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 University of Idaho linebacker Joseph Dickson tries to tackle University of Nevada running back Vai Taua during the football game on Oct. 4 in the Kibbie Dome. File Photo
After an outing against Fresno State that showed Vandal fans the improvement that Idaho coach Robb Akey had been talking about last week, the Vandals slipped back into their old ways Saturday with a 14-46 loss to Louisiana Tech.
“Nothing is easy in this world and therefore we need to play better,” Akey said. “In the grand scheme of things, they ran the ball well, we didn’t stop them running the ball well enough and they stopped us from running the ball well.”
The Vandals came out strong striking first against the Bulldogs when Kama Bailey took the ball to the end zone for the first time in his college career. Tino Amancio tacked on the extra point to give the Vandals a 7-0 lead.
An interception thrown by Nathan Enderle started a ball rolling the Vandals couldn’t stop. The Bulldogs went on to score 30 unanswered points before the end of the first half.
To begin the second half, the Vandals found themselves down 14-31 but the defense got its first three and out of the game. The offense then marched the ball down the field within field goal range.
Akey took a chance on a fake field goal, which was successful but in a bizarre turn of events, the touchdown was called back on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for “substituting with the intention to deceive.”
Akey had explained the play to the official prior to the game and it was deemed legal by the referee.
“Prior to the game I layed it out,” Akey said. “This is what the play is going to be and this is the way we are going to run it.”
In the end it didn’t matter, as the touchdown was called back and Amancio missed the 48-yard field goal the next play and La Tech scored shortly after pushing the score to 38-14.
The Vandals couldn’t regain momentum after the play.
Bailey, a true freshman, found the end zone both times for the Vandals, the second coming from a 27-yard pass from Enderle.
Bailey’s main role on offense has been returning kicks but added another threat to the UI passing attack against La Tech.
The Vandals racked up just 239 yards of total offense, and after playing what Akey called Enderle’s best game of the season against Fresno State, Enderle struggled to move the chains en route to a two touchdown two interception performance.
While the Vandals struggled, punter T.J. Conley found it
an opportunity to increase his punting average. Having to punt 42 times, compared to their opponents 20 times this season, Conley has managed to increase his average to 47.4 yards.
Conley said earlier this season if he can keep his average up to 44 yards he knows he’s got a shot at being picked up by an NFL team next year.
The Vandals will play at the Dome this Saturday against New Mexico State.
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