MOSCOW - Whether he was firing passes to his platoon of receivers, chasing down defenders after the whistle or continuing his routine as the team's best videobomber, Matt Linehan looked to be in midseason form in just about every way.

The Idaho quarterback, who missed all of spring ball with a foot injury, may have been the most eager to return to the field Thursday for the start of fall camp on the SprinTurf. And it showed.

"I think Matt looks great," senior tight end Buck Cowan said with Linehan hovering over his left shoulder, smiling at the cameras and nodding in agreement.

"Like I said when I was in New Orleans, Matt is one of the best quarterbacks in the country," Cowan continued, as Linehan slowly walked away - still smiling - and awaited his turn to speak with reporters. "He's a great quarterback, we're very lucky to have him back with us."

The team's talk of bowl expectations, increased depth and an overall improved mentality would almost mean nothing without a strong season from their fourth-year junior QB. So the most encouraging part of Thursday's two-hour session, which featured just helmets, jerseys and shorts, was the fact Linehan didn't look like a guy who'd been away from the game for eight months.

"For the first time being out here in a long time since the end of the season, I thought he did some good things," coach Paul Petrino said. "His eyes and his reads were really good and he looked like he had a good day."

Linehan described the first day of a camp as a "huge step forward," adding that "It's been a long road to recovery, a lot of rehab, but it was all worth it for today."

He said health-wise he's not quite 100 percent, but made sure to emphasize he's been cleared for all activity and "if we had to play a game tomorrow I would play."

That's probably sweet music to the ears of his teammates and coaches, who all had one thing in common when they met with reporters Thursday: the belief this season will certainly end with a bowl game appearance.

"On our shirts it says 'expect to win' and coach Petrino goes over that with us a lot," said Tueni Lupeamanu, the senior leader on the defensive line. "We have a totally different mindset. ... Guys just want to be here. There's a lot more chemistry with my freshman class coming up to be seniors, we're all on the same path wanting the same goal. We want to go bowling."

The Vandals know they made headlines for all of the wrong reasons this offseason. They were kicked out of the Sun Belt Conference. They made the rare drop to the Football Championship Subdivision level. They were picked to finish eighth by the league's coaches.

Thursday was officially the first step toward silencing the doubters.

"To be pushed aside, as far as the Sun Belt, definitely gives us motivation," said senior kicker/punter Austin Rehkow. "Even though it doesn't affect the senior class, it's one of those (things), with the younger guys you're so close to, you want to go out and win for them. That way we can know we finished out on top in the Sun Belt, and kind of make them regret kicking us out."

Of course no Idaho practice would be complete without a veteran, light-hearted jab from Linehan, who looked his best when sprinting 30 yards downfield to catch linebacker Kaden Elliss after a broken play in the backfield during a team period.

When asked if he would have actually brought down Elliss in a live-game situation, Linehan quickly responded, "Oh, by far. Kaden is slow. I'm way faster than Kaden. Don't let him tell you otherwise."

NOTES - Idaho announced Thursday that 24 of its football players earned academic honors from the Sun Belt Conference for their classroom work last school year. Those on the Commissioner's List (3.5 GPA or higher) were Broc Westlake, Mason Woods, Jacob Sannon, Austin Phillips, Alex Boatman, Zach Bafus, Josh Ellingson, Sam Fenlason, Micah Hamilton, Tanner Mauseth and Cole Williams. Those on the Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.49 GPA) were Brett Ballard, Jordan Frysinger, Kendrick Trotter, Calvin White, Dorian Clark, Doug Coman, Brady Strodtbeck, Jack Tate, A.J. Woodin, Zion Dixon, Evan Lunning, Garrett Wideen and Achilles Wynn.

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Dugar can be reached at (208) 883-4627, by email to Mdugar@dnews.com or on Twitter to @MikeDugar.