Vandals stress fundamentals for spring football

Spring football at the University of Idaho might as well be called Football 101 because the Vandals are going to focus on the basics.

Second-year Idaho coach Robb Akey plans to stress fundamentals, fundamentals and more fundamentals when he convenes spring drills at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“You can have all the great schemes in the world and all the X’s and O’s, but it comes down to playing the game and fundamentals – tackling, blocking, shed blocking, catching the ball, throwing the ball, covering people – those types of things,” Akey said. “We’re going to spend time on improving the fundamentals. And then polishing up the package.”

The Vandals will have 15 practices, capped with the annual spring game on April 18. The first two practices will be without pads. Idaho will hold its first scrimmage Saturday.

It’s the first spring of stability for the Vandals in three years. The past two years Idaho has gone into spring with a new coach.

“They know what to expect from this coaching staff and we know what to expect from them,” Akey said. “We are all family now. We can pay attention to football during spring ball instead of trying to figure each other out. There was a lot of that that went on last year. It was completely natural. So I really do believe we’ve got an opportunity to gain a lot of ground right now.”

It’s vital for Akey and staff to lay the groundwork for more victories in the fall. The Vandals are coming off a 1-11 season, including 10 straight defeats to end the season.

To that end, Akey thought the Vandals made strides in the weight room since the fall.

“I think it’s been a real good winter,” he said. “(We) tried to affect the mental toughness of this football team a little bit. I think we’ve gained some ground there.”

The biggest holes Idaho must fill are on defense, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary. The Vandals’ defensive line is thin, too, and should be shored up some when six linemen arrive in the fall.

“We’re only two-deep on the defensive line right now,” Akey said.

The lack of depth there may mean the Vandals will break up some of their scrimmages.

“How extensive that will be I don’t know,” Akey said.

Redshirt freshman Nathan Enderle is coming off his first season as the starting quarterback. But he will have to battle for the starting job with true freshman Quin Ashley, Akey said.

“I’m giving both of them the opportunity to compete for the job,” Akey said. “I think by the time we get done with spring practice we’ll have a better understanding where those two sit.”

Notes

The most depth appears to be on the offensive line and at wide receiver. … Akey said the Vandals increased their strength in the weight room. At least 16 players squatted more than 500 pounds and half the team is benching more than 300 pounds. “I’m seeing some better-looking bodies with the young kids,” Akey said. … Idaho had several academic casualties a year ago. Akey said there may be one or two players held out because of grade deficiencies, but he won’t know for sure until this week. “It won’t be like it was last year,” he said.