When one thinks of Idaho football, there is a recurring theme that signifies everything the program prides itself on: being the most physically dominant group of men in the Big Sky Conference. Ever since head coach Thomas Ford Jr. took the reins of the Idaho program, he has made it clear that he expects his team to thrive on physicality and make it a priority for the team to impose its will in the trenches.
Following the team’s recent 45-6 victory over Portland State University, Ford talked about how much more effective the team plays when physicality is the main priority.
“That’s like our number one thing in terms of who we want to be on the field,” Ford said. “It’s physical. Tonight was just a culmination where all three phases were physical.”
In that game, the Vandals claimed the momentum early in the first quarter, when offensive lineman Nate Azzopardi laid down a critical lead block on a screen to Elisha Cummings, allowing Cummings to find open space and go the distance for a 64-yard score. Some of the biggest difference makers on his team are up front in the trenches.
“You really try to emphasize strain and effort, just giving everything you have, 100% every play,” Azzopardi said. “When you’re giving effort, good things will happen. It’s a mindset. You got to be willing to bite down and move people.”
Azzopardi is in his sixth season at Idaho and is now playing under his third Vandal head coach. He grew a lot as a lineman during Jason Eck’s tenure in Moscow, given that he was a former offensive lineman and a former offensive line coach. He said his former line coach, Cody Booth, was also a significant part of his development.
However, Azzopardi said that the new coaching staff, particularly offensive line coach Loren Endsley, has “done a great job of helping transform us into a real physical offense up front.”
He said that coming into this season, the offensive line wanted to play a bigger role in the offense’s success. Though the team’s offensive line has been decent the past few seasons, they wanted to take a step forward this year.
“The main thing is just mentality and attitude,” Azzopardi said. “This year, we really made it a point to take our game to the next level… You got to work as a unit. One thing that Coach Endsley likes to say that we kind of live by in our room is play as a nickel, not five pennies.”
Azzopardi also noted that outside of the linemen, there are a lot of other contributors when it comes to run blocking, not to mention the multiple capable ball carriers on the roster. He said the tight ends are an “extended family” of the offensive line and that the receivers have been a big part of the explosive runs the team has had.
One of the offensive line’s best performances of the season was on the road against San Jose State University. They dominated time of possession, and their four touchdown drives took up a combined total of 32 minutes and nine seconds. Despite the loss, in terms of how the offensive line performed, Azzopardi looks back on this game fondly. He also had about 40 friends and family in attendance.
Azzopardi takes a lot of pride in being part of the team’s “tightly-knit o-line”. He explained how much work the linemen put in on a daily basis, and how much they take care of one another.
“Our entire offensive line as a whole is extremely tight and close,” Azzopardi said. “I truly believe the game is won and lost in the trenches, and you’ve got to be tough. You’ve got to be gritty, and that’s just the type of guys that you want on the o-line next to you.”
Azzopardi’s roommate and fellow team captain, Zach Krotzer, is one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the conference. Krotzer and Azzopardi were on the same official visit back when they were both in high school, and they have now been teammates for six seasons. Krotzer said that he has never been as confident and comfortable as he is this season, given his years of experience as a member of the Vandal defense.
He says there hasn’t been much of a culture change going from Eck to Ford, and that the team still wants to be an utterly physical group on the defensive side of the ball, which starts with having a talented front seven.
“It’s just smash mouth football, honestly, and it’s always it’s always been that way,” Krotzer said. “Our coaches always preach that. All of our coaches, every single year, have always preached that.”
In the first game under the new coaching staff, the signature Vandal defense was as present as ever, allowing only three rushing yards against Washington State.
“That was a big game. It shows if we play how we should, we’re a crazy defense,” Krotzer said. “It always starts up front. Everyone kind of knows it too. If you have a good d-line and a good offensive line, you’re going to be a good football team. We like the responsibility that we have in it.”
As a team captain, Krotzer says the best way to lead his younger teammates is to practice what he preaches and maintain a steady routine when preparing for each week’s game. He also talked about how big of a role communication plays within the defensive front.
“Communication is a very important part of the defense,” Krotzer said. “If we don’t get the communication, it could lead to one missed gap and one missed fill and that could lead to a big gain or a touchdown. That one little minor communication could lead to a big play. That’s why football is so fun.”
Krotzer is not intimidated by the tediousness of being a defensive lineman, and he actually seems to embrace the responsibility of consistently providing pressure.
“We like to take pride in it. If we take a loss, it falls on us,” Krotzer said. “If we have a good game, it starts with us, too. We like to take both ends of it. It always starts with the trenches.”
For a team that struggled earlier in the season to find its identity in the secondary, bringing pressure is a crucial factor. If the quarterback has less time to throw, the secondary does not have to strain as hard.
“It just makes it so much easier for us when we get that pressure,” said defensive back Jhamell Blenman. “Without the front seven, it’s impossible to guard for more than four seconds…That’s the standard of our defense. That needs to be the standard each and every game.”
Having a team that can win a game in the trenches on both sides of the ball is a winning formula. Azzopardi talked about how valuable it is to be able to take reps against the defensive line because “iron sharpens iron”.
Talking about Krotzer, Azzopardi said, “He’s, if not the best, one of the best d-tackles in all of the Big Sky. Getting to go against him every single day, he’s made me such a better player.” He also referenced the defensive line as a whole, saying, “They’re all gamers, man. Getting to go against them at practice has really taken us as a line to the next level.”
Liam Bradford can be reached at [email protected].
David Bradford
Another great article!