Going into last weekend’s game at Virginia, the Vandal football team had a chip on their shoulder that they needed to shrug off. That chip has now become a boulder.
In a game where Idaho was a 17 point underdog to a strong, but not great ACC opponent, the Vandals used defense and special teams to tie the game at the end of regulation. The story from here on out follows the same theme as the rest of this season – Idaho finds a way to lose the football game 21-20.
Immediately following the game (and in some cases, even during the contest), fans hopped on Twitter and Facebook to rant and spew their hate toward quarterback Brian Reader who only completed 41 percent of his passes for only one touchdown and two interceptions. Others called for coach Akey’s head after making the decision to go for two after matching Virginia’s overtime score. Granted, both of these parties deserve some blame, but before “true” Vandal fans form an angry mob in front of the Kibbie Dome, they need to realize that everything they have asked for is happening.
Being that this is only my second year on campus, I missed seeing the Humanitarian Bowl season in person. The Vandals worked and played hard with a talented team and got to their second bowl in school history. After falling behind late to Bowling Green, Idaho mounted a fantastic comeback and won the game – with a two-point-conversion.
That is the same call Akey made this weekend against a team from a BCS conference, three time zones away in an environment where everyone wants to see Idaho fail. Two years later, Akey makes the same call in an overtime game and he gets called out on his decision to go for the win. Students, faculty, staff and fans hold onto the 2009 bowl victory more than anything, and sometimes the glare off the trophy makes them forget that this was a team that had four draft picks off of it, including a first round pick in Mike Iupati.
It’s also clear after watching this Idaho team that there is little to no confidence left in any of the players, especially Reader. This is the same Reader that started three games in 2009 and people thought would be able to lead the Vandals once Nate Enderle left. Reader is no more than a temporary solution, which is not a bad thing. The problem is that he is being asked to play out of himself and to the level Enderle played at.
The environment around the Kibbie Dome and this Vandal football team has become tense and awkward, to say the least. Everyone is walking around on pins and needles going into this weekend’s Homecoming game. If Idaho is not able to produce a win against La. Tech on Saturday, then it will be time for Akey to make some moves in the front office.
Fans have the right to question their team all they want, but just like Akey with his two-point-conversion calls and Reader with his poor quarterback play, the fans have to be consistent.