2006 Idaho Vandals Season Review, Game Recaps and Scores.
Nov. 25
San Jose State 28 ... Idaho 13
Patrick Perry ran for three scores and John Broussard caught a
50-yard touchdown pass as San Jose State just got past Idaho.
Despite holding the Vandals to 254 yards of total offense, the
Spartans needed a Chris Vedder interception to set up a four-yard
Perry run and a ten-play, 67-yard drive finishing with a one-yard
Perry run to put it away. The Vandals got two Tino Amancio field
goals and a two-yard Jayson Bird touchdown run. Player of the game ... San Jose State RB Patrick Perry
ran 15 times for 64 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: San Jose State - Passing:
Adam Tafralis, 10-17, 179 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Patrick Perry, 15-64, 3 TD Receiving:
James Jones, 6-98 Idaho - Passing: Steve Wichman, 7-20, 131
yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Jayson Bird, 15-68, 1 TD. Receiving:
Marlon Haynes, 2-74 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It wasn't
just that Idaho ended its year on a five-game losing streak, it's
that it got worse along the way. Steven Wichman was awful over the
last few weeks with a completely ineffective performance against San
Jose State. With little running game to provide support, the offense
didn't do nearly enough against the Spartan D. Going into the
off-season, the team has to used San Jose State as a model to make a
jump up in production. The coaching staff is there, but the players
aren't.
Nov. 18
Fresno State 34 ... Idaho 0
Fresno State had no problems with Idaho as Dwayne Wright ran
for 133 yards and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass. Tom Brandstater
threw two touchdown passes, but it was the Fresno State running
game, gaining 290 yards, and the defense that made it a laugher.
Idaho managed just 199 yards of total offense, committed nine
penalties and completed just ten of 30 passes for 92 yards. Player of the
game ... Fresno State RB
Dwayne Wright ran for 133 yards on 19 carries and led the team with
five catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. Stat Leaders: Idaho- Passing: Steve Wichman,
9-27, 81 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Brian Flowers, 16-114 Receiving: Wendell
Octave, 4-52 Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater, 14-23,
109 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 19-133 Receiving: Dwayne Wright,
5-26, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The ugly three game losing streak took a turn into a disastrous four
game slide going into a tough season finale against San Jose State.
The passing attack is getting worse while there’s not enough
commitment to the ground game to help things out. The offense
panicked after getting down against Fresno State and struggled in
pass protection. Run defense is going to be the bigger issue against
the Spartans after getting run over by FSU’s Dwayne Wright.
Nov. 4
Nevada 45 ... Idaho 7
Nevada rolled for 417 yards and forced four turnovers as Jeff
Rowe threw three touchdowns and ran for a one-yard score on the way
to a 31-0 first half lead. Idaho finally got on the board midway
though the third quarter with a one-yard Jayson Bird run, but that
was the only highlight as the offense only gained 209 yards. Luke
Lippincott ran for two one-yard scores for the Wolf Pack to close
out the scoring. Player of the game
... Nevada QB
Jeff Rowe completed 14 of 19 passes for 162 yards and three
touchdowns and
ran for a score Stat Leaders: Idaho- Passing: Steve Wichman, 8-16,
71 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Tracy Ford, 4-45 Receiving: Wendell Octave,
3-47 Nevada - Passing: Jeff Rowe, 14-19, 162 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Luke Lippincott, 19-93, 2 TD Receiving: Caleb Spencer, 5-73,
1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Idaho's playing worse, not better as
the season has gone on. Playing Boise State, Hawaii and Nevada will
do that, but part of the problem has been the team's own mistakes.
With four turnovers and seven penalties against the Wolf Pack, the
rest of the team isn't making up for the mistakes. The passing game
has to start generating far more with Steven Wichman throwing for
192 yards last week and 71 this week. There's no reason have can't
be bombing away a bit more.
Oct. 28
Hawaii 68 ... Idaho 10
Hawaii rolled for 497 passing yards with Colt Brennan throwing
for five scores in three quarters. The Warriors started off hot with
Ross Dickerson taking the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and got
two Nate Ilaoa scoring runs and two second half touchdown catches
from Ryan Grice-Mullen. Idaho had no hope of keeping up in the
firefight getting a two-yard Wendell Octave touchdown catch in the
first quarter and a 26-yard Tino Amancio field goal early in the
second before the Warriors reeled off 47 straight points. Player of the game ... Hawaii QB Colt Brennan completed
31 of 38 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns and led the team
with 63 rushing yards on five carries. Stat Leaders: Idaho - Passing: Steve
Wichman, 13-29, 192 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Brian Flowers, 9-37 Receiving:
Luke Smith-Anderson, 5-88 Hawaii - Passing: Colt Brennan, 31-38,
333 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Colt Brennan, 5-63. Receiving: Ian Sample,
8-90, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Part two of the nasty part of the WAC
schedule is over with no luck doing anything to keep Hawaii from
bombing away at will. With a home date against Nevada next week, the
offense has to start finding more consistent production to keep up
in shootouts. On the plus side, if the Vandals can play well against
Boise State at home, they should be able to do a decent job against
the Wolf Pack. Step one would be to improve on third down defense
after allowing the Warriors to convert ten of 11 chances.
Oct. 21
Boise State 42 ... Idaho 26
Boise State's Ian Johnson ripped open a tight game with three
of his four touchdowns in the second half scoring twice in the
fourth quarter to finally put away a pesky Idaho. The Vandals pulled
within 28-26 on a 41-yard pass to Marlon Haynes, but the two-point
conversion failed and they never got close again. Jared Zabransky
didn't have a great game for the Broncos, but he connected with
Legedu Naanee for a 61-yard touchdown pass and threw a three-yard
score to Derek Schouman. Steve Wichman threw three touchdown passes
for the Vandals. Player of the game ... Boise State RB Ian Johnson ran
27 times for 183 yards and four touchdowns Stat Leaders: Boise State- Passing:
Jared Zabransky, 10-22, 145 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Ian Johnson, 27-183, 4 TD Receiving:
Jerard Rabb, 3-59 Idaho - Passing: Steve Wichman, 24-45,
328 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jayson Byrd, 11-50. Receiving:
Marlon Haynes, 6-96, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Idaho stood toe-to-toe with a
(potential) BCS bound Boise State team and battled hard until the
fourth quarter. The offense couldn't keep up the pace, and the
defense couldn't come up with a stop, but it did show how much the
team has improved over recent years. Now the key will be to not get
down in nasty WAC games against Hawaii and Nevada. The Vandals don't
have the firepower to win shootouts, so they'll need to be perfect
and must come up with several turnovers.
Oct. 14
Idaho 24 ... Louisiana Tech 14
Idaho forced eight Louisiana Tech turnovers, but it wasn't
able to pull away until late scoring 17 unanswered points. Jayson
Bird ran for two scores and Steve Wichman ran for a seven-yard score
for the Vandals, while Patrick Jackson and Freddie Franklin each ran
for short scores for the Bulldogs in the second quarter. It wasn't a
pretty game. Idaho committed 12 penalties and turned it over three
times to go with Louisiana Tech's four interceptions and four
fumbles.
Player of the
game ... The entire Idaho defense for holding Louisiana Tech to
211 yards and forcing eight turnovers Stat Leaders: Idaho - Passing: Steve Wichman,
14-27, 238 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Brian Flowers, 12-60 Receiving:
Max Komar, 2-101 Louisiana Tech - Passing: Zac Champion, 11-26,
137 yds, 4 INT
Rushing: Freddie Franklin, 7-46, 1 TD Receiving:
Josh Wheeler, 2-52 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Idaho
can't be happy with the turnovers and the penalties against
Louisiana Tech, but it's on a three-game winning streak and is 3-0
in WAC play in the stunning resurgence under Dennis Erickson.
There's no way the Vandals can keep up with Boise State, Hawaii, and
Nevada over the next few weeks if it plays offensively like it did
against the Bulldogs, but if the defense can keep forcing mistakes,
bowl eligibility could still be a possibility.
Oct. 7
Idaho 28 ... New Mexico State 20
Steven Wichman and Wendell Octave hooked up for two touchdowns
with a 26-yard play to start the scoring and a 29-yard pass to close
out the first half. Then the Idaho defense went to work keeping the
Aggies to a 21-yard Derek Dubois touchdown catch late in the fourth
quarter. Chase Holbrook threw three touchdown passes for NMSU
highlighted by a 96-yard pass play to Chris Williams in the first
quarter. Brian Flowered ran for two, one-yard touchdown runs for the
Vandals in the second quarter. Player of the
game ... Idaho QB Steve
Wichman completed 19 of 27 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns
with an interception Stat Leaders: Idaho - Passing: Steve Wichman,
19-27, 298 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Brian Flowers, 19-91, 2 TD Receiving:
Luke Anderson-Smith, 5-87 New Mexico State - Passing: Chase Holbrook,
25-41, 342 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Nwoko, 3-26 Receiving: A.J. Harris, 7-97, 1
TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Idaho did
a great job of getting up early on New Mexico State, but then the
offense couldn't keep the momentum going in the second half despite
a sharp game from QB Steven Wichman and good running from Brian
Flowers. Credit the defense for bending, but not often breaking
after getting bombed on early for a 96-yard score. To beat the
average teams in the WAC, the Vandals have to do a better job on
third downs and has to continue with the strong offensive balance.
While beating Louisiana Tech would be nice next week, just being at
.500 for the first time since 2000 is a big achievement.
Sept. 30
Idaho 41 ... Utah State 21
Utah State got up 14-0 early on a six-yard Marcus Cross
touchdown run and a one-yard catch from Jimmy Bohm, and then the
roof caved in as Idaho scored 41 straight points highlighted by two
defensive touchdowns on a 98-yard pick six from Stanley Franks in
the final two minutes of the first half and a 74-yard fumble
recovery for a score from Jo Artis Ratti to put the game away. Player of the
game ... Idaho DB Shiloah
Keo led the team with ten tackles and picked off a pass. Stat Leaders: Idaho - Passing: Steve Wichman,
10-20, 188 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Jayson Bird, 13-51, 1 TD Receiving: Max Komar,
2-66 Utah State - Passing: Leon Jackson, 16-24, 136
yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Marcus Cross, 16-68, 1 TD Receiving: Otis
Nelson, 6-56 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Idaho did
a great job of overcoming early adversity against Utah State to take
advantage of every opportunity and get enough big defensive plays to
come away with a much-needed easy win. However, the anemic Aggie
attack was able to move the ball relatively well, especially through
the air, which will be a big problem going into next week's game
against New Mexico State. The Vandal offense was able to go on some
nice drives, but it'll have to keep the offensive balance going. QB
Steven WIchman was solid; soon he'll have to be spectacular.
Sept. 23
Oregon State 38 ... Idaho 0
Oregon State had no problems in Dennis Erikson's return to
Corvallis as Yvenson Bernard ran for touchdowns from 19 and seven
yards out and Anthony Wheat-Brown caught a ten-yard scoring pass on
the way to an easy win. The Beaver defense held Idaho to 185 yards
and picked off Vandal QBs five times with Derrick Doggett returning
one pick 12 yards for a third quarter score. Idaho was zero for ten
on third down conversions. Player of the game ... Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard
ran 23 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Idaho- Passing: Brian Nooy, 4-6,
88 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Brian Flowers, 7-37. Receiving:
Eddie Williams, 2-79 Oregon State - Passing: Matt Moore,
16-31, 169 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Yvenson Bernard, 23-117, 2 TD. Receiving: Sammie
Stroughter, 5-68 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Coming
off a wonderful performance against Idaho State, Steven Wichman was
awful against Oregon State as the offense did absolutely nothing to
keep things moving in an ugly loss. That's two straight games
against decent teams that have resulted in no offensive production,
but that shouldn't be a problem next week against a pitiful Utah
State team. Now that WAC play kicks in, the running game has to be
there to help out Wichman, but Wichman, if he's the starter over
Brian Nooy, has to show more explosiveness and play like the veteran
he is.
Sept. 16
Idaho 27 ... Idaho State 24
Idaho hung on as ISU scored on a one-yard Matt Gutierrez
touchdown run with 50 seconds to play to pull within three, but it
was too little, too late. Rolly Lumbala ran for two scores on the
way to a 17-3 Vandal lead, but Idaho State fought its way back with
two Gutierrez touchdown passes including a 23-yard strike to Dane
Simmons.
Player of the game ... Idaho QB Steve
Wichman threw for 266 yards on 19-of-29 passing to set up three
Vandal touchdown runs.
Stat Leaders: Idaho State- Passing: Matt
Gutierrez, 24-37, 274 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing: Josh Barnett , 19-94 Receiving: Dane
Simmons, 5-55, 1 TD Idaho - Passing: Steve Wichman, 19-29, 266 yds
1 INT Rushing: Brian Flowers, 14-91, 1 TD Receiving:
Wendell Octave, 6-96 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Idaho can breathe a heavy sigh of
relief. Idaho State gave Dennis Erickson's team all it could handle
with a late flurry and a great day from Matt Gutierrez in the second
half. The defense will have to be much stronger, much earlier than
it has been over the last few weeks with the high-powered Oregon
State attack coming up. Steve Wichman and the Vandal passing game
has to keep the chains moving to give the D as much help as
possible. Holding the ball for over 33 minutes against ISU was a
good start.
Sept. 9
Washington State 56 ... Idaho 10
Washington State cranked out 637 yards of total offense and
won in a walk jumping out to a 35-3 halftime lead and coasted from
there. Alex Brink threw three first half touchdown passes and ran
for a one-yard score, and Chris Jordan scored three times on catches
from 22-21 and ten yards out. Two long fourth quarter scoring runs
put a capper on the Cougar blowout with an 80-yard touchdown from
Christopher Ivory and a 53-yard touchdown from Kevin McCall. Idaho
didn't get in the end zone until the fourth quarter on a two-yard
Jayson Bird run. Player of the game ... Washington State QB Alex Brink
completed 12 of 15 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns and ran
five times for 46 yards and a score. Stat Leaders: Washington State- Passing:
Alex Brink, 12-15, 231 yds, 3 TD Rushing:
Dwight Tardy, 15-92, 1 TD Receiving:
Michael Bumpus, 6-55, 1 TD Idaho - Passing: Steve Wichman, 11-31,
170 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jayson Bird, 15-34, 1 TD Receiving:
Marlon Haynes, 4-64 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Idaho is going to have days
like this when a team like Washington State goes ballistic. The team
has always been inconsistent on offense, and that's not going to
change right away under Dennis Erickson. The defense hasn't had a
prayer against Washington State and Michigan State over the first
two weeks, and it quickly has to find something it can do well or
else things will get uglier after the Idaho State game when the
Vandals have to face Oregon State. Idaho isn't going to win much
when Steven Wichman completed 11 of 31 passes.
Sept. 2
Michigan State 27 ... Idaho 17
Michigan State rolled up 400 yard of total offense but
couldn't put Idaho away until a Brett Swenson 30-yard field goal
with just :30 to play. The Spartans jumped out to a 17-3 halftime
lead, but Idaho kept picking away with a one-yard touchdown run from
Jayson Bird and a 13-yard touchdown catch by Lee Smith keeping it
close. The Spartans went on a late drive when they had to and the
defense came up with a big three-and-out when the momentum was in
the Vandals' favor. Player of the game ... Michigan State QB Drew Stanton
completed 16 of 25 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown and ran
eight times for 58 yards. Stat Leaders: Michigan State- Passing:
Drew Stanton, 16-25, 224 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Javon Ringer, 16-70, 1 TD. Receiving:
Kerry Reed, 4-63, 1 TD Idaho- Passing: Steven Wichman, 18-32,
162 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jayson Bird, 20-86, 1 TD. Receiving: Luke
Smith-Anderson, 4-30 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... A loss is
a loss, but Idaho has to be happy with how tough it played in the
loss to Michigan State. Even though the Spartans appeared to have
the game well in hand and we a play or two away from making it a
blowout, the Vandals kept fighting and took the game deep into the
fourth quarter. The talent isn't there to consistently hang with the
better teams on the schedule, but it there aren't any big mistakes
and the team continues to play hard, it'll win its share of WAC
games..
Nick Holt appeared to be on his way to making the Vandals a living,
breathing football team again for the first time since the late
1990s. He suffered through growing pains by playing several young
players who weren't close to being ready, and he brought in the
school's most highly regarded recruiting class in years to add more
depth and provide hope for the future. And then he bolted to take
his old job back as the defensive coordinator at USC.
While the timing of Holt's sudden departure might have been
jarring, it also might have been a blessing in disguise since it meant
the eventual hiring of Dennis Erickson, one of the more underrated
college head coaches over the last several years.
How many times do you get a chance to get a head coach
with two national titles on his résumé? Erickson not only helped keep
the train rolling at Miami from 1989 to 1994, he also made Oregon State
a powerhouse for a brief period and was great for Washington State. Of
course, he made his initial mark at Idaho where he had a 32-15 record
from 1982 to 1985.
Is it possible Erickson's return to Idaho can have the same effect
as Chris Ault's return to Nevada a few years ago? It'll take a little
while, but Erickson has certainly generated plenty of excitement with
his four and five wide receiver sets and sophisticated offense that
should provide a consistency that hasn't been there in years. The return
of QB Steven Wichman for his senior season provides a veteran to run the
attack, and the running game should finally get going again with Jayson
Bird coming back from a collarbone injury.
But the big problem for Idaho has been defense allowing 39 points per
game over the last two seasons. There's hope for a bit of an improvement
with the lumps taken by playing so many young defensive lineman over the
last few seasons about to pay off. The corners are potentially good, and
there's good overall speed everywhere else.
For a program that has won a total of 11 games over the last five years,
baby steps will have to be taken. This isn't going to be a night-and-day
turnaround team, but it should be explosive and it should be a fun show
to watch.
The Schedule: It's not bad at all
considering there's only three bowl teams from last year to deal with,
and they're all in the WAC. Fine, so the Vandals won't win at Michigan
State, at Washington State, or at Oregon State, but there's no reason
they can't equal the two wins of last year by the end of September
playing Idaho State and at Utah State. A home game against New Mexico
State needs to be a must-win considering the second half of the slate is
nasty before getting San Jose State at home.
Best
Offensive Player: Sophomore RB Jayson Bird. QB Steven Wichman will
put up ridiculous, top ten passer numbers in the new offense, but
Bird is the dangerous player who'll life the nation's 117th ranked
running game. He's a big back with tremendous speed and potential
now that he's healthy after breaking his collarbone in the second
game of last season.
Best
Defensive Player: Junior LB Josh Bousman. With so little returning
experience on defense, the steady Bousman has to get healthy and be
a star from day one. If he doesn't have a big year, the defense will
struggle to find any consistency..
Key
player to a successful season: Quarterbacks QB Steven Wichman.
There are good options behind Wichman, but they're untested and
could use a year of seasoning. The senior has to be a sharp leader
of the new attack and has to be the type of quarterback who can
handle all that'll be thrown at him. He'll have huge, 400-yard games
here and there, but he has to cut down on his interceptions.
The
season will be a success if ...
Idaho wins at least four games and pulls off one good upset.
Considering Idaho hasn't won more than three games since 2000, four
wins would be a nice first step back. Just as important will be the
play against the better teams. There was a close battle with
Louisiana Tech last year, but the Vandals lost to Nevada, Fresno
State and Boise State by a combined score of 172-59, or an average
of 57-20.
Key
game: Oct. 21 vs. Boise State. Idaho has lost seven straight to
the Broncos by a total of 353 to 124, or an average of 50.4 to 17.7.
It's not like there's a fierce recruiting war for Idaho talent, but
Dennis Erickson has to close the gap between the two programs and
show that the Vandals won't be a pushover anymore for the WAC's top
power.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Rushing yards per game: Opponents 183.3 - Idaho 78.4
- Yards per punt return: Opponents 13.1 - Idaho 6.1
- Sacks: Opponents 34 for 229 yards - Idaho 19 for 125 yards
