Bushnell to start at QB for Vandals

Senior Logan Bushnell will start at quarterback for Idaho (1-7, 1-2 Western Athletic Conference) on Saturday vs. San Jose State (6-2, 2-1), but junior Taylor Davis will also see action during the game, interim Vandals coach Jason Gesser said Monday.

Also, Gesser said he would not pull the redshirts of the two other quarterbacks on the roster, freshmen Chad Chalich of Coeur d'Alene High, and Austin DeCoud.

Bushnell started the season opener vs. Eastern Washington in place of Dominique Blackman, who was suspended for that game for violation of team rules. Blackman started the next seven games, but was kicked off the team last week for another violation of team rules.

Bushnell completed 10 of 23 passes for 123 yards and an interception in Idaho's 20-3 loss to EWU.

Davis started three games last year, but has played sparingly this season, throwing just eight passes. His first start last year was at San Jose State.

"Obviously he wants a chance to prove himself again," Gesser said of Bushnell. "And so does Taylor Davis. We're going to be sharing reps with both quarterbacks throughout the week.

"These guys have the capability and the physical talent and also the mental capacity to go out there and be our starting quarterback. At the beginning of the season, all three of these guys were competing to be the starting quarterback. It was very, very close on naming Dominique our starter. I'm very confident, and these guys are very confident, in what these guys bring to the table."

Blackman passed for 1,610 yards and nine touchdowns, but was also intercepted 13 times.

Gesser said Blackman understood defenses well and had more experience than the other two, but tended to force some throws, resulting in the high interception numbers, and he's hoping Bushnell and Davis will "make the smarter decision and not force the ball in there."

Chalich, who led Coeur d'Alene to state 5A titles the past two seasons, has suited up and traveled with the team to each road game. He wears a headset on the sidelines and is one of the QBs signalling in the plays. When the TV cameras zoom in on the Idaho head coach, Chalich is often in the frame.

"Selfishly I would love to play them (Chalich and Austin DeCoud)," said Gesser, who said he will move from the press box down to the sidelines, but will still call plays and still keep his duties as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

"But I've sat down and talked to both of them. Chalich would be the guy that's most ready to go, and he's been preparing each week like he's been playing, and has done a great job of that. I just don't think it (pulling the redshirt) would be fair to him. He still needs to get more work in. To just throw him in the fire for four games and lose an entire year of playing, I don't think would be fair to him, and he felt the exact same way. He said 'Coach, if you want me to go out there and play, I'll do it, but if you're asking me, I'd rather preserve my redshirt.' And I respect that. I was put in that same position with five games to go when I was at Washington State."