Submit newsMOSCOW — Idaho coach Robb Akey and his players were quick to share their disappointment in the way the Vandals have started the season after the team’s latest defeat — a 48-24 setback to Fresno State.
Dominated in the second half by the Bulldogs in both teams’ Western Athletic Conference opener, the Vandals (1-3 overall, 0-1 WAC) once again battled bouts of inconsistency by the offense and the inability of the defense to prevent big plays.
While crediting Fresno State (2-2, 1-0) for the victory, Akey and his players agreed they need to figure out how to keep the competitiveness they displayed in the first half in front of a Kibbie Dome crowd of 15,110.
“I think you could see two good football teams competing against one another in the first half of the game today,” Akey said. “I think you saw one team finish today better than the other team did.
“We are capable of playing well for a quarter, or a half, or a series — whatever it is,” he continued. “If we are capable of doing that part of the time, we are capable of doing it all the time. I think it is a matter of this football team still needing to grow up a little bit. Every team is different.”
The Vandals led 14-10 nearly 5 minutes into the second quarter on an 18-yard touchdown run by Princeton McCarty. Idaho found itself down 24-17 at halftime, but couldn’t answer the Bulldogs for most of the second half.
The Vandal offense went three-and-out on its first two offensive series after the break and did not cross into Fresno State’s territory during the third quarter. The offense’s struggles were punctuated at the end of the period when quarterback Brian Reader lost the ball while preparing to throw a pass. Fresno State defensive end Nat Harrison grabbed the loose ball and raced 40-yards to give the Bulldogs (2-2, 1-0) a 41-17 lead as the quarter ended.
After amassing 228 yards of total offense in the first half, the Vandals only gained 55 yards the rest of the game.
“We are a big momentum team,” said Reader, who was 22-of-38 passing for 235 yards and two TDs. “Personally, there are some throws that I should be making that I am not making right now.And that definitely doesn’t help.”
Fresno State’s Derek Carr, meanwhile, made those throws. The sophomore had a similar completion-to-attempt ratio as Reader, but he threw for 371 yards and five TDs. Carr connected with four different receivers on the scoring throws, despite Idaho mixing up its coverages from man to zone.
“He’s a great quarterback,” senior cornerback Matthew Harvey said. “He read all of (the coverages).”
Harvey intercepted Carr in the first half and also had a 60-yard kickoff return to set up Idaho’s final score. Kama Bailey made a nice one-handed catch on a throw from Reader to cut the score to 41-24 with 14:34 remaining in the game.
Idaho’s next possession started at Fresno State’s 47 after a failed fake punt. But the Vandal drive sputtered, and the Bulldogs’ countered with a 14-play, 98-yard drive that ended with Carr finding Josh Harper for a 9-yard TD pass.
Idaho takes a break from WAC play for its next game. but the Vandals face a tall task if they hope to break a two-game losing streak. The opponent is Virginia of the ACC.
“It’s a huge game for us,” Reader said. “We need to get out of our slump. This game hurts, but there is always next weekend.”
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