After suffering another fourth-quarter heartbreak against Arkansas State last weekend, the Vandals stray from conference play to take on the Mountain West’s San Diego State 3:30 p.m. Saturday in San Diego, California.
The 44-28 final score of last week’s loss to Arkansas State is deceiving. The Vandals led late in the third quarter and only trailed by two heading into the fourth. Ultimately, Idaho couldn’t overcome eight turnovers — three of which happened in the fourth quarter.
Idaho coach Paul Petrino said Arkansas State is arguably the most talented team in the Sun Belt. He said the first half was one of the best games he’s seen his team play in the two years he’s been head coach.
“That was a tough one because it was a game we pointed at to make a statement,” Petrino said. “I’m proud of our players … They understand it’s a process and we’re taking the right steps. They understand how much better we are because they see it and they feel it out there in the games.”
The Vandals now turn their attention to San Diego State, who enters the game at 4-4. Unlike the spread attacks Idaho has faced in the Sun Belt, the Aztecs run a traditional offense.
Linebackers coach Eric Brown said Idaho played run-first teams in the Sun Belt, but those were spread offenses. He said SDSU has an old school, smash mouth approach when running the football.
“For me, it’s exciting,” Brown said. “It’s a challenge for the linebackers. It’s something I look forward to … if we prepare the right way, if we have guys execute, I don’t see a weakness.”
Brown said the Aztecs have a slower tempo compared to Sun Belt teams. He said San Diego State wears down a defense by being more physical than its opponent.
The key player for San Diego State is running back Donnel Pumphrey. Petrino said the 5-foot-9, 170-pound sophomore is fast and has potential to break any run for a touchdown.
“We just got to put our physical football hats on this week, especially defensively,” Petrino said. “What team stops the big plays and what team doesn’t hurt themselves with either penalties or turnovers will probably win.”
Offensive coordinator Kris Cinkovich said it’s similar to Louisiana-Monroe — a team that defeated Idaho 38-31 in the first game of the year.While San Diego State runs a traditional offense, its defense is anything but normal. Most of the time SDSU has its front seven stand at the line of scrimmage, instead of the normal three-point stance.
“They like to move around and fill gaps with different guys — it’s a dynamic defense that way,” Cinkovich said. “We have to be really good in our roles and really good in our fundamentals.”
Petrino said the Aztecs have big players up front and the offensive line needs to understand their blocking assignments. If they’re able to do that, Petrino said the Vandals have the ability to run the ball effectively.
“When nobody has their hand in the ground I think it’s sometimes harder for them to stop the run,” he said. “When you make the defense have to defend both the run and pass, it makes you a lot harder to stop.”
In the first four games, Idaho only rushed for 257 yards, but in the last four the offense accumulated 823 yards on the ground.
The surge has been led by running backs Jerrel Brown and Elijhaa Penny. The two combined for 418 yards and five touchdowns over the past two games.
Petrino said the running game helps out the offensive line and takes pressure off the young quarterbacks.
“That’s something we can keep building on,” Petrino said. “I think we need to run the ball for over 200 yards to win the game, that’s for sure.”
The rushing attack became even more important when freshman quarterback Matt Linehan went down with a head injury Oct. 18 against New Mexico State. After starting the first seven games, the injury opened the door for sophomore, and last season’s starter, Chad Chalich.
Petrino said the quarterback competition has been ongoing throughout the season, but the two received equal reps with the first team offense this week — unlike past weeks when Linehan received the bulk of the snaps.
“The two of them push each other everyday in practice — that really hasn’t changed, they’ve always had that competition,” he said. “I would definitely see both of them playing in this game.”
The trip to California is not only the team’s shortest road trip of the season, but the game also takes place in an NFL stadium. The Aztecs play their home games in Qualcomm Stadium, the home of the San Diego Chargers.
“It’s a nice stadium,” Petrino said. “It’s probably not like the Swamp or some of those places we’ve been … it’s a little more off the field. It wont be as loud. We got a lot of kids on our team from California, so they’ll be excited to go back to their home state.”
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]