Vandals look for breakthrough win

The Idaho Vandals aren't into moral victories, but since they don't have any real victories yet this season to hang their hat on, they'll settle for the encouragement of a couple of near-misses.

"We're a couple of plays away from being 2-1," said Idaho football coach Paul Petrino, whose Vandals (0-3) play host to South Alabama (1-2) today in Sun Belt Conference play at the Kibbie Dome.

In their defacto season opener, Idaho and Louisiana-Monroe were tied at 31 late before Monroe scored in the closing seconds to win 38-31.

Next was a 45-33 loss to Western Michigan that wasn't quite that close.

But last week, Idaho dug out of an early 17-0 hole at Ohio to close to within 29-24 in the fourth quarter, before Ohio tacked on a late touchdown for the final margin of 36-24.

"It's frustrating, but it also gives you great encouragement for the future," Petrino said. "Any time turning the program around, you have to have a great quarterback, and you have to have a good defense. Right now we're 1 out of 2."

Redshirt freshman Matt Linehan has passed for more than 300 yards in each of his first three starts for Idaho. But the Vandals are allowing an average of 39.7 points per game.

"You see strides," Petrino said. "We've got to keep fighting, its not going to happen overnight. I wish it would, you guys (media) wish it would."

Petrino, in his second year in Moscow, is now 1-14 as Vandal coach. But he sees a difference from last year, particularly when the Vandals would fall behind.

"When it was 17-0 last year, we got slaughtered, probably," Petrino said. "Now when we're in that position (to win), we've got to execute."

South Alabama opened with a 23-13 win at Kent State, then lost at home to Mississippi State (35-3) and, in Sun Belt play, Georgia Southern (28-6).

The Jaguars were picked to finish third in the Sun Belt (Idaho was picked ninth).

"They're really fast," Petrino said. "They're really, really athletic - probably the most athletic team we've played yet."

He said the score of the Mississippi State game was one-sided, "but you watch it on film, and they (the Bulldogs) didn't get many first downs - their quarterback just made some big plays. Then they might have had a letdown against Georgia Southern. We've got to be ready to play, protect our home field, and get ourselves a win."