First true marker of UI's season coming
Sep. 24—Idaho's season is going according to plan, for the most part.
The Vandals competed relatively well against Power Five opponents the first two weeks and won their first game of the year last week, 42-14 against Drake, leaving no doubts.
Now, Idaho opens Big Sky play at Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. Pacific today, which will be the ultimate test to see where UI is heading.
Here's how they can get there:
Establish a run game
The Vandals ran the ball effectively last week against the Bulldogs, finishing with a season-high 177 yards. Heading into this week, Idaho has the sixth-best rushing attack in the Big Sky.
The Northern Arizona run defense is ranked ninth, allowing 173 yards per game.
The Lumberjacks' run defense has allowed more than 130 yards rushing in back-to-back games and seems to be susceptible to big plays. For example, North Dakota running back Tyler Hoosman had 12 carries for 102 yards, averaging 8.5 yards per carry, in a 27-24 win Sept. 17 at NAU.
Freshman running back Anthony Woods should be salivating. The youngster had the best game of his young career against Drake with 11 carries for 83 yards.
Woods also is a tough player to bring down in space. If a Jacks' defender finds himself one-on-one with Woods, he better get his hips underneath him.
The game also gives the Idaho offensive line another shot to show their stuff. Not only did the hogs open run lanes against the Bulldogs, they only allowed one sack, a season-low. Northern Arizona has tallied just five sacks through three games.
Pass rush needs some legs
The Idaho pass rush was the talk of the town before the start of the season. So far, the sack numbers have been pretty lackluster.
The Vandals and Lumberjacks each have five. If given time, Northern Arizona senior quarterback RJ Martinez has the ability to make defenses pay.
The Lumberjacks offensive line has kept Martinez clean, only allowing three sacks in three games, tied for second-best in the Big Sky.
Vandals edge rushers Leo Tamba and Juliano Falaniko have one sack each and will need to work hard to get after Martinez.
UI should have ample opportunities to get after him. He's dropped back 120 times in three games, the second most in the Big Sky.
Making goal-line stops
Idaho's red-zone offense is the best in the Big Sky, going 9-for-10 with five touchdowns and four field goals.
Northern Arizona, conversely, has the third worst red-zone offense at 6-for-10 with four touchdowns.
The Vandals' red-zone defense, third-best in the conference, needs to capitalize on this opportunity.
Against Drake, Idaho put together a stellar fourth-down stop at the goal line where Paul Moala made a tackle. He also had a touchdown-saving stop at Indiana.
Stops like these could prove pivotal for the Vandals in their search for another convincing victory.
Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.
