It would be foolish to think one game could be an indicator for the rest of the season, but freshman quarterback Matt Linehan and the Idaho offense showed a spark against Louisiana-Monroe that was lacking most of the 2013 football season.
While Idaho lost the game 38-31 Saturday at Monroe, Louisiana, after the Warhawks put together a game-winning drive in the final minute, the Vandals were in the game until the end, largely due to Linehan and the passing game. Fewer penalties and dropped passes by Vandal receivers might have made for an Idaho win on Saturday.
Linehan went 26-of-47 passing for 324 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions in his first collegiate start. His 324 yards were almost 100 yards more than Idaho’s 230.8 passing yards per game in 2013. He is also on pace to match Idaho’s 15 total passing touchdowns in just five games.
“I thought Matt played awesome, thought he played his butt off,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. “He competed unbelievable.”
Linehan did have some mistakes throwing two interceptions and a handful of uncatchable balls, but he apparently didn’t make enough mistakes to warrant sophomore quarterback Chad Chalich to receive any playing time.
Chalich was Idaho’s starter in 2013 before a shoulder injury took him out in the seventh game of the season. Chalich’s play wasn’t flashy in 2013 but he also didn’t make very many mistakes and showed a knack for running the ball — something Linehan hasn’t shown yet.
Petrino is hesitant to say Chalich won’t receive any playing time, but the first game indicated the starting quarterback spot is Linehan’s to lose. If he continues to play like he did on Saturday, Linehan will continue taking the majority of the snaps for Idaho and the Vandals will add more games to the win column than their measly one win in 2013.
Linehan and the Vandals’ first opponent, ULM, finished 6-6 in 2013 to finish bowl eligible and one game outside of a tie for first place in the Sun Belt. They are not a powerhouse team but definitely no slouch to start the season. Wake Forest figured that out after its 17-10 loss to ULM on Aug. 28.
The next step for the Vandals is to improve on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive line and linebackers did a good job of limiting the Warhawks’ running game, but Idaho gave up 384 yards through the air.
The Vandals shook the rust off in game one and nearly came out with a win despite enduring a rain delay for the second straight week. Expect further improvement on Saturday when the Vandals enter the Dome to play Western Michigan for the Hall of Fame Game.
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]