Loss of starters might vex Vandals in last Sun Belt run
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
Idaho Paul Petrino (15-33, entering fifth season; 15-33 overall)
9-4, 6-2 in Sun Belt, tied for third in Sun Belt
After years of struggling at the bottom of the FBS, the Vandals are poised to move down to the Football Championship level at the end of the 2017 season. Idaho was one of the victims of conference realignment, with defections from the Western Athletic Conference forcing it to stop sponsoring football. After briefly playing as an independent school, Idaho joined the Sun Belt on a trial basis. The conference ultimately decided it didn’t make financial sense to keep the Vandals, who were located far from the rest of the league members mostly concentrated in the southeast. The Vandals will join the Big Sky Conference in 2018.
Entering the 2016 season, coach Paul Petrino and his players knew Idaho had decided to move down to the FCS level and adopted the manta “expect to win.” The team got off to a familiar 2-5 start, but QB Matt Linehan and the passing attack got into a rhythm during Sun Belt play and thrived running the Petrino offense. The Vandals went on to tie a school record with nine wins, including a wild 61-50 victory over Colorado State in the Famous Potato Bowl that Idaho had been projected to lose by double digits. 6 6 5
OL Steve Matlock, TE Trent Cowan, DL Tueni Lupeamanu, P/K Austin Rehkow
QB Matt Linehan, OL Jordan Rose, WR Jacob Sannon, LB Kaden Elliss, DE Aikeem Coleman
Lineham returns to lead the Vandals offense. He limited errors during the 2016 season and helped Idaho rank No. 51 nationally in passing offense, averaging 249.2 points per game. He’ll be able to lean on veteran OL Jordan Rose for support up front and has a strong target in WR Jacob Sannon.
The Vandals were strong against the run last season, ranking No. 40 nationally and giving up 144.8 yards per game. LB Kaden Elliss and DE Aikeem Coleman are among Idaho’s returning defensive leaders.
Above all, Petrino, the brother of successful Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, has his team believing it can win. “Coming off a bowl win and nine wins, we want to raise the bar,” Elliss told GoVandals.com after the spring game.
The Vandals lost six starters apiece on offense and defense. Key performers on the offensive and defensive lines are gone. The special teams unit also will have to offset the loss of versatile P/K Austin Rehkow, who led the team in points scored during the 2016 season and was capable of flipping the field for the Vandals.
The Vandals are eager to build on their 2016 season, but the loss of 12 starters and a slew of Sun Belt teams hungry for revenge may make it tough to match last year’s success.