The matchup:Idaho football is set to have its annual Silver and Gold spring game in the Kibbie Dome Friday night, giving fans their first glimpse into what to expect for the upcoming 2019 season.
A three-headed battle:One of the biggest storylines going into Friday will be the performance of Idaho’s three quarterbacks. Senior Mason Petrino, junior Colton Richardson and sophomore Nikhil Nayar have each received first team reps throughout most of spring football. Their performance Friday could dictate their spots heading into fall camp. With each quarterback bringing something different to the team, it will be interesting to see how the competition plays out through the remainder of spring and up to the season opener at Penn State Aug. 31.
New faces, new opportunities:Many Idaho standouts left their mark on the program the past few years and now it is time for many new names to take their places. Junior Christian Elliss and sophomore Tre Walker lead a new linebacker core for the Vandals, with Ed Hall and Kaden Elliss finishing their tenures with the program and Ty Graham transferring over to Eastern Washington. A handful of junior college transfers will try to make their names known as the season gets underway. Idaho Head Coach Paul Petrino praised junior transfer Satchel Escalante throughout most of spring football. Keep an eye on No. 24 and the impact Escalante can make in the back end for the Idaho defense. Freshman offensive lineman Noah Gunn has also got in good grace with his head coach. The transfer from Air Force Prep Academy is expected to make an impact for the Idaho offense instantly.
Building off of early success:Despite the loss of senior David Ungerer, the Vandal wide receiver core could be destined for even more success in the upcoming season and might have a great day on Friday. Sophomore Cutrell Haywood and redshirt senior Jeff Cotton will look to improve off of their early success from a year before, adding another offseason to learn the system can possibly lead to a deadly one-two wide receiver punch for the Vandals. Sophomore tight end Connor Whitney could be a huge x-factor going into next season, with all eyes on Haywood and Cotton.
What to expect:While many should be excited to see Vandal football back in action, fans need to take everything they see with a grain of salt. A good amount of the team has not arrived on campus yet, and trying to judge how Idaho will perform next season is something that is just too early in the process right now to figure out. Each of the three quarterbacks will likely receive around equal reps, with Richardson and Petrino starting for the opposing squads. Nonetheless, Friday’s game should be an interesting introduction as to what we can start to expect from the Vandals in the fall.
Where/When: The 2019 Silver and Gold Spring Game will take place 6 p.m. April 19 in the Kibbie Dome. Festivities will begin around 4 p.m. with a pregame Vandal tailgate with three food vendors and a live radio show from the Palouse’s ESPN 1400 AM. Admission to the spring game will be free for all fans.
Stay tuned to Vandal Nation for our takeaways of Friday’s action.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @chris_DEREMER