Idaho football prepares to set off on its battle of the season against one of the most historic football programs in the country.
The Vandals will take on the Florida Gators in Gainesville to finish their first season in the FCS.
“It will be a great experience for our players to go down there,” Idaho Head Coach Paul Petrino said. “It’s a really cool atmosphere to play in the swamp. It’s one of thebestSECatmospheresthereis.”
The roller coaster season for the Vandals is finally coming to an end on Saturday after suffering a brutal loss to Montana in the Kibbie Dome last weekend.
For many on this squad, the growing pains in the first season as Big Sky members were apparent.
“It was definitely a transition for sure,” Idaho senior defensive back Dorian Clark said.“The Sun
Belt was more of a ground and pound game … the Big Sky is a totally different game.”
Idaho senior wide receiver David Ungerer said despite the struggles, there is much to take away from this season.
“It wasn’t exactly the results we wanted,” Ungerer said. “It was fun playing in the conference, we had great crowds throughout the whole season.”
Looking to the matchup against Florida, many of the Idaho players said they look forward to the challenge against SEC royalty.
“I’m excited to play in this game,” Clark said. “It’s a great scene, great environment and getting to go out there and play with your teammates and playing in front of your family — it’s going to be fun.”
This will be a coming-home party for Clark, who grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. Both Ungerer and Clark’s journey as Vandals are coming to an end back where it almost all began.
The matchup against Florida will be the first meeting between the two teams who were originally set to face off at the start of the 2014 season. The game was canceled due to unsafe field conditions after more than four hours of lightning delays.
Both Clark and Ungerer were set to make their collegiate debuts for Idaho that day.
“We just sat there forever and ordered something to eat,” Petrino said. “It was just kind of a crazy day. We just got back on the bus and came back home.”
The duo will now finish their careers against Florida instead, with an opportunity to pull off a memorable Idaho victory.
Florida enters Saturday ranked 13th in the College Football Playoff Rankings under coach Dan Mullen.
Fierce is an understatement when talking about this Gator defense, which ranks among the best in the FBS in takeaways in turnover margin.
“To give ourselves the best chance to win, we can’t make mistakes,” Petrino said. “Everybody has to play with unbelievable effort and if you do that you have the chance.”
Petrino said there may be some opportunities for some freshmen to make their debuts on Saturday, giving Vandal fans a glimpse into the future of the program.
“I think you have to give them some experience,” Petrino said. “You have to let them come out there and let them experience playing in that great atmosphere.”
The matchup against Florida will be nationally aired on ESPNU, making it the third straight season Idaho has made an appearance on the national network.
The Vandals will take on Florida in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium 9 a.m. Saturday.
Stay with Vandal Nation throughout the game for live tweets and a full game recap.
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cderemer_VN