Amos, Goggin contributing at Idaho State
Idaho State football coach Rob Phenicie had heard a year ago in the spring that Gunnar Amos was considering transfering from Idaho, where he had signed out of Coeur d’Alene High.
Amos grayshirted coming out of high school, redshirted in 2015 and played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2016.
Prior to last season, Amos left Idaho, which was completing its last season in the FBS Sun Belt Conference, and transferred to Idaho State of the FCS Big Sky Conference.
“(Idaho) Coach (Paul) Petrino was gracious enough to give his release to an in-state school, which usually doesn’t happen,” Phenicie said last Monday, at Big Sky media day in Spokane.
Amos, despite having to learn on the fly, quickly moved up to No. 2 on the depth chart at quarterback behind Tanner Gueller, the returning starter.
“Gunnar arrived on campus a week and a half into fall camp last year, so he was behind from the get-go,” Phenicie said.
Still, Amos saw action in five games for the Bengals last fall, completing 8 of 19 passes for 54 yards, with two interceptions.
“With quarterbacks, we call them installations (of the offense),” Phenicie said. “We had a brief installation last fall. We were lucky we didn’t have to throw him into the fire. He ended up playing a considerable amount against UC Davis when our quarterback (Gueller) had a concussion. Gunnar improved tremendously; his last two weeks of spring ball were really good and very promising, and I think with another installation, he’s going to be every bit as good as Tanner when he’s ready to go.”
Amos, a junior, is No. 2 again this year behind Gueller, a fifth-year senior who has thrown form 5,960 yards and 47 touchdowns in three seasons as a Bengal — the last two as the starter.
“You’ve got to have two quarterbacks, and Gunnar’s going to play,” Phenicie said. “He brings some things to the table that Tanner doesn’t have. We’re excited to have him.”
Gueller said Amos fit in right away with his new teammates in Pocatello.
“It’s a friendly competition, and we’re pushing each other every day, which is what you want,” Gueller said. “You want talent around you that’s always going to make you better. That’s what Gunnar brings to the table, and it’s healthy for all of us.”
“Gunnar’s got a good arm. He’ll definitely rifle it in there,” said Mitch Gueller, Tanner’s older brother and a junior wide receiver. “He keeps you on your toes a little bit because he likes to scramble. When he’s rolling out, you can never get too comfortable running your route because you have to be ready. You have to be ready to block a little bit more for Gunnar because he could be coming around the outside, right behind you.”
Because he arrived late in Pokey last year and had a hard time finding housing, Amos stayed at the home of Highland High football coach Gino Mariani, who has developed a pretty good friendship with Coeur d’Alene High football coach Shawn Amos — Gunnar’s dad — over the years. This year, Gunner moved into a house with the Gueller brothers and a couple others who either play or have played for the Bengals.
“Now our house is a little crowded, so I think he’s looking for another place,” Tanner said with a laugh.
- Amos is not the only former QB from Coeur d’Alene on the ISU roster. Michael Goggin, who led Lake City to the state 5A semifinals in 2014, played one season at Ventura College in California, was at ISU last fall, and is a junior this season.
Phenicie said Goggin is competing for the No. 3 quarterback spot with the Bengals. Also, he’s the holder on kicks.
Just as importantly, at least in Phenicie’s eyes, he helps signal in the plays to Gueller.
“This is not meant to be an insult, but he is a great signaler,” Phenicie said. “I tell the players, ‘I’m a master signaler, Goggs is better than me.’ Goggs is a good, solid kid, smart; we’re lucky to have him.”
ISU doesn’t use distracting pictures of celebrities in getting the play in to the offense on the field. The Bengals just use old-fashioned hand signals.
Gueller mentioned the importance of having someone on the sideline that actually knows what they are signaling.
“It’s a quarterback’s job. I did it on and off for two years,” Gueller said. “Some guys aren’t great at it, so it shows how much he knows the offense. He never has to ask ‘what’s this signal?, what’s this play mean?,’ he’s always on it.”