The long road to starting QB

Brian Reader will realize one of his lifelong dreams when he takes the field as Idaho's starting quarterback in Thursday night's season opener against Bowling Green.

Reader, a senior who spent the past two seasons as a backup to now-Chicago Bears quarterback Nathan Enderle, is excited about his turn in the spotlight and has embraced the nuances of being the starter and a team captain.

"You have a lot more on your plate as the starting quarterback," Reader said. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Reader's journey to this point hasn't been easy, which is a big reason why the 6-foot-3, 219-pounder is making sure to enjoy his time.

"It's been an awesome experience already," he said. "It's kind of a dream come true to be honest with you. I always wanted to be in a video game and be a starter at a Division I school. It's finally coming true."

Reader began his college career in 2007 at Arkansas and redshirted his one season there under coach Houston Nutt.

"I felt like he was a winner," said Nutt, a former Boise State head coach and now the head coach at Ole Miss. "He had a very good arm, and being a coach's son (his father coached high school baseball), he had some of those qualities that you like. You could see that he was a gym rat and loves football. You know he was going to study it and give it his all. Even that short time I was with him, I felt that."

When Nutt left Arkansas for Mississippi, Reader saw the writing on the wall when the Razorbacks hired Bobby Petrino.

"I just realized it wasn't for me anymore," Reader said.

He returned to his native California and attended Monterey Peninsula College, where he led his team to a 10-0 mark and a bowl game. Still, offers from D-I schools weren't there.

"I was warned about going to a JC because you were only going to get recruited by a team with a need," Reader said. "I was always looking at the news, and if someone lost a quarterback, I'd give them a call. My coach and my dad were on to that kind of stuff. It was like high school - we sent out all of my highlight videos and nothing really happened."

Enter the Vandals, which had a need. Sure Enderle was returning as a starter, but the Vandals didn't have another quarterback.

Idaho coach Robb Akey liked what he saw from Reader and wanted to create competition at the position.

"We were hungry for a guy at that position and he was hungry for a four-year home," Akey said. "We both were looking for the same thing."

Reader visited Moscow and respected that the only thing the coaching staff promised him was a chance to compete for a job. The fact that the campus was close to great fishing - Reader's other true love - made it even more ideal. He has his fishing boat with him.

"What better place for a guy who likes to do the things he likes to do?" Akey said. "I think in a lot of ways this was a perfect fit."

Reader competed with Enderle but couldn't unseat him. Akey said that was more of a testament to Enderle, chosen in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, than it was to Reader's ability.

"I can tell you from experience that competition makes you a better player," Reader said. "It makes you prepare harder. Even being a backup, I had to be just as ready as Nate was. If he goes down, I had to go in, and that actually happened a few times."

Reader made two starts in his first season when Enderle was hurt and replaced him in the fourth quarter and led Idaho to the winning touchdown in a win at San Jose State.

"You can tell that when we signed him that we had great confidence in him," Akey said. "After this training camp, I feel even better about him. I really like where he's at with what we're doing and he's going to continue to make things go."

Reader has completed 58.6 percent of his passes in his two seasons at Idaho, with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Five of those picks came in a 63-25 loss at Boise State when, as a sophomore, he started in place of Enderle.

Last season, Reader played in 10-of-13 games and completed 42-of-71 passes for 568 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

"You can't replace experience," Reader said. "Playing in a game, you become better and better with every single snap you take because of everything you see."

Akey said he can't wait to see how Reader fares in his senior season.

"We gave him the keys to the car in the spring," Akey said. "The first or second day of camp, I told him, 'Now it's time for you to drive that son of a gun and make it an Escalade. Drive it full speed and let's go.' He's done that throughout camp."

And it's been a fun ride.

"I love it," Reader said. "A lot more people look up to you and expect more from you, which isn't a bad thing. It's nice to step into and have that trust."

Nutt was happy to hear his former recruit landed the starting position.

"I'm proud for him," Nutt said. "He's always been a student of the game and a hard worker, and you felt like this guy was going to be successful because of his character, attitude and work ethic. He was just a good, good person."