It looked as though an offensive shoot-out was on tap for the Dads Weekend crowd Saturday in the Kibbie Dome, however that was not the case.
The Vandal offense fell flat and the defense wore down as Fresno State bullied Idaho to a 48-24 loss, dropping Idaho to
1-3 overall.
Scoring drives went back and forth in the first half. Fresno State scored first on a Derek Carr 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Saunders. Idaho struck back on its next possession. The Vandals marched on a 12-play, 62-yard drive that lasted nearly half the quarter. It ended with a Brian Reader to Clayton Homme 3-yard touchdown reception.
By the end of the first half Fresno State held a one-touchdown advantage, leading 24-17.
Akey said he was disappointed his team didn’t execute in the second half, especially in front of the largest crowd the Dome has seen this season.
“We had a whale of a game there goin’ there at halftime,” Akey said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t execute as well in the second half to make it a more enjoyable afternoon for all of us.”
The Vandals were outscored 24 to 7 in the second half. The lone Vandal touchdown came early in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard Reader to Kama Bailey touchdown pass.
Reader was 22 for 38 passing for 235 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, but it was not enough to make up for the 513 total offensive yards tallied by Fresno State. The Bulldogs amassed 371 passing yards with five receiving touchdowns.
Opposing teams have notoriously picked on the Idaho secondary, something Akey said they are continuing to work on. Akey said it is not just cornerback and safety play that hurts the Vandals.
“The whole world looks at the defensive backs, he’s the guy that gets the ball thrown too,” Akey said. “Well you know we got a bunch of guys up front that can put a little pressure on the quarterback and make it a little harder for that ball to get itself thrown out there.”
The Vandals travel to Charlottesville, Virg., Oct. 1 to play against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, Virginia. This will be the second time the Vandals face a BCS opponent this season. Akey said he thinks the big stadiums and crowds can work toward their advantage.
“If there’s more folks there, and there’s more noise, you can use that to their advantage. I think our guys get fired up about playing in front of that,” Akey said. “I know there’s a lot of folks in Virginia this week that don’t wanna see the Vandals have any success.”
Idaho will travel three time zones away and Akey said the team has done research and will prepare to have its body clocks in synch with Eastern time.
“Things take place at a much different point in time,” Akey said of the time zone shift. “So some of the folks when we travel … this one three time zones away, people look at us a little bit crooked sayin’, ‘You realize what time y’all are eatin’?’ but we’re going to get on the local time clock as quick as possible.”
The Cavaliers are 2-2, with one of their wins coming from an FCS opponent, but Akey understands the ability, athleticism and size across the board from the Virginia squad.
“I see a defense that, there front is big and strong and good,” Akey said. “They’ve got a defensive end — all four of them I think are good players — they’ve got an outside linebacker that’s a real good player, they’ve got a cornerback that’s a real good player.”
The game is set to kick-off at 12:30 p.m. and is televised on ESPN3.com.