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Apr. 26—MOSCOW, Idaho — Idaho concluded spring practice Friday night with redshirt sophomore Nick Josifek emerging as the current leader to be starting quarterback after completing 6 of 14 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown in its spring game.
A Vandals offense that had been cuffed around all spring by the defense got a measure of revenge, and Idaho emerged with confidence from old hands on both sides of the ball under the leadership of new coach Thomas Ford.
"Whenever there is a new staff, there are wrinkles, growing pains. I am really proud of the guys, how they adjusted," said sixth-year senior offensive lineman Nate Azzopardi, whose block sprung senior running back Nate Thomas for a touchdown.
"A lot of our young guys have made roles for themselves," noted senior defensive tackle Sam Brown of his final spring with the Vandals.
But the starting quarterback position remains unresolved after the Vandals plucked former Fresno State QB Joshua Wood from the transfer portal. While Wood did not take part in spring ball, however the depth chart looks in spring, it may not look that way in fall, Ford said.
The offense won 27-23 in the final scrimmage, but the format allowed defenders to score points on three-and-outs and forced punts.
The defense missed out on a chance to get even after the second half was shortened because the Vandals were playing with only seven healthy offensive linemen. In addition, the defense was playing without all its tricks.
"We were a little bit more vanilla on defense today," Ford said. "(Defensive coordinator Cort Dennison) has got some good stuff cooked up. But we didn't want to show too much of it today."
One insight from spring is that Idaho is loaded with running backs .
"Our offensive line, especially running the ball, is really impressive," Ford said.
It was easy for the Vandals to look good all spring with the likes of Thomas, senior Elisha Cummings, redshirt sophomore Art Williams and converted tight end and redshirt junior Hayden Kinchloe following the blocking. Williams no doubt left Ford with a favorable impression after he rushed six times for 28 yards and caught a touchdown in the final scrimmage.
"I got saved a little," Cummings, a projected starter, said of his spring workload.
The depth at running back, he said, "makes everyone's job easier."
Cummings made the most of his carries this spring, though.
"I can't explain how good it feels when I run through an open lane," he said.
He also offered a veteran's perspective on the ongoing quarterback battle between Josifek, Wood and Jack Wagner.
"(For offensive players), having a great relationship with all of them is a key factor," Cummings said. "When they battle it out, whoever wins it is going to be a great fit for us."
Ford coached at Idaho in 2022 and 2023 and returned from last season as an assistant coach at Oregon State to take over Idaho's program after Jason Eck moved on to New Mexico.
Despite the offense playing behind the curve most of spring, Ford said he was pleased with the progress it made, compared to his first year with the Vandals. After the scrimmage, Ford said he remarked to offensive coordinator Matt Linehan that the spring game this year was "night and day" from 2022.
"I didn't know if we were even going to score a touchdown in 2022," he said.
Redshirt senior defensive back Kamari Baker looks to be the anchor of a new secondary after Idaho lost all its starters from a year ago. In the spring game, he made six tackles, including one for loss, and broke up a pass. Redshirt freshman defensive end Kai Richardson also had a sack.
Idaho has reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs the past three seasons, including making the semifinals in a 10-4 season last year.
For Brown, who has been a part of those playoff teams and who has seen how successful seasons come together, the momentum of a successful spring sets the foundation for what comes next, leading into fall camp and the start of a new season in September.
"Summer is when the team really comes together," he said. "It forms that brotherhood."
Continue reading...
A Vandals offense that had been cuffed around all spring by the defense got a measure of revenge, and Idaho emerged with confidence from old hands on both sides of the ball under the leadership of new coach Thomas Ford.
"Whenever there is a new staff, there are wrinkles, growing pains. I am really proud of the guys, how they adjusted," said sixth-year senior offensive lineman Nate Azzopardi, whose block sprung senior running back Nate Thomas for a touchdown.
"A lot of our young guys have made roles for themselves," noted senior defensive tackle Sam Brown of his final spring with the Vandals.
But the starting quarterback position remains unresolved after the Vandals plucked former Fresno State QB Joshua Wood from the transfer portal. While Wood did not take part in spring ball, however the depth chart looks in spring, it may not look that way in fall, Ford said.
The offense won 27-23 in the final scrimmage, but the format allowed defenders to score points on three-and-outs and forced punts.
The defense missed out on a chance to get even after the second half was shortened because the Vandals were playing with only seven healthy offensive linemen. In addition, the defense was playing without all its tricks.
"We were a little bit more vanilla on defense today," Ford said. "(Defensive coordinator Cort Dennison) has got some good stuff cooked up. But we didn't want to show too much of it today."
One insight from spring is that Idaho is loaded with running backs .
"Our offensive line, especially running the ball, is really impressive," Ford said.
It was easy for the Vandals to look good all spring with the likes of Thomas, senior Elisha Cummings, redshirt sophomore Art Williams and converted tight end and redshirt junior Hayden Kinchloe following the blocking. Williams no doubt left Ford with a favorable impression after he rushed six times for 28 yards and caught a touchdown in the final scrimmage.
"I got saved a little," Cummings, a projected starter, said of his spring workload.
The depth at running back, he said, "makes everyone's job easier."
Cummings made the most of his carries this spring, though.
"I can't explain how good it feels when I run through an open lane," he said.
He also offered a veteran's perspective on the ongoing quarterback battle between Josifek, Wood and Jack Wagner.
"(For offensive players), having a great relationship with all of them is a key factor," Cummings said. "When they battle it out, whoever wins it is going to be a great fit for us."
Ford coached at Idaho in 2022 and 2023 and returned from last season as an assistant coach at Oregon State to take over Idaho's program after Jason Eck moved on to New Mexico.
Despite the offense playing behind the curve most of spring, Ford said he was pleased with the progress it made, compared to his first year with the Vandals. After the scrimmage, Ford said he remarked to offensive coordinator Matt Linehan that the spring game this year was "night and day" from 2022.
"I didn't know if we were even going to score a touchdown in 2022," he said.
Redshirt senior defensive back Kamari Baker looks to be the anchor of a new secondary after Idaho lost all its starters from a year ago. In the spring game, he made six tackles, including one for loss, and broke up a pass. Redshirt freshman defensive end Kai Richardson also had a sack.
Idaho has reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs the past three seasons, including making the semifinals in a 10-4 season last year.
For Brown, who has been a part of those playoff teams and who has seen how successful seasons come together, the momentum of a successful spring sets the foundation for what comes next, leading into fall camp and the start of a new season in September.
"Summer is when the team really comes together," he said. "It forms that brotherhood."
Continue reading...
