After missing the first two practices, I finally made it out to watch the Vandal football team. This was the team’s third practice and was limited contact — players wore helmets and shoulder pads.
Here is roughly what the first team looked like. For the most part players were rotated in and out — especially the skill positions, linebackers and defensive backs.
First team offense
- QB: Linehan/Chalich
- RB: Elijhaa Penny/Jerrel Brown/Kris Olugbode
- (Richard Montgomery contributed, but mostly lined up at wide receiver.)
- WR: Rotation
- ST: Mason Woods
- SG: Jeff Travillion
- C: Mike Marboe
- QG: Steven Matlock
- QT: Jesse Davis
First team defense
- DE: Maxx Forde
- DT: Ryan Edwards
- DT: Tueni Lupeamanu
- DE: Quinton Bradley
- LB: Marc Millan
- LB: Rotation
- DB: Rotation
Notes:
- The quarterback competition still seems to be even. Both Matt Linehan and Chad Chalich received the same amount of reps, although it appeared Linehan received the bulk of the first team reps.
- Linehan showed off his arm on some deep out routes. His play of the day was a completed 20-yard out-route to Josh McCain, which was threaded between two defensive backs on the sideline. He also showed some maturity by dumping off passes to underneath routes — something he struggled to do in the spring. He did show his youth, though, by missing a couple of easy short passes.
- -Chalich looked good, but not great. His play of the day was a 30-yard touchdown to his fellow Coeur d’Alene high school alum, Dean Watson.
- Junior college transfer Chris Edwards delivered a big hit on Kris Olugbode. Head coach Paul Petrino has liked what he’s seen so far from the safety:
“I think Chris Edwards is big, he’s playing a big role back there. I think he’ll have a chance to be a big intimidator, like those big safeties for the Seahawks, hopefully. He’ll make people scared when they come across the middle, come up and really be an enforcer in the run. When you can have one big guy back there that plays like that, it helps everybody play better.”
- The defensive front seven looked great. Arguably the best position group for Idaho. Maxx Forde was constantly in the backfield.
“There is some good d-lineman,” Petrino said. “But they weren’t getting there every time. If you go watch tape, they probably put pressure on us 30 percent of the time.”
- After trying wide receiver in the spring, Vandal basketball player Roberto Asencio has made the switch to defensive end. The 6-foot-9 center (basketball) from the Dominican Republic, received some reps with the second team defense.
“He got a sack yesterday,” Petrino said of Asencio. “You just don’t see guys that are that big and athletic. You just love having him around because he’s such a great kid and he works so hard, hopefully he’ll come around.”
- The practice ended with running after a second fight broke out.
“You want to see it, you want them to get after it, but we don’t want to waste time,” Petrino said of the scuffle. “Once in a while guys are going to get mad, but that’s apart of the deal. Once it’s time to go, lets go, lets not waste reps … We had one more play, it was just a little way to get some running in.”
Quotes:
Petrino
-On the new guys:
“Good, there is some good new football players out here and they are just going to keep getting better and better. It’s exciting I think there is a lot of good players and we just got to keep improving.”
-On freshman cornerback, Dorian Clark:
“Yeah it’s good to have him there. He’s a little younger than some of those other guys, but he’s going to be a great player — he just might be a little ways off.”
-On sophomore linebacker Russell Siavii:
“He had a great spring. It’s like a light just came on, he started flying around and making plays. You gave out a most improved player in the spring, it would probably be him.”
-On Montgomery:
“At first, it was just that he was going to play both … We will still use him in the backfield at times, but really just get him on the field and find as many ways to get the ball in his hands.”
New wide receiver coach Charley Molnar
-On the wide receivers:
“I think these guys are really enthusiastic. They come to work everyday, eager to learn, eager to get better and I don’t see any guy in there that has a big ego, they all just want to be apart of a championship team.”
-On Montgomery:
“Richard is a work in progress. But I’ll tell you this, he’s got really good skills when the ball is in his hands. So he just has to become a more proficient rout runner. Every receiver does in our group, he just might be a little further behind, but once he catches the ball he’s way ahead of everyone else. He’s really dynamic with the ball.”
“It’s really up to him on how good he wants to be. He’s got very high ceiling. So far he’s been enthusiastic and learning his lessons. I just hope that continues throughout camp and throughout the season.”
-On Joshua McCain:
“He’s got above average speed and quickness. Surprisingly good hands for a guy who has played other spots before this season, and not only that, he’s surprisingly tough.”