Idaho Vandals

Idaho has thin margin for error

Posted on 07 November 2009 by Jesse Baumgartner

Here’s a bit of my preview for today’s game, focusing on the strategy Idaho has employed for winning games.

The Idaho path to success this season is far from original when compared to the rest of the WAC.

Take a look at the top four teams in the standings – Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and the Vandals. While the Broncos’ statistics are among the best in the country across the board, the other three contenders have a much more divided makeup.

The Bulldogs, who enter tonight’s game at the Kibbie Dome (7:30 p.m., ESPNU) as eight-point favorites, own the seventh-best total offense in the country and are No. 10 in scoring. But turn to the defense, and it’s No. 73 in total yards and No. 47 in points.

Nevada and Idaho are even more extreme. They sit at No. 2 and No. 22 in total offense, respectively, but 104th and 101st when you flip the board to defense.

The strategy is fairly simple – score tons of points and make a few necessary stops on defense to make it hold up.

“We don’t need to play three-and-out all the time,” Idaho coach Robb Akey explained after last week’s typical 35-34 thriller against Louisiana Tech.

This is the formula that Idaho has made do with all season en route to a surprising 7-2 record, and the key to that success has been the vertical passing attack led by quarterback Nate Enderle – who was banged up against Louisiana Tech and took barely any reps at Tuesday’s practice.

But the Vandals are cutting the margin far closer than the other top teams in their conference.

While Nevada has more than a four-point difference between the number of points it scores and allows, the Vandals have only a mere 0.78 points separating those totals – 31.89 to 31.11.

Some Idaho scores this season are 34-31, 31-29, 29-25 and then 35-34 this past week. The point? The Vandals are winning the close, high-scoring games, and it’s a good thing since there have been so many of them.

When talking about those small differences, wide receiver Eric Greenwood pointed to the missed PAT by Louisiana Tech last week that ended up having such a large impact on the game.

“It’s just, little things can affect the whole game’s outcome, which lasts forever,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy that one little 10-second play could affect years to come.”