Seniors 'know how far we've come'

Of the 19 seniors Idaho will recognize Saturday on Senior Day, nine have been with the Vandals throughout their college careers.

Three of those - center Mike Marboe, offensive tackle Jesse Davis and defensive end Maxx Forde - in particular drew praise from Idaho coach Paul Petrino earlier in the week.

"Mike Marboe has been our leader on offense all year," said Petrino, whose Vandals (1-8, 1-5 Sun Belt) play host to Troy (2-8, 2-4) on Saturday at the Kibbie Dome. "Mike and Jesse Davis have played way better than they did last year ... along with Maxx on defense. We want to see them walk out of this building with a win.

The other six who have been in Moscow throughout their careers are defensive ends Quayshawne Buckley and Marius Burgsmueller, safety Tom Hennessey, defensive back Bradley Njoku, tight end Justin Podrabsky and linebacker James Randall.

The other seniors are running backs Jerrel Brown and Kristoffer Olugbode, wide receivers Chris Featherstone and Joshua McCain, offensive linemen Sione Maile and Niklaus Von Rotz; linebackers Juan Martinez and Eric Tuipulotu, defensive end Anthony Rice and cornerback Joe Smith.

Marboe, Davis, Forde, Hennessey and Podrabsky all came in in 2010, the year after the Vandals won the Humanitarian Bowl. All redshirted during that 6-7 season, and have been part of just five victories in four seasons since. But the blowouts have been fewer and fewer this seasons, and Petrino hopes this year's close calls are part of the progression toward wins in the future.

"They know how far we've come," said Petrino, who said Senior Day will be a lot more emotional for him in this, his second season, since he's been around this year's seniors longer. "And they know they were part of the guys that got it to this year where we played all these teams close, and they have to take a lot of the pride, when they look at the future, and we're beating all those teams, and they've got to know that they were a big part of that."

Quarterback shuffle: Petrino said if quarterbacks Chad Chalich and Matt Linehan were both healthy, both would play Saturday. Chalich started the last game at San Diego State, but suffered a hip injury in the first half, which limited his mobility in the second half.

Chalich, a sophomore who started seven games last season, completed 11 of 22 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, and ran eight times for 67 yards and a touchdown. Linehan, a freshman who started the first eight games, was 6 of 11 for 41 yards.