[Vision2020] Capping It All Off

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (December 30, 2009) Spokesman-Review.

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Capping it all off
Vandals seek a fine finish
Josh Wright, Correspondent

BOISE – Deonte Jackson has been in the University of Idaho football
program long enough to be able to put 2009 in context. He’s seen the
damage caused by coaching upheaval. He’s been through seasons where any
victory seemed like a minor miracle.

Up until this fall, it all looked so hopeless – which, of course, makes
today’s appearance in the Humanitarian Bowl that much more satisfying for
veterans like Jackson.

Clearly, though, just getting to Bronco Stadium’s blue turf isn’t enough.

“To make it is a great accomplishment, but to win it would just be like
the exclamation point on the season,” said Jackson, a junior tailback.
“It’s tremendous. It’s a real big thing for everyone involved in this
program, this school.”

Idaho (7-5) hopes to cap what’s been a stirring season with a win in Boise
over Bowling Green, a Mid-American Conference member from Ohio.

The Vandals’ first postseason action since winning this same bowl in 1998
comes three years and 10 days after Akey was hired away from Washington
State. The first two seasons of his tenure were rocky at best; UI went
3-21 with just one Western Athletic Conference conquest.

But somewhere along the way, something clicked. Players stopped bickering,
talent started to trickle in and the coaching staff stopped its usual
offseason shuffle.

The stability and chemistry have helped Idaho notch five more wins than
last year.

Still, the Vandals come into today trying to expunge unpleasant memories
from the past month-plus of the season.

They lost four of their last five games and were forced to wait longer
than they would have liked to get an invite to the H-Bowl. The latter
portion of the season came in sharp contrast to September and October,
when the Vandals rocketed to a five-game winning streak and a 6-1 record.

How do they rediscover their early October form?

“I think we need to just start early,” quarterback Nathan Enderle said.
“We had some come-from-behind games, but you don’t want to force yourself
to do that because it’s difficult.”

In the last five weeks of the season, Idaho was outscored 94-21 in the
first quarter. UI’s only win in that stretch came against Louisiana Tech
when it erased a 13-point deficit in the last 6 minutes.

While most of the blame for the poor starts has gone to Idaho’s
105th-ranked defense, Enderle sees things differently.

“First and second quarter, we’re just not scoring enough points,” he said.
“You can’t go into halftime down by two touchdowns and expect to win every
game. So we really need to stay away from that.”

Like Idaho, Bowling Green is 7-5 and comes into the game with questions on
defense. But the Falcons also have the offensive prowess to make for what
could be an entertaining show.

BGSU has the eighth-ranked passing offense in the county – three spots
ahead of Idaho. Most of its aerial salvos have come via quarterback Tyler
Sheehan connections to All-America receiver Freddie Barnes. The 6-foot
senior needs just five catches to set an NCAA single-season record with
143 receptions.

Barnes is likely to get a bucketful of catches today, but Idaho coach Robb
Akey is more concerned with pressuring Sheehan and keeping BGSU’s big
plays to a manageable amount.

“If you’re playing a passing team, the more you can get out of your pass
rush, the more effective it’s going to be,” Akey said.

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Safety Shiloh Keo and UI teammates in the defensive backfield are charged
with keeping Bowling Green star Charlie Barnes in check.

http://tinyurl.com/ShiloKeo

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All-America guard Mike Iupati, left, visits on Monday with another Vandal
who was an All-American, former NFL star Jerry Kramer.

http://tinyurl.com/Mike-Iupati-and-Jerry-Kramer

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

I'll keep you posted, Vandals.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
UI '96

Came a tribe from the north brave and bold . . .

"Here We Have Idaho"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/HWHI.mp3

"I-D-A-H-O Idaho Idaho Go Go Go"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Vandals.mp3