There wasn’t much Idaho needed to retain when transitioning into the Paul Petrino era.
But like a good game of chess, keeping ahold of your best pieces should always be at the front of your list.
Saturday’s 42-10 loss to Wyoming was a clear signal that the Vandals lost one of their bishops, knights and rooks — former do-it-all coach Jason Gesser.
Gesser finds himself in what seems to be a better place these days, the high plains of Laramie, Wyo., where he works with one of the Mountain West’s elite quarterbacks in senior Brett Smith.
The Cowboys may be well on their way to a bowl season, while the Vandals have been forced to build from the bottom up.
One of the greatest Pac-10 quarterbacks in recent history, Gesser should’ve been granted more time in Moscow. The man who wore many hats at Idaho was thrown into the fire on far too many occasions, left to burn without much support from his superiors.
Gesser was brought onto the Idaho staff in 2011 to coach a position group he had little experience with — the Vandal running backs. When Steve Axman retired after the 2011 season, Robb Akey didn’t hesitate when giving Gesser reigns of the offense. Akey was fired just eight games into Gesser’s inaugural season as the team’s offensive coordinator. Gesser had no choice but to make the trip down from the press box and back onto the sideline where he was given four games to make drastic changes as the Vandals’ interim coach.
With a season that may have ended before it truly began, Gesser was in over his head, and rightly so. He was never in the optimal scenario and never given an opportunity to spend sufficient time with any of the roles piled on him.
As any interim coach would’ve been expected to do, Gesser sent in his resume and interviewed for the job eventually given to Petrino.
Gesser wasn’t retained, in any capacity.
And just like that, Idaho lost one of the brightest football minds ever to walk the corridors of Washington State University. Not only did Gesser display charisma, dedication and passion, he had an uncanny ability to relate to the young student athletes who never hesitated to show their respect for him.
We may never know what happened behind closed doors and why one of Idaho’s most important pieces was not given another chance to play.
But Gesser has reasons to smile with the Cowboys and Smith, who burned the Vandals for 295 yards passing and four touchdowns Saturday.
The reasons to smile in Moscow are few and far between these days.
Surely, Smith’s 2013 numbers have been a testament to his experience and natural ability but don’t overlook the aid he has day-in and day-out from Gesser.
Because it’s not every day you get to learn from a former Heisman Trophy candidate. Somebody in Moscow should’ve mentioned that before it was too late.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]