Coming into the final week of fall camp, Idaho football inches closer to the season opener against Fresno State Sept. 1.
Last Saturday’s scrimmage brought more competition between quarterbacks, both still fighting to prove their talents under center in the quarterback duel.
Idaho head coach Paul Petrino said if he had to choose right now, both quarterbacks would play. Fans should prepare to see two quarterbacks in any given game, with a double-headed attack at quarterback to start the season.
Chris Deremer
Sophomore quarterback Colton Richardson said he is ready to help the team win in any way it needs him to help.
“We both have our plays, and each have our own plays,” Richardson said. “We’re just trying to go win games, that’s all that this team is trying to do.”
Junior quarterback Mason Petrino also believes that having a two-man attack at quarterback can help this team win games.
“We both do really good things and if a defense has to plan for us both, it’s going to be hard to do,” Petrino said.
Petrino had another impressive day throughout the scrimmage, proving his level of play has only continued to improve since the end of last season.
As his comfort level and skills rise, so does his confidence, Petrino said.
“My confidence level has risen a lot,” Petrino said. “We’ve had a couple of good practices and the offense has been playing good.”
The wide receiving core is proving once again why this deep squad is going to be one of Idaho’s best storylines throughout the season.
Freshman wide receiver Cutrell Haywood had another great day Saturday as well, grabbing another array of touchdowns throughout the scrimmage.
With senior wide receiver David Ungerer and junior wide receiver Jeff Cotton likely to fill the one-two punch at wide out, there is still plenty of room to fill on the depth charts if Idaho wants to try new combinations throughout the season.
“A lot of positions we are at least two, three guys deep,” Petrino said. “We can trust a lot of guys and it is nice knowing that if a guy gets tired, another can jump in and get some reps.”
While the team continues to make strides, several red flags remain in the final days of fall camp. It comes down to the offensive line but improvements each day may show a more consistent line once game day finally hits.
“They’re growing and slowly getting better,” Petrino said. “As a lineman you need a lot of reps. Once they get more comfortable we’re going to look pretty good.”
Anticipation is at an all-time high for Vandal football. A final mock game is set to take place on Friday, giving the team another opportunity to get as close to real game reps before they travel to Fresno State.
Big expectations linger above this Idaho squad. All that remains is the opportunity to prove these high expectations can become the new reality.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter @Cderemer_VN