Akey, Vandals address defensive woes

The Idaho Vandals are without one of their starting cornerbacks for the rest of the season.

One of their starting wide receivers will be back at some point.

But in the meantime, the Vandals are trying to figure out how a defense which played well against UNLV, North Dakota State and, at times, Nebraska, could get shredded to the tune of 683 yards like it did last week at Louisiana Tech.

"When we play physical, and when we play flying around the field with confidence, we're good," said Idaho coach Robb Akey, whose Vandals (3-3, 0-1 WAC) play at home Saturday for the first time since Sept. 18 when lowly New Mexico State (1-5, 0-2) visits. "When we don't play that way, when we don't play full speed, when we don't play as physical, that has been when we have not performed well."

Louisiana Tech had the Idaho defense off-balance with a fast-paced offense, as well as quick, fast receivers that were hard for the Vandals to keep control of.

"I think it comes from a frame of mind ... confidence ... don't worry about the other guy, just attack him," Akey said. "When you play on your heels, that's when bad things happen. ... we have got to be more consistent, there's no doubt about it. If you can do it some of the time, you can do it all of the time."

The Vandals will have to do it without senior cornerback Isaac Butts, who reportedly suffered an off-the-field injury last week and did not make the trip to Louisiana Tech.

"He won't play for the remainder of the season, and that's between he and I and this football team," Akey said. "But he won't be playing for the Vandals anymore."

Butts started the first five games this season, and played in 36 games in his Vandals career, with three interceptions - all during his sophomore season.

Akey said senior wideout Maurice Shaw, who was arrested for DUI in Pullman during the Vandals' bye week, will play again "at some point in time. When has finished taken care of the things that he needs to for his teammates, and myself within in the program, he'll have that opportunity to come back. He's also having to deal with the court of law. I think that young man has learned a heckuva lesson."

His backup, sophomore Justin Veltung, took advantage of a start last week and caught six passes for 140 yards and four touchdowns. In his first five games, Veltung caught seven passes for 176 yards and three scores.

"We've been working on getting him involved more," Akey said. "It has to do more with his leg getting healthy more than anything else - he was dealing with a hamstring earlier in the season."

Idaho is also trying to kick-start its rushing game. The Vandals are seventh in the WAC, and 108th in the Football Bowl Subdivision, with 89.5 rushing yards per game. The Vandals, with four new starters on the offensive line, are averaging 2.9 yards per rush, and rushed for six touchdowns.

"We've got to be able to move the line of scrimmage, and maybe we need to look at tweaking the way we run the ball," Akey said. "We need to run the football better, I am concerned about that."

Idaho is fourth in the country in passing offense at 348.3 yards per game.