For the Idaho football offense, it’s all about options and opportunity this spring.
Redshirt senior Jordan Grabski anticipates a tackle during football practice April 9th in the Kibbie Dome.
Only a couple positions are cemented — senior wideout David Ungerer, senior running back Isaiah Saunders and junior guard Noah Johnson will presumably head their units — but not one position group, as a whole, is set in stone.
“I think there’s a lot of jobs up for grabs and I think that’s a good thing,” Idaho Head Coach Paul Petrino said. “Any time you have all kinds of competition and everybody has to come out and fight for their jobs every day, that’s a good thing.”
Moving on from a four-year starter at quarterback is no easy task, and the Vandals, with their three-man field-general competition, are corroborating that notion.
Sophomore Colton Richardson, junior Mason Petrino and redshirt freshman Dylan Lemle have each seen meaningful reps, and all three have both delighted and distressed Petrino at times, as is made evident by his consistent and resounding coaching voice.
A few of the offensive notables are in the midst of rehabbing ankle injuries, according to Petrino. Richardson, along with Saunders, Johnson, sophomore guard Conner Vrba and junior wide receiver Jante Boston all were scratches for Monday’s practice. Richardson, Vrba and Saunders were at practice, all wearing walking boots. Each player is out for an undisclosed amount of time.
The quarterbacking duties for the day went to Petrino and Lemle. The offense, thus far, has been built around methodical quickness, but according to Ungerer, it can vary at this juncture depending on the quarterback.
“I don’t think my game changes around the (quarterback) as much as coach Petrino’s play-calling changes,” Ungerer said. “The routes I’d be running and the plays we run are going to be different depending on who’s in at QB, so the way coach would get me or other guys the ball would be different depending on who’s in there.”
Ungerer said each quarterback contributes something different to the team. Lemle, the redshirt from Los Angeles, has a cannon for an arm, which reminds Ungerer of former Jaguars frontman David Garrard. Petrino, on the other hand, with his quick rollouts and pressure-beating throws, presents a considerable apprehension, Ungerer said.
“Mason plays with such great anticipation … He’s throwing that ball before I even get out of my break,” Ungerer said. “You can always beat a defense with anticipation if you put the ball in the right spot, and he does that really well.”
Coach Petrino said he was pleased with the overall progression of his three leading quarterback contestants.
“I think all three of them have gotten better at understanding the whole offense,” Petrino said. “Not only what the offense is doing but what the defense is doing and what you try to attack … They’ve done a good job at that and we just need to keep doing it.”
Despite the progress, Petrino said there is still work that needs to be done.
“We’ve just got to be consistent every single play, and have good communication every single play, and execute each play well,” Petrino said.
As for the receiving core, the faces are fresh and the lineup alterations seem endless. Under the senior supervision of Ungerer, the unit brimming with relatively unfamiliar names looks to be coming into its own. Their overall physical stature is small, in relation to the last two seasons, but what they lack in brute magnitude, they appear to make up for in speed and route running.
Lee and redshirt junior Jeff Cotton, who transferred last summer from Pima Community College in Arizona, seemed to make up the bulk of playing time alongside Ungerer in the slot position.
Lee, a 6-foot, 170-pound speedster, displayed acceleration and a nose for running lanes on short routes.
Again, the lineups are not nearly finalized, or even close to it for that matter. Haywood, junior Josh Ellingson and redshirt sophomore Brandon Luckett each saw considerable time as well, and often impressed on short out-routes, hitches and wide receiver screens.
But it was Cotton who manufactured likely the most astounding play of the afternoon. A slightly underthrown ball drooped into double coverage, but Cotton rose up, reached over the head of a trailing defensive back, and came up with a falling snag in a crowd. The play broached the question –– could Cotton be Idaho’s next deep-ball threat?
Although it is still early, Ungerer said everyone is still improving and fighting for starting spots.
“We’re going to see who’s able to compete for those starting jobs, and I feel like it’ll be a development process throughout the season,” Ungerer said. “Because that’s how (Petrino) operates. It’s a week-to-week basis on who plays the best, and we won’t know what these guys play like in a game-like situation until we get there.”
Colton Clark can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @coltonclark95