Quarterback rotation ongoing for Vandals
By MARK NELKE
Idaho football coach Paul Petrino said he expects both quarterbacks, Matt Linehan and Chad Chalich, to play Saturday with the Vandals (1-7) visit San Diego State (4-4) in a nonconference game at Qualcomm Stadium.
After Linehan played all but a few plays of the Vandals' first six games, both have played in the last two games.
Linehan was knocked out early in the New Mexico State game Oct. 18 with a concussion, and Chalich, a third-year sophomore who started the first seven games last season, led Idaho to its only victory of the season.
Following a bye, Linehan started, but both played quite a bit in last Saturday's loss vs. Arkansas State, a game in which Idaho committed eight turnovers.
In his weekly teleconference with area media earlier this week, Petrino eschewed any talk that Linehan, a redshirt freshman, was slumping after a strong start to the season.
"A lot of times with the quarterback, the other 10 guys have got to do their job, too," Petrino said. "He's young; he's going to be a great player."
Going (close to) home: Idaho junior running back Elijhaa Penny will be playing near his hometown on Saturday.
He'll also be playing against his younger brother, Rashaad Penny, a freshman running back.
The Pennys both prepped at Norwalk High, some two hours north of San Diego, just south of Los Angeles.
Elijhaa Penny, in his first season at Idaho after playing at Cerritos College, is the Vandals' second-leading rusher, with 338 yards and nine touchdowns on 83 carries. Last week, he ran for 121 yards and two TDs on 16 carries vs. Arkansas State.
"One, he got dinged up in fall camp, but he never sat out. He fought through it and played through it," Petrino said.
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"I think he's healthier right now. And he's been losing a little bit of weight each week, and it's making him a little more explosive. And our line is blocking a lot better for him."
Rashaad Penny has carried the ball just once this season for the Aztecs, for 21 yards. He has a team-high 10 kickoff returns, averaging 22.2 yards per return.
"It's really exciting for him, to go back there and play against his brother," Petrino said of Elijhaa. "Gotta have a big game; they're going to be talking about it at Thanksgiving every year, from here 'til forever."
During the recruiting process, the Vandals were interested in both Pennys, but Petrino said he stressed to his coaches to make sure Elijhaa knew he was their main target. They were a little later in recruiting Rashaad, who Petrino thought was going to end up at Boise State.
"The biggest thing you're impressed with him is when you sit down to talk to him," Petrino said. "How smart he was, how determined he was, how well he's done in his classes in that semester - because he had to get a lot of schoolwork done that second semester. But I remember walking around the junior college campus with him, and I was just impressed with what a bright young man he was, how determined he was, to get himself eligible so he could play here. He's just a hard worker; he's just going to get better and better. Next year, he'll have a chance to be a beast."