The University of Idaho Argonaut

Vandal running back Princeton McCarty takes a hand off from backup quarterback Brian Reader Wednesday afternoon during practice on the SprinTurf. McCarty racked up 96 rushing yards against New Mexico State University and will look to tally another successful performance against the University of Washington Huskies this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Nick Groff/Argonaut

If life had an instant replay, Princeton McCarty would really like that yard back.

Late in the first quarter of the Vandals' game against New Mexico State, the sophomore running back took the handoff at his own 32-yard line and exploded through the Aggie defense. No defender around for miles and should  should get Idaho an easy touchdown. 

That's what McCarty was thinking, too. Until his face met the turf, one yard shy of the end zone.

"I just tripped. That's all I can really say," McCarty said. "I don't think there was a divot or anything, I just turned around to check behind me and bam, I was down."

What would have been a 68-yard touchdown run for Idaho instead became a 67-yard candidate for this year's sports blooper shows. Credit him with his own tackle, unassisted.

"After I got to the sideline, it hit me," McCarty said. "I realized ‘Oh my God, I'm at the one, I gotta finish the run off'".
On the very next play, he did - punching the ball straight into the end zone for his fourth career touchdown, giving the Vandals what would ultimately become their winning margin over the Aggies.

McCarty was determined to redeem himself.

"I told coach I wanted the ball," McCarty said. "The whole offensive line did a great job on that play. I ran exactly behind Kevin Small and I remember his block just driving over a guy."

McCarty ended the game as the team's rushing leader, with 96 yards on 8 carries, one of the best performances of his young career. In last year's victory against New Mexico State, McCarty also had a breakout game, rushing for 160 yards.

This week, as the Vandals prepared to meet the University of Washington Huskies in Seattle, the media scrum focused on McCarty - not only because of the face plant, but because his performance on the ground seemed to crystallize the Vandals' rebirth. Last year's Vandals averaged just 133 yards per game on the ground, putting enormous pressure on a thin receiving corps. This season, the balance looks to be off to a better start, and much of the credit belongs to McCarty.

"When we have the running game working, it brings so much confidence to the offense," McCarty said. "You have that excitement, that energy, that explosiveness of big play football. The whole team can feed off that."

Another key comes in the scheduling. After last year's season-opening crushing by the Arizona Wildcats, McCarty said the Vandals found themselves lost in the wilderness, unsure of themselves and wholly without confidence. This year, with a conference win right out of the gate, the team believes it can take on all comers.

"Starting the season like this, it helps a lot. You realize your team's identity, you see people make plays and you realize how good of a team you can be," McCarty said. "We're leading the WAC now. That's a great feeling, and it makes us all want to build on that so we can stay there."

A business major, McCarty said he'd like to open up a restaurant or a nightclub when he gets done with football. He came to Idaho after a stellar career at West High School in Bakersfield, Calif. In his senior season, West High went 12-1, winning the Central Section Championship. McCarty was named All-State Second Team and won the  league's offensive MVP award. But an injury in his team's final game scared off some recruiters.

"There were loyal people - Idaho, Nevada, a couple others -  who stuck with me," McCarty said. "I liked what the coaches were saying here and I thought it would be the best opportunity for me to grow my game."Over the summer, McCarty did just that, taking advantage of every opportunity to work out and condition. He's packed on 17 pounds since last year, almost all of it muscle.

"It's a really big difference. I can tell when I'm out on the field, just how I feel with the speed and the movement," McCarty said. "I'm more explosive, I can get through people that I wouldn't have gotten through before."

Over the years he's been in the program, McCarty said the biggest difference in the Vandals this season is the team's comfort level -  with each other, with the coaches and with the playbook. Coach Robb Akey, he said, is a "fiery" leader who has succeeded at instilling an attitude of discipline and execution.

"Everyone's progressing as an individual, but also as part of our team," McCarty said.

A tough test lies ahead tomorrow, against a Pac-10 opponent that hasn't won in a 15-game stretch spanning three seasons. McCarty knows the Huskies will be hungry for victory, but he has every intention of handing UW their 16th-straight defeat.

"They're a pretty good team," McCarty said, "But I'm going to go there with the same attitude I had last week: go out and make big plays."