MOSCOW — Idaho football coach Robb Akey said Monday the winless Vandals
have “washed away” a lost weekend at North Carolina — the 66-0 trouncing from
the Tar Heels and every other detail of the cross-country trip.
“We exorcised it (Sunday),” Akey said.
What remains, though, is a crippling uncertainty about the Vandals’
yet-to-be-finalized 2013 schedule as a Football Bowl Subdivision independent.
Athletic director Rob Spear is still trying to piece together the final
eight of 12 games for next year, and Akey said not having a full slate is
having a “tremendous impact on our recruiting, our planning for the future, on
everything.”
The instability has most clearly manifested itself in recruiting
battles.
Louisiana Tech:
If you’re not careful, it’s easy to get lost in Louisiana Tech’s
numbers.
The Bulldogs (4-0) score the fifth-most points in the country (52 per
game), and they rank 25th in rushing yardage (216 ypg) and 35th in passing
(282.8 ypg). And their offensive fireworks look just as good on the road as
they do at home, where the Bulldogs welcome in UNLV (1-4) this Saturday at 4
p.m. on ESPN3.com and Cox Cable channel 96. The past two weeks, Louisiana Tech
traveled to Illinois and Virginia and walked out with victories, one lopsided
and one tight, and both high-scoring.
The number that would seem to excite opponents is 118, or to frame it
another way, third to last in the country. That’s where the Bulldogs’ total
defense ranks after giving up nearly 530 yards per game. Trouble is there’s
also the number three, which is where the team ranks in turnover margin.
New Mexico State:
The two Football Bowl Subdivision programs left behind in the
conference realignment shuffle meet this weekend in Moscow.
New Mexico State (1-4) and Idaho (0-5) square off in the final WAC
opener for both teams. The WAC has announced it will not play football in 2013,
leaving both teams “homeless.”
“You better make sure you don’t offend any homeless people when you say
that,” Idaho coach Robb Akey said, referencing his apology earlier this season
for comparing the Vandals to “an unwanted red-headed stepchild.”
Idaho got permission from the State Board of Education in August to set
an independent schedule and negotiate with the Big Sky. Idaho had four games
scheduled at the time and has not announced any other opponents.
San Jose State:
SAN JOSE -- San Jose State is riding a four-game winning streak, and
logic could say that this week's bye might tame its momentum.
That's not the case for a team returning from a long trip to Annapolis,
Md., that's dealing with several nagging injuries.
"We had five games in a row, and we played some really tough
football teams. We're beat up a little bit," Spartans coach Mike MacIntyre
said. "And that was a long trip. A lot of teams that play Navy, the week
after, they always lose because they're so beat up with all the cut blocking,
all the chop blocking and the physicality of the game. It's a perfect time for
an open date."
Linebacker Keith Smith (sprained ankle) and wide receiver Jabari Carr
(turf toe) missed Saturday's 12-0 win over Navy. Left tackle David Quessenberry
and tight end Ryan Otten are playing through ankle sprains, and receiver Noel
Grigsby has played through a shoulder injury the past two weeks.
Those are all players who are crucial to SJSU's success, especially
with Western Athletic Conference play set to begin Oct. 13 at home against Utah
State.
Texas State:
San Marcos, Texas – After jumping out to a 21-20 halftime lead, the
Texas State football team missed some key scoring opportunities to score in the
second half as the Bobcats fell to Nevada, 34-21, Saturday afternoon at Bobcat
Stadium. Andy Erickson led the Bobcats with career-bests of eight catches for
108 yards and a touchdown.
Texas State got off to a fast start when the Bobcats took advantage of
an interception by Justin Iwuji to score the first touchdown in the game. Iwuji
intercepted a pass by the Wolf Pack's Cody Fajardo on a third-and-two play from
Nevada's 33-yard line and returned it 16 yards. Five plays later, Marcus Curry
scored his fourth TD run of the season on a one-yard plunge to give Texas State
a 7-0 lead.
Nevada answered by driving 75 yards in 10 plays to score its first
touchdown when Fajardo hit Zack Sudfeld for a nine-yard TD pass to tie the
score at 7-7.
The Bobcats were driving later in the quarter following a kickoff
return by Erickson to the 49-yard line. Texas State drove the ball down to
Nevada's 25-yard line before Isaiah Battle fumbled the ball and the Wolf Pack
recovered at the 33-yard line.
Utah State:
When it comes to the game of football, Kerwynn Williams (Las Vegas,
Nev.) believes the success he has seen all boils down to preparation. The
senior running back and kick returner has been a solid part of the Utah State
football program for four years now and said he is constantly striving to
balance his time and be completely ready before each week’s game.
That preparation is both physical and mental. The two go hand-in-hand
to ensure Williams puts his best foot forward from beginning to end.
“To be prepared mentally, I have to study the defense. I have to know
what the other team is going to bring into the game and know how they play.
You’ve got to watch a lot of film,” Williams said.
The work in getting ready for a game or practice, or anything else,
carries over to the physical readiness and precautions as well.
UTSA:
Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes on Monday said he thinks the UTSA
Roadrunners could be a “force to be reckoned with” in the Western Athletic Conference
as the race unfolds in October and November.
Asked during the WAC teleconference to talk about the surprises he’s
seen in the WAC thus far, Dykes mentioned UTSA first.
“You look at the records, and there’s a lot of good football teams in
the conference,” Dykes said. “I think
Texas-San Antonio obviously has played extremely well. I think they’re surprising some people.”
Coaches and media picked UTSA in preseason polls to finish last. But the Roadrunners, in only their second
season of existence in college football, have started 5-0, including 1-0 in the
WAC.
Playing their first WAC game last weekend, the Roadrunners went on the
road and beat the New Mexico State Aggies, 35-14.
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