WAC countdown: Idaho

With football camp less than a week away, it’s time to take a look at the Western Athletic Conference. Check back daily for a look at each team, starting at the bottom of the WAC preseason coaches poll.

Next up, the No. 6 Idaho Vandals

Idaho
2009 Record: 8-5 (4-4 WAC)
Returning starters: 18 (6 offense, 10 defense, punter, kicker)
Coach: Robb Akey, fourth year
WAC Preseason Polls: 6th coaches, 4th media

According to some, Idaho’s 8-5 season and dramatic 43-42 Humanitarian Bowl win was just a big fluke.

The Vandals must have enjoyed that success on accident. Why else would the Western Athletic Conference coaches vote an 8-win team with 18 returning starters as the sixth-best team in the league?

Maybe it has something to do with the 1-4 finish to the season that saw the Vandals give up 52-plus points three times. Perhaps a defense that allowed an average of 36 points per game (114th in the nation) and 433.2 yards (107th) didn’t strike fear in the WAC coaches.

But the offense should.

Lead by quarterback Nathan Enderle, the Vandals will again be able to score points in bunches. Running backs Deonte Johnson and Princeton McCarty will take a lot of the heat off Enderle while receiver Eric Greenwood figures to be the top target for the passing game.

The biggest concern will be replacing virtually the entire offensive line, especially left guard Mike Iupati. With only one starting lineman back, the Vandals will have a pretty steep learning curve in order to be competitive out of the gate.

On defense, Idaho has virtually everyone back. That should be a good thing, but considering how many yards and points those starters gave up the folks in Moscow are hoping they’ve gone through some serious upgrades in scheme during the offseason.

Opponents were able to pick the Vandal secondary apart last year and averaged 278.1 passing yards per game. Simply put, Idaho must get more pressure on the quarterbacks and do a better job of covering people.

As far as the schedule goes, Idaho is doing it right. Rather than loading up on games that are virtually unwinnable, Idaho plays North Dakota, UNLV, Colorado State and Western Michigan — as well as Nebraska — in a non-conference slate that could give the Vandals another serious dose of confidence and momentum.

If nothing else, the November 12 game with Boise State visiting the Kibbie Dome will get rowdy. Boise State president Bob Kustra made sure of that.

Follow me at twitter.com/DesNewsEborn or join the DesNewsAggies on Facebook for the latest Utah State updates and news.