Notes from UI’s nonconference slate

The No. 7 Idaho football team wrapped up its nonconference slate with a 31-17 loss to Football Bowl Subdivision opponent California on Saturday.

The Vandals open Big Sky play at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome 2-1 overall, which is an improvement from last year’s 1-2 mark.

Here’s what we learned about Idaho following nonconference play:

Year 2 jump, not a slump

Sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy hasn’t shown any signs of regression in year 2 as the team’s signal caller. The Baldwin Hills, Calif., native has completed 66% of his passes for 756 yards and four touchdowns.

McCoy has continued to show his ability to make good decisions as well, resulting in him throwing just two interceptions. The gunslinger has also improved as a runner, already besting his yardage total from last season (104).

“I think Vani has continued to play really well,” Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “I think he’s confirmed there’s no sophomore slump, and he’s playing his tail off.”

Options everywhere

McCoy’s development has benefited by his weapons staying healthy three games in.

Last season, the Vandals were pretty limited at the receiver and tight end positions due to injuries, resulting in Jermaine Jackson and Hayden Hatten stealing the show.

This season, the Vandals have three wideouts who rank in the top 15 in the Big Sky in receiving yards (Hatten, Jackson, Terez Traynor).

Idaho’s tight ends have also seen increased production, with Jake Cox, TJ Ivy Jr. and Alex Moore all having touchdown receptions.

Ivy, in particular, has been a game-changer with the ball in his hands, recording 99 yards on four receptions.

An improved pass rush

Last year, Idaho’s defensive line was expected to be one of its best groups, with two returning seniors at defensive end in Juliano Falaniko and Leo Tamba, but they underperformed.

This season, expectations for the Vandals’ front four were low. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering the group consists of transfers from the NAIA, Division II and depth that hasn’t played a whole lot.

So it’s fair to say Idaho’s D-line has overperformed so far by registering five sacks and three quarterback hurries. The aforementioned lower-level transfers have made the biggest impact on Idaho’s defensive line.

Secondary playing at a high level

Every quarterback Idaho has gone against this year has tested junior cornerback Marcus Harris, and they’ve all come short.

Harris leads an Idaho pass defense that ranks second in the Big Sky (127 per game). The Portland native has 12 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception. Harris’ high level of play has rubbed off on the younger defensive backs, who have made early jumps.

True freshman Andrew Marshall has seen increased production and has been one of Idaho’s best open-field tacklers.

Redshirt freshmen Dwayne McDougle and Ormanie Arnold have also been steady on the backend.

Improvements to be made

The Vandals are doing a lot of things right three games in, but their two biggest weaknesses are what hold them back.

Firstly, Idaho’s offensive line needs to improve in every facet from here on out. The front five has struggled to open running lanes for sophomore Anthony Woods and to protect McCoy, who has been sacked five times.

Woods has averaged 6.3 yards per carry three games into the season, but that number is a little deceiving. The Palmdale, Calif., native had a 93-yard touchdown run in the Vandals’ 42-17 win against Lamar. Without that, his average drops to four yards per carry.

The Vandals’ O-line needs to find a way to open up running lanes for Woods so he can make people miss in the open field.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, Idaho has to improve against the run, namely against quarterbacks.

The Vandals will be tested in their conference opener against the Hornets’ quarterback, Kaiden Bennett, who logged 100 rushing yards in a 30-23 win over Stanford.

Idaho’s given up 148.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Sky, but last week against Cal, the Golden Bears managed to tally over 200 yards rushing, which was the key to beating the Vandals last season.

In Idaho’s six losses over the last two seasons, it allowed a total of 324 rushing yards to quarterbacks, an average of 54 yards per game.

Cal’s quarterback, Sam Jackson, gained 61 yards on nine carries; he also scored a touchdown in the third quarter.

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks