By virtue of coaches’ choice or by virtue of the depth chart, seniors play an integral role on Senior Day — the final home football game of the season.
Tony Marcolina | Argonaut
Senior quarterback Taylor Davis hands the ball off to senior running back James Baker during practice Wednesday at the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals will take on Old Dominion for Senior Day 2 p.m. Saturday at the Kibbie Dome. For 17 seniors, it will be the last home game of their careers.
On Saturday, Idaho will start a senior quarterback on Senior Day for the fourth consecutive season. Senior quarterback Taylor Davis wasn’t the starter in week one, and isn’t just getting a series because it’s his last home game.
Davis will lead Idaho and a group of 17 seniors on Saturday against the Old Dominion Monarchs in Idaho’s final home game of the season.
Old Dominion is one of the more winnable games on Idaho’s difficult independent slate this season. Old Dominion, a FBS-transitional school, is 6-3 on the season, though all of its wins have come against FCS schools. The Monarchs will transition into Conference USA next season as a full-FBS member.
“They’ve played six games they’ve been able to win and there’s something to that,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. “There’s something to winning and knowing how to win and finding ways to win.”
Handing the reins of the offense to Davis came out of necessity with injuries to the two quarterbacks in front of him, though it could be said the fifth-year senior has paid his dues leading up to this moment.
He’s never started a season atop the quarterback depth chart, and ended up on the wrong end of two different quarterback controversies (2011 and 2012), throughout his career.When relegated to the third-string quarterback in his final season, Davis stepped up and was a gunner on the special teams unit just so he could get on the field. Back then, he didn’t even think about the chance to start this game.
“No, not at all. I’m glad for the opportunity I got. I’m mad that the other quarterbacks went down, but the opportunity arrived and I’m happy for it,” Davis said. “It’s what I could do for the team. Me and coach talked, he put me on special teams and said ‘you’re always going to come in if something happens.’ It did and I was ready for it.”
Davis is one of 17 seniors Petrino inherited when he took over the program. At least seven would-be seniors from last years’ roster chose not to stay with the program, by the time the Vandals kicked off at North Texas on Aug. 30.
“They fought hard all year, and they worked hard and they tried to build everything we can,” Petrino said. “They’re just part of us coming to work every single day and getting better, and we have gotten a lot better. So I’ll always be thankful and do everything I can for what they did.”
What this senior class can do for the program moving forward, Petrino said, is to start the home-winning streak the team has been talking about all season. The Vandals are 1-3 at home this season, beating Temple 26-24 for Homecoming, but didn’t start the home winning streak with losses to Fresno State and future conference opponent Texas State. Next season, Idaho will host Western Michigan and four Sun Belt Conference opponents — as winnable a schedule as Idaho will have had in a long time.
“I’m going to always be a Vandal regardless,” senior tight end Michael LaGrone said. “If we win this game, then it’s a start to the home streak. So we win this game and they come back next season and win all the other games. That means everything to me.”
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]
Notable seniors:
QB Taylor Davis
– Boulder Creek High School – Anthem, Ariz.
Will be making the sixth start in his career.
RB James Baker
– Independence College – Independence, Kan.
Should graduate as Idaho’s leading rusher
in 2013.
DT QuayShawne Buckley
– Colony High School – Ontario, Calif.
Has amassed a career- high eight tackles for loss heading into senior day.
TE Michael LaGrone
– McQueen High School – Reno, Nev.
Five year senior, caught at least 10 receptions in every season.
WR Najee Lovett
– Contra Costa College – San Pablo, Calif.
Lovett is Idaho’s leading receiver since 2012, with 74 catches as a Vandal.
S Trey Williams
– Lefore County High School – Itta Bena, Miss.
The fifth-year senior had his first career interception at Arkansas State this season.