Vandals, with backup quarterback, faces second straight FBS foe, looking for first win
Today, Idaho at Wyoming, 12:30 p.m., truTV
By MARK NELKE
Sports editor
Hopefully the pats on the back have subsided in Moscow, as the Idaho Vandals travel to Laramie, Wyo., to face the Cowboys today in Idaho’s second straight road game at an FBS opponent to begin the season.
Wyoming lost 48-7 at Arizona State last week in the season opener. The Cowboys were shut out until scoring with 2 seconds left in the game, and were outgained 499 yards to 118 by the Sun Devils.
“They did not play their best football last week, and I would expect them to play a lot better,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “Our players can’t expect them to play how they did last week. I think they are going to play a lot better at home. They play well at home.”
Idaho, you’ll remember, was on upset watch last Saturday, trailing then-No. 3 Oregon just 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter, before the Ducks, favored by more than six touchdowns, responded with a touchdown and sealed the 24-14 victory with a late interception.
“There’s no moral victories,” Eck said.
“I kinda long for the day when eventually at Idaho, you play Oregon tough and people aren’t excited and happy,” Eck added. “That’ll show you that we’ve raised the expectations where you want it. We’ve still got to fight that, because there’s still a lot of people who treated us like we won that game, but we didn’t win that game. Did we play them tough? Yes. But we’re still 0-1, as far as how the playoff committee is going to look at us.”
A point of emphasis this week is starting faster on offense. Idaho opened the game at Oregon with two three-and-outs, and was shut out until late in the third quarter.
“Probably what I’m most excited about is the way we finished the game in the second half,” Eck said. “We’ve done a good job of surprising (FBS teams) early in games, but those games got away from us in the second half. I thought we played better in the second half in this game. We got their attention in the first half, then outplayed them in the second half.”
Laramie sits at 7,220 feet above sea level. Temperatures in the mid-70s are expected today.
First-year Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel was previously the Cowboys defensive coordinator.
“This is a serious team, that can make a serious run (at an FCS title),” Sawvel said of the Vandals. “They beat the dog out of Oregon physically, I thought ... this is a really good defensive team. There will be teams we play that aren’t as good as these guys on defense. They’re going to come in here with a full belief they can win the game.”
Wyoming’s John Michael Gyllenbord, named to the Doak Walker Award watch list for the best tight end in college football, did not play Saturday at ASU, and Sawvel said earlier in the week he wasn’t sure of his status for today’s game.
“This team’s really good,” Sawvel said of Idaho. “We’re going to have to fight our ass off to win this game.”
Idaho will be starting its third quarterback in as many games today.
Gevani McCoy started the past two seasons, then transferred to Oregon State.
Redshirt sophomore Jack Layne, who started one game in each of the past two seasons, got the starting nod this year, but suffered a broken collarbone late in the Oregon game.
Redshirt freshman Jack Wagner, who got a few snaps against the Ducks, gets the nod today.
Eck, in his third season at Idaho, said Wagner was the first scholarship quarterback the Vandals recruited since Eck took over.
“We’ll definitely tweak things to play to his strengths,” Eck said of Wagner. “I don’t want to give away too much what we’re going to do. But he’s a different type of player than Jack Layne. Just like we tweaked the offense last game, to what we did last year with Gevani. He’s a good athlete; he’s got a strong arm and a lot of ability. Sometimes when you’re talented, you just need your opportunity, and I think he’s going to get it now, and I’m excited for him. I’m excited to see him play. I feel awful for Jack Layne, but very excited for Jack Wagner.”
Wagner, from Tualitin (Ore.) High carried the ball twice on designed quarterback runs in the red zone against Oregon. He was 0 for 2 passing with one interception.
Idaho’s No. 2 quarterback now is Nick Josifek, a redshirt freshman from College Place High outside Walla Walla. He saw action briefly in last year’s blowout of Idaho State.
“Coach Mike Price (former Washington State coach, who now lives in a home on Lake Coeur d’Alene) told us about Nick Josifek, because he was (high school) teammates with his grandson, (wide receiver) Davis Fry, who’s on our team, so I appreciate coach Price sending Nick Josifek’s name over,” Eck said. “We picked him up as a walk-on last year, and now he’s our backup quarterback. Thanks, coach price.”