Making two-QB system work

Mason Petrino and Colton Richardson are starting to get used to being Idaho’s two-headed monster at quarterback.

“We’ve been doing it all spring, all fall camp,” said Petrino, a junior. “It’s getting easier in transition between drives.”

“It’s not difficult; we’ve been doing it for (a long time) now,” said Richardson, a sophomore.

They’ve shared signal-calling duties throughout the first two games this season for Idaho (1-1), which is idle this week.

Petrino, son of Vandals coach Paul Petrino, has completed 22 of 34 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions in the first two games. Petrino also has a rushing touchdown.

Richardson has completed 12 of 24 passes for 201 yards and three TDs, with three interceptions.

“You kinda saw the last game, we went drive by drive,” as far as the rotation at quarterback, Mason Petrino said. “You’ll probably see in future games, if one of us runs a play well, or is hot, they’ll throw us back in there.”

Petrino said it’s worked in part because the two QBs communicate with each other on the sidelines while the defense is on the field.

“I think it’s getting a lot better where we’re communicating very well with the press box, the head coach, the coaches on the sideline,” Petrino said.

THANKS, HAWK: Paul Petrino said he’s glad to have an extra week to prepare for Idaho’s conference opener next Saturday at UC Davis, coached by Dan Hawkins.

Petrino was an assistant at Louisville, and Hawkins was head coach at Boise State, in 2004 when the two teams met in the Liberty Bowl.

Louisville had lost one game, to Miami (“Devin Hester ran a punt back to beat us,” Petrino recalled). Boise State was undefeated.

The bowl game went back and forth, with Louisville prevailing 44-40.

“I didn’t really know him that well (at the time),” Petrino said. “When I first got the (Idaho) job, I was flying out of Boise to go home, to see my family in Arkansas over Christmas, and he was in the airport, and we started talking, and we exchanged phone numbers. My first few years here (at Idaho), he was really good to me, stayed in touch, (offered) encouragement. I think the world of him. he’s a good coach, and a good man.”