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 University of Idaho running back Deonte Jackson leaps leaps over wide receiver Max Komar during the football game on Saturday in the Kibbie Dome. Jake Barber/Argonaut
Idaho dads filled the Dome Saturday to witness the Nevada Wolf Pack dominate the Vandals in a game that displayed the ups and downs of a young football team.
The Vandals couldn’t catch a break against the Wolf Pack who scored four unanswered touchdowns before Idaho finally responded in the third quarter when Eddie Williams made a diving catch in the end zone.
The touchdown brought hope to the Vandals who saw two and a half quarters go by with a blocked field goal, dropped snap, overthrown passes to open receivers and missed conversions on 4th down, including a fourth-and-1 on Nevada’s 1-yard line that even running back Deonte’ Jackson couldn’t convert after leaping over his linemen.
Jackson said there were no holes so he just jumped — he’s confident the ball crossed the goal-line.
“I think 100 percent I got it,” Jackson said. “But the stripes are the ones making the call, I just make the play.”
Nevada went on to score three more touchdowns to end the game with 49 points, while Eddie Williams tacked on another touchdown pass thrown by Nathan Enderle to give the Vandals just 14 points.
“(It) wasn’t the outcome I went into it looking for,” Idaho coach Robb Akey said. “We had plenty of opportunities to have done some things to help ourselves out today, plays that we left out there, plays that we did not make.”
He said these things are all part of the learning curve, and while he isn’t frustrated, it is driving him crazy.
“I think sometimes you say the word frustrating, you say disappointed, that means people think you’re losing hope and I’m not,” Akey said. “I firmly believe in where we’re going and the way we’re doing things.”
The Vandals did show some strength against the Wolf Pack with freshmanKama Bailey running for 217 yards on seven kickoff returns including the opening kick off which Bailey returned for 43-yards
Bailey said this was only the second time he had ever returned kick offs, the first being in a high school all-star game.
The team was also happy with punter T.J. Conley’s performances, who, after dropping the first snap of the day, finished the game with a 51.5-yard punting average.
His longest punt was a 61-yard boot that put Nevada on the 4 yard line.
Co-team captain Eddie Williams was again in the spotlight. He picked up 142 yards on 10 passes and carried in both of the Vandals touchdowns. Although he had a good game, Williams said it is not good enough.
Williams said if he caught zero passes, and his team got a win, he would be happy.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it; we need to play better,” Williams said.
The Vandals will hit the practice field this week to prepare for another conference game against
Fresno State.
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