Josh Grissom | Staff Writer
The Idaho Vandals travel to Troy Saturday to face a team that limps into the matchup with only one victory through the first five games of the season.
The Vandals (1-4) are coming off of a bye week and hope to take advantage of a battered opponent that has already faced three separate power five conference opponents early in the year.
The Trojans (1-4) completed road trips against a power-five trio that included North Carolina State, Wisconsin and Mississippi State. All three of those teams have four wins this season, highlighting the difficult schedule that Troy has faced to date.
Meanwhile, Idaho is entering the matchup after a much-needed bye week, following a 49-35 loss to Arkansas State in which the Vandals showed resilience in the face of several injuries.
Quarterback Matt Linehan sat out against the Red Wolves because of an injured ankle, prompting head coach Paul Petrino to start redshirt freshman Jake Luton, who rushed for three touchdowns in the game.
The Vandals are hoping Linehan will be healthy enough to make the start Saturday afternoon against the Trojans.
Linehan is averaging 277 passing yards per game and is completing 67.8 percent of his passes. His presence on Saturday could prove to be a deciding factor if his ankle is fully healed.
The Troy defense has allowed an average of 32.4 points per game this season, a statistic Trojans’ defensive coordinator Vic Koenning will certainly be looking to improve entering the game against the Vandals.
The Trojans have been defending the pass well, only allowing opponents to average 185 yards through the air. However, Troy’s defense has had difficulty stopping the run, allowing an average of 200 rushing yards per game this season.
The key for the Vandals will be the ability to establish a productive running game early in the first half. If running back Elijhaa Penny and the Vandals are able to produce a presence on the ground, it will open up the opportunity for a passing attack from Linehan later in the game.
On the other side of the ball, Idaho’s secondary will look to slow the only productive feature of the Trojans’ offense — the passing game. The Trojans are only averaging 111 rushing yards this season, an aspect that will certainly motivate the Vandals’ defensive line as they attempt to stifle the Troy running game.
The Vandals’ defensive game plan will be to stop the Troy running attack in order to force a pivotal matchup between the Trojan receivers and the Vandals’ secondary.
The game will likely boil down to an offensive slugfest in Alabama Saturday.
If Idaho is able to make several key defensive stops against the Trojans, then the team has a solid opportunity to emerge from Troy with a vital Sun Belt victory.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom