Idaho’s men in the trenches — offensive and defensive lineman — were in the spotlight in the third week of spring football.
During the last couple seasons, the offensive line has seen some ups and downs and now looks to add consistency in their play and while building leadership.
Head Coach Paul Petrino said there are multiple standouts on the offensive line — All-American senior Noah Johnson is continuing to grow into his leadership role, while redshirt junior Conner Vrba and sophomore Matthew Faupusa have been playing their best football as Vandals over the last couple weeks.
As the team is able to execute more downfield plays with the improved line play, Johnson said he is confident this group could be the best the program has seen since 2016.
“Last year, we were young,” Johnson said. “When we got up to the line, we were more focused on what we were going to do in terms of assignments, but now we are more worried about the little things — the technique things. It really has helped us as a whole.”
After being named an All-American, Idaho’s first since 2009, Johnson said he knows while he still needs to lead by example, he will need to play a bigger role within the huddle to help this now-experienced group push the offense to new heights.
“Last season, I was more of a lead by example guy. I tried to never show being tired, so guys would look at me, they looked at me and saw confidence,” Johnson said. “This year, I’m focusing on having more of a vocal role, especially in the huddle. If we make a mistake, we have to focus on the next play.”
Logan Floyd received prestigious accolades after his freshman campaign, earning freshman All-American accolades while starting every game and at one point being the highest rated lineman on the team. He will also look to continue to elevate his game to not only help the offense find more success, but have fun with his All- American teammate.
“Now I have a year under my belt, it’s (Johnson’s) senior year, I just feel like we are going to run people over — we both gained weight, we both gained strength. I just can’t wait, it’s going to be fun.”
Johnson and Floyd both said this has been a productive offseason physically, as they continue to get stronger, faster and are able to stay healthy. The line’s leaders are now working on the chemistry with other lineman looking to make a run at a starting spot, including freshman Noah Gunn, senior Edwin Grande and redshirt freshman Seth Carnahan.
With the men on the offensive line not receiving any jaw-dropping stats and being the unsung heroes of the team, Petrino made clear the main goal he wants the line to reach — don’t let our quarterback get hit more than the other team’s quarterback.
On the defensive side of the ball, it is a bit of a different story.
Due to injuries, Petrino said there has not been a ton for him to evaluate in terms of the status of the defensive line.
“We have a few guys out — a couple guys banged up,” Petrino said. “Once we get them back, that’ll hopefully help, and we got a couple new guys coming in the fall, we’ll see what happens with the combination of those (players).”
Idaho still has talented pass rushers coming off the edge, with freshman linebacker Coleman Johnson showing great pass rushing ability in the spring along with redshirt juniors Austin Holt, Charles Akanno and sophomore Tre Walker.
The Vandals are counting down the days until their spring Silver and Gold game at 6 p.m. April 19 in the Kibbie Dome.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected]