure in 2006. Nevertheless this fact remains: All the anecdotal progress means nothing unless the Vandals start churning out wins.
“I do like the direction we’re going,” athletic director Rob Spear said last week. “… But nobody’s more anxious than me to get the (program) turned.”

Chiming in with a football preview for the Moscow-Pullman Daily News is Sandra Kelly, who focuses on what the coaching change at NMSU might mean for the Vandals’ season opener: (subscription required)

Akey’s Army is ready to focus on New Mexico State. Exactly what that means is a bit of a mystery. The Aggies have a new coach, and former quarterback Chase Holbrook, who ran a pass-happy offense, was a senior last year.

“There’s a league rule in there somewhere that says you have to run it,” (Robb) Akey joked. “They will run it. That will be more like playing against our offense.”

Writing for NMSU’s hometown Las Cruces Sun-News, Teddy Feinberg takes a look at the WAC’s power-packed Week One schedule:

LAS CRUCES — A handful of Western Athletic Conference teams will play in high-profile games this weekend in their college football season openers.

The headliner will be the University of Nevada, which will travel to face Notre Dame in South Bend. The Wolf Pack enter the season as one of the WAC’s stronger teams, and will get to prove it on a nationally-televised stage against one of the country’s most storied programs. The contest will be shown at 1:30 p.m., Saturday on NBC.

Read on for more sports…