Vandals begin quest to 'prove it'

When the Idaho Vandals break following the end of each practice, each meeting, during fall workouts, the chant is often the same:

"Prove it."

Last year, according to their coach, the Vandals played with a chip on their shoulder, ended a string of nine straight losing seasons and finished 8-5, capped by a stirring victory in the Humanitarian Bowl - the Vandals' first bowl appearance in 11 seasons.

This year's goal: Do it again.

"This team needs to back it up," said coach Robb Akey, whose Vandals open tonight vs. the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) team. "Last year, there was a little 'us against the world', and those guys were anxious to prove something. This football team, they have tasted success, and there's a greater expectation. We've got something to prove. There are some folks that are looking at us saying, 'What are y'all going to do now?' I'm sensing there is a desire for this football team to outdo what last year's team was able to do. I think that helps keep that chip on their shoulder."

Idaho returns 10 starters on defense, and is especially deep at linebacker, where seniors JoJo Dickson and Paul Senescall, and juniors Robert Siavii and Tre' Shawn Robinson have seen a lot of action for the Vandals. Homer Mauga, a junior college transfer, has earned a starting job at outside linebacker.

Senior strong safety Shiloh Keo is back for a fifth season, having received a medical redshirt year.

"I like the fact that we've got more depth at some positions," said Akey, 11-26 entering his fourth year as coach. "I like the fact I see us performing better on defense. I like the fact ... we're talking about more than three linebackers."

Senior quarterback Nathan Enderle leads an experienced group of returning backs and receivers. Power back DeMaundray Woolridge, who rushed for 18 touchdowns last year, is gone, but senior Deonte Jackson and junior Princeton McCarty, the other two backs in that rotation, return.

Junior left tackle Matt Cleveland is the lone returning starter on the offensive line. The new starters are junior Sam Tupua at left guard, senior Clell Hasenbank at center, senior Tevita Halaholo at right guard and junior Tyrone Novikoff at right tackle.

The Vandals also return Daniel Hardy at tight end, Eric Greenwood and Maurice Shaw at wide receivers, and Preston Davis, who caught the winning two-point conversion pass in the Humanitarian Bowl, at slot receiver. Davis, who suffered a knee injury during spring ball, has made a rapid recovery and is expected to start tonight.

"We're talking about some weapons that we can get the football to, and a number of them are guys that have already made plays for us," Akey said.

North Dakota, in its third season of transitioning to an FCS school, went 6-5 last year. The Fighting Sioux were picked to finish last in the five-team Great West Conference (behind UC Davis, Cal Poly, Southern Utah and South Dakota) by the league's coaches.

"They've got 14 starters coming back. They're strong in the secondary," Akey said. "They're into the pistol and the no-huddle ... they're going to want to come in here and make something happen."

Last year Akey had his team eating meals out of bowls, to get them in the mindset that it was OK to think about playing in a bowl game. He said he wants playing in a bowl game to be an expectation now.

"A year ago, we had to make it OK for that to be a goal because everybody told us that weren't ever going to be good enough to get to one of those things," Akey said. "And I was crazy for even suggesting that our football game could get to a bowl."

So what are they eating out of this year?

"Bigger bowls," Akey said with a laugh. "And we sit 'em back to back when they eat."

Notes: Former Lake City High standout Jared Heston is no longer on the team, Akey said. Heston, a linebacker, played mostly on special teams last fall as a true freshman. Heston left the team prior to fall practice. "He has had some things come up in the personal life that needed to be addressed," Akey said. "I know it was hard for him to leave the football program, it was hard for us to let him go, but there's some things that he needs to be able to take care of ... I do have all the respect in the world for that young man, and I wish that he was still here."

Akey, who signed a new five-year contract which runs through the 2014 season, said he'd like to redshirt some 8-10 freshmen, including quarterback Justin Podrabsky and lineman Spencer Beale of Lewiston, and running back Jayson Washington of Moscow. ... The Vandals' next game is Sept. 11 at Nebraska, but Akey said "what we're paying attention to up here is nothing but North Dakota."