2011 Idaho Football Recruiting Class

By the Numbers:
Offensive: 10     Defensive: 12

Signee Ratings (Scout.com):
3 Star: 1     2 Star: 12     Not Ranked: 5

Junior College: 7     High School: 15

List of verbals yet to sign the dotted line (According to Scout.com): LB Nik Landdeck (Issaquah HS)

Notes:
DE Quinton Bradley was the first player to fax in his letter of intent this morning… it sounds like Bradley might actually stand up and play outside linebacker… TE Jared Klingenberg fits that new hybrid H-back mold… WR MarQuan Major is Idaho’s highest rating commit… OL A.J. Jones was a late get, not visiting the Idaho campus until January 21… Jones visited with Butte College teammate OL Brady Lisoski (Scout.com: 2 Stars) who has verbally committed to the Vandals… CB Dion Bass visited the University of Nebraska last weekend but held true on his ‘soft verbal’ to the Vandals… Bass in the brother of RB Ryan Bass who transferred from Arizona State to Idaho last season… RB Cameron McKernan has five other scholarship offers according to Scout.com (Air Force, Eastern Washington, Portland State, New Mexico State and Wyoming)… Early in the season, ESPN named LB Jeremiah Walters a high school athlete on the rise… QB Dominique Blackman originally signed with the University of Washington out of high school but didn’t get through NCAA Clearinghouse… as a freshman, Blackman threw for 3,711 yards, 35 touchdowns and 9 interceptions… Blackman has already used his redshirt, meaning he has two to play two at Idaho… According to Scout.com, DT Ryan Edwards had offers from UCLA, Hawaii and Oregon.  Edwards, who graduated from high school in 2010, spent last season at a prep school… Edwards reports benches 425 lbs, squats 455 lbs and power cleans 315 lbs… JC CB signee A.J. Annelus will have three years to play two at Idaho… OL Brady Lisoski played ball at Redmond High School in Washington… LB Elan Richard labelled a ‘White Chip’ prospect by the Seattle Times… RB Todd Handley rushed for ,1337 yards and 18 touchdowns his senior season… Handley told the  Press-Enterprise on December 31st “I’m happy with my choice … I don’t regret it. I’m proud to be a Vandal. Playing time was a big part (of my decision) and also my connection to the people — the coaches, players and the people in the town.” …CB Solomon Dixon in the 139rd ranked corner in the nation, but a good cover guy.

Dontae Scott
Defensive Tackle
6-4 295
Golden West College
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Solomon Dixon
Cornerback
5-9 175
McKinley High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Todd Handley
Running Back
5-9 180
Martin Luther King High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Elan Richard
Linebacker
6-1 205
Bellevue High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Brady Lisoski
Offensive Lineman
6-4 345
Butte College
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

A.J. Annelus
Cornerback
5-11 190
Santa Monica College
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Ryan Edwards
6-3 300
Defensive Tackle
Long Beach Poly HS
Scout.com Rating: Not Ranked

Ryan Ena
Defensive End
6-5 238
El Camino High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Dominique Blackman
Quarterback
6-5 250
Old Dominion/Los Angeles Harbor CC
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Jeremiah Walters (No profile available)
Linebacker
6-3 210
McClymonds High School
Scout.com Rating: Not Ranked

Sua (Sam) Tuala
Linebacker
6-0 230
CC of San Francisco
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Cameron McKernan
Running Back
5-11 205
Kentridge High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Aaron Lazaro
Defensive Tackle
6-4 300
Southwestern College
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Dion Bass
Cornerback
5-9 175
Centennial High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

A.J. Jones
Offensive Lineman
6-1 285
Butte College
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

MarQuan Major
Wide Receiver
6-3 175
Las Vegas High School
Scout.com Rating: 3 Stars

Ian Silbernagel
Wide Receiver/Athlete
6-2 190
McKay High School
Scout.com Rating: Not Ranked

Camryn Harris
Wide Receiver
6-0 180
Valley Christian High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Jared Klingenberg
Tight end
6-4 240
Cedarcrest High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Cody Elenz
Offensive Lineman
6-5 290
Copperas Cove High School
Scout.com Rating: Not Ranked

Bradley Njoku
Safety
6-2 200
Leander High School
Scout.com Rating: Not Ranked

Quinton Bradley
Defensive End
6-4, 240 Roosevelt High School
Scout.com Rating: 2 Stars

Idaho vs Boise State: Player Interviews

Nathan Enderle
Idaho Senior Quarterback

Idaho vs Boise State: Player Interviews

Aaron Lavarius
Idaho Senior Defensive End

jtv: Weekly Press Conferences

This week’s press conferences are complete.  Idaho head coach Robb Akey talks about Warriors vaunted passing attack and the challenge of playing at Hawai’i.
As for Washington State’s head coach, Paul Wulff boasts about the progress of his team, even claiming he may have the Pac-10’s top offense … in a couple more years.

Idaho Vandals
Robb Akey

 

Washington State Cougars
Paul Wulff

That’s WAC: Week Five

SCORES AND SCHEDULE
WAC Non-Conference Record
This Week: 4-1 record, 3-0 vs FBS, 0-0 vs top 25
This Season: 18-18 record, 12-17 vs FBS, 2-6 vs top 25

WAC STANDINGS
	CONF	OVERALL
Boise State	1-0	4-0
Fresno State	1-0	3-1
Hawai’i	1-0	3-2
Nevada	0-0	5-0
Idaho	0-0	3-2
San Jose State	0-0	1-4
Utah State	0-1	2-3
Louisiana Tech	0-1	1-4
New Mexico State	0-1	0-4

Friday, October 1
BYU 16 at Utah State 31 – Final

Saturday, September 25
Idaho 33 at Western Michigan 13 – Final
UC Davis 14 at San Jose State 13 – Final
#3 Boise State 59 at New Mexico State 0 – Final
Cal Poly 17 at Fresno State 38 – Final
#25 Nevada 44 at UNLV 26 – Final
Louisiana Tech 21 at Hawai’i 41 – Final

TOP PERFORMERS
Passing:
1. Bryant Moniz, JR (UH): 42-58, 532 yds, 4 td vs Louisiana Tech
2. Nathan Enderle, SR (UI): 30-49, 380 yds, 3 td, 2 int vs Western Michigan
3. Ross Jenkins, SR (LT): 19-26, 215 yds, 2 td, int vs Hawai’i
4. Ryan Colburn, SR (FSU): 12-17, 215 yds, 2 td, int vs Cal Poly
5. Kellen Moore, JR (BSU): 13-18, 196 yds, 3 td vs New Mexico State

Rushing:
1. Vai Taua, SR (NEV): 19 car, 188, 3 td vs UNLV
2. Lamon Muldrow, SR (SJSU): 22 car, 137 yds vs UC Davis
3. Colin Kaepernick, SR (NEV): 13 car, 97 yds, td vs UNLV
4. Doug Martin, JR (BSU): 10 car, 94 yds, td vs New Mexico State
5. Derrvin Speight, SR (USU): 23 car, 91 yds, 2 td vs BYU

Receiving:
1. Kealoha Pilares, SR (UH): 18 rec, 217 yds, 2 td vs Louisiana Tech
2. Greg Salas, SR (UH): 10 rec, 197 yds, 2 td vs Louisiana Tech
3. Josh Harrison, JR (SJSU): 5 rec, 119 yds vs UC Davis
4. Richie Casey, SO (LT): 8 rec, 98 yds, td vs Hawai’i
5. Eric Greenwood, SR (UI): 6 rec, 82 yds vs Western Michigan

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
After a disappointing showing last weekend, the Western Athletic Conference bounced back this Friday and Saturday.  Utah State got the party started with a dominant performance against BYU (1-4) on national television, and Hawai’i quarterback Bryant Moniz provided an incredible last call, sending everyone home talking about his 532-yard performance against Louisiana Tech.
Boise State and Nevada continued to solidify their status as national powers this season (might be a stretch for the Wolfpack, but I still believe they will be a 1-loss team come December), while Idaho bounced back after a disappointing loss to Colorado State (1-4) by crushing Western Michigan (1-3) on the road (albeit committing four turnovers).
Fresno State did what they were suppose to against an FCS-foe in Cal Poly (3-2).  The talented (for their classification) Mustangs hung around until halftime, then the Bulldogs put them away in the second half with a solid ground attack that finished with 253 combined yards rushing.
In fact, the WAC was a San Jose State away from a perfect weekend.  The Spartans – who I am now convinced is the least talented team in the conference – were out scored 14-0 in the second half by UC Davis (2-3), who notched just their second victory in school history over an FBS opponent.

That’s WAC: Week Four

SCORES AND SCHEDULE
WAC Non-Conference Record
This Week: 3-6 record, 2-6 vs FBS, 1-1 vs top 25
This Season: 14-17 record, 9-17 vs FBS, 2-6 vs top 25

WAC STANDINGS
	CONF	OVERALL
Fresno State	1-0	2-1
Nevada	0-0	4-0
Boise State	0-0	3-0
Idaho	0-0	2-2
Hawai’i	0-0	2-2
Louisiana Tech	0-0	1-3
San Jose State	0-0	1-3
New Mexico State	0-0	0-3
Utah State	0-1	1-3

Saturday, September 25
Idaho 34 at Colorado State 36 – Final
Nevada 27 at BYU 13 – Final
New Mexico State 16 at Kansas 42 – Final
Southern Mississippi 13 at Louisiana Tech 12 – Final
Fresno State 38 at Mississippi 55 – Final
Utah State 7 at San Diego State 41 – Final
#24 Oregon State 24 at #3 Boise State 37 – Final
San Jose State 3 at #13 Utah 56 – Final
Charleston Southern 7 at Hawai’i 66 – Final

TOP PERFORMERS
Passing:
1. Bryant Moniz, JR (UH): 19-27, 395 yds, 6 td, 2 int vs Charleston Southern
2. Ryan Colburn, SR (FSU): 32-42, 390 yds, 4 td vs Mississippi
3. Nathan Enderle, SR (UI): 25-30, 347 yds, 3 td vs Colorado State
4. Kellen Moore, JR (BSU): 19-27, 288 yds, 3 td vs Oregon State
5. Tarik Hakmi, SO (LT): 22-35, 262 yds, td, 2 int vs Southern Mississippi

Rushing:
1. Doug Martin, JR (BSU): 19 car, 138 yds vs Oregon State
2. Vai Taua, SR (NEV): 29 car, 133, td vs BYU
3. Colin Kaepernick, SR (NEV): 17 car, 82 yds, td vs BYU
4. Deonte Jackson, SR (UI): 11 car, 77 yds vs Colorado State
5. Seth Smith, SR (NMSU): 16 car, 52 yds, td vs Kansas

Receiving:
1. Titus Young, SR (BSU): 5 rec, 136 yds, td vs Oregon State
2. Greg Salas, SR (UH): 7 rec, 131 yds, 2 td vs Charleston Southern
3. Jamel Hamler, JR (FSU): 8 rec, 130 yds, td vs Mississippi
4. Matt Lindsey, SO (FSU): 6 rec, 102 yds vs Mississippi
5. Marcus Allen, SR (NMSU): 4 rec, 89 yds, td vs Kansas

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
What a disappointing weekend for the conference.  With the exception of #3 Boise State (because lets face it, they are always the exception), every team that had a chance to prove a point came up empty. 
The biggest letdown was Idaho’s performance against Colorado State.  Taking on a team that entered with the worst scoring offense in the nation (6.3 ppg – 120th in NCAA), the Vandals defense looked much like the maligned unit from a year ago, surrendering 36 points in a loss.  Junior runningback Raymond Carter (25 car, 39 yards in 3 games prior) rushed for 104 yards on 16 carries, as freshman quarterback Pete Thomas (112.5 QB efficiency rating, 1 td, 6 int in 3 games prior) threw for a career-high 386 yards and completed over 78-percent of his passes.
While Hawai’i blew out an FCS school – as FBS teams are suppose to – and Boise State topped #24 Oregon State at home, Nevada – although they won – missed out on an opportunity to really make a statement.  I know this may be a little picky, and that the Wolfpack did jump into the top 25 as a result of the win, but BYU is down this season.  Way down.  Led by freshman Jake Heaps at quarterback, the Cougars rank 116th in the NCAA in offense (15.0 ppg) and haven’t been much better on defense (28.3 ppg/allowed ranks 86th).
Had senior quarterback Colin Kaepernick and company put 50-plus points on the board for the third straight game, pollsters would have been put on alert of another potential BCS-buster.  Considering some people are saying the Broncos win over the Beavers wasn’t as dominant as it could’ve been, the point is non-BCS conference teams have to take advantage of every opportunity they’re given, no matter how small.  It’s very realistic the Wolfpack can run the table in the WAC (and even more realistic they’ll suffer at least one loss – see Boise State on November 26) and those given the power of the vote will scrutinize the margin of victory against an unranked that will struggle mightly to qualify for a bowl game.
Other than that, little was expected of both San Jose State and New Mexico State playing on the road at #13 Utah and Kansas.  But Utah State laid a big egg against San Diego State.  The Aztecs are very balanced on offense with plenty of playmakers, but the Aggies were picked by the media to finish in the upper-half of the Western Athletic Conference this Fall.  A 41-7 loss to a team that was slated to finished sixth in the Mountain West this preseason doesn’t do them much justice.
Finally, sure Louisiana Tech showed some grit with a late comeback attempt against Southern Mississippi.  But just like ‘a win is a win’, ‘a loss is a loss’ and the Bulldogs are 1-3 heading into conference play with their only victory having come against an FCS school (Grambling State, 20-6).

STAT(S) OF THE WEEK – IDAHO VANDAL STYLE
The Idaho Vandals entered Saturday contest against Colorado State as one of the best pass defenses in the nation (120.3 yds/game allowed – 7th in NCAA), but sure didn’t show it.  Here’s proof…

• Games 1-3:
  39-68, 57.4 comp %, 361 yds, td, 4 int – 95.1 qb efficiency rating
• vs Colorado State:
  29-37, 78.4 comp %, 386 yds, 3 td, int – 187.4 qb efficiency rating

…and in general, big plays were a big problem.

• Plays of 10+ yards: 19
• Plays of 15+ yards: 11
• Playfs of 30+ yards: 3

Defensive end Aaron Lavarias sure did his best to get after the quarterback, registering a career-high three sacks.  The WAC’s reigning defensive player of the week is on the best two game stretch of his career.

• First 37 career games: 4.0 sacks, 12.0 TFL
• Last two games combine: 5.0 sacks, 6.0 TFL

Offensively, it seems like the receiving trio of senior Maurice Shaw, junior Preston Davis and sophomore Justin Veltung are starting to get heathy…

• Games 1-3 (combined stats):
  13 rec, 176 yds, td
• vs Colorado State:
  14 rec, 192 yds, 2 td

…and quarterback Nathan Enderle sure seemed to be enjoy having them back, throwing for a season-high 347 yards without tossing an interception for the first time this season.

•  Games 1-3:
  Tossed interception once every 13.9 attempts.
• vs Colorado State:
  Zero interceptions in 30 pass attempts.

…but in the end, Idaho failed to close out the Rams, much like they’ve done every other team his season.

• Games 1-3: Outscored opponents 24-7 in fourth quarter
• vs Colorado: Rams outscored the Vandals 12-7

The two-point defeat was the smallest margin they’ve lost by since falling to Louisiana-Monroe 16-14 back in October 2004.

WAC Pigskin Picks

With an early kickoff this week, I’m keeping it simple.  I’ll look to build off last week’s success when I went 5-2.  Check it out folks…

Idaho (-7) at Colorado State
Fort Collins, Colorado – 1:00 PM

• The over/under on this game is 51 points.  I’m taking the under!  Remember, Colorado State possess the worst scoring offense in the nation (6.3 point per game ranks 120th in FBS).  They can’t run the ball (42.7 yds rushing/game ranks 119th), they can’t throw the ball (Pete Thomas’ QB efficiency rating is just 112.5) and they turn the ball over (8-to-1 turnover ratio).
  All this is music to the ears of Vandals head coach Robb Akey.  They make this one look easy in his return to his native-Colorado, however, the Rams won’t score enough to help Idaho get to the over.

Idaho 34 at Colorado State 10

“The Others”
* Record entering play today
Nevada (3-0) 42 at BYU (1-2) 28 – 3:00 PM

• The Cougars have a viable backup, but will be without their starting quarterback.  The Wolfpack on the other hand, have one of the best college signal-callers in the nation.

New Mexico State (0-2) 10 at Kansas (1-2) 38 – 4:00 PM

• The Aggies just don’t look very good right now.  And that’s being generous.

Southern Miss (2-1) 27 at Louisiana Tech 13 – 4:00 PM

• This is still a work in progress for the Bulldogs.

Fresno State (2-0) 31 at Mississippi (1-2) 38 – 4:30 PM

• The Rebels are talented, but haven’t show their full potential this season.  Expect former-Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to start hitting his stride this weekend.

Utah State (1-2) 24 at San Diego State (2-1) 34 – 5:00 PM

• The Aztecs are just too balanced on offense.

#24 Oregon State (1-1) 27 at #3 Boise State (2-0) 31 – 5:00 PM

• The Broncos ALWAYS show up on national television, but they also ALWAYS like to make it interesting.  They pass the Quizz (Jaquizz Rodgers 103.5 rush yds/game) due to Oregon State lack of an aerial attack.

San Jose State (1-2) 7 at #13 Utah (3-0) 45 – 8:00 PM

• The Spartans looked aweful last weekend against an FCS opponent.  No way do they even come close against the 13th-ranked Utes.

Charleston Southern (2-1) 17 at Hawai’i (1-2) 48 – 8:30 PM

• The Warriors have had a pretty challenging preseason schedule.  Finally, they get a game they can relax with.