Week 2: Idaho (0-1) at Akron (0-0)

Stuvaints gets the first start of his career and plays good, if not great. The real hero in this one was our defense, led by ILB Newton and DE Arteaga, which limited Akron to 238 total yards.


QB Stuvaints 19-35-273-3-2
RB Phillips 16-75-0, 2-12-2
WR Gaines 7-94-0
TE Johnson 3-62-1
ILB Newton 12 tackles, 1 assist
DE Arteaga 5 tackles, 1 assist, 3 sacks
DE Cumming 5 tackles, 2 sacks

*WR Derek Abeykoon's injury plagued career is over due to the Repetitive Concussion Syndrome, which lists him as out for 76 weeks.

*I take the shirt off WR Steven Harding so we have some depth.

*Nebraska beats Arizona 52-23

*Arizona's last three recruiting classes were ranked 94th, 116th, and 110th. There's not much hope they'll recover soon, but I'm having fun following how comically bad they've become.

Week 3: Bye

*Shooting for my most ambitious recruiting class yet. Trying to land several offensive guys in the top 100.

Week 4: Bye

*Luther is almost ready to come back. He is listed as Questionable, but still with a 7 week recovery time. I'll play it safe for now.

*Memphis beat Arizona 38-28.

Terrible first game, ugh. Gotta move on...

Week 5: Louisiana-Monroe (2-1) at Idaho (1-1)

If only I had made the decision to start Stuvaints a week earlier, we might be undefeated. He has his breakout game here, throwing for 422 yards and breaking the game open with three 3rd quarter TD passes. After a shaky start, the defense had a solid game with Newton leading the way.


QB Stuvaints 27-41-432-4-0
RB Phillips 19-50-2, 4-28-1
WR Gaines 9-166-2
WR Monroe 5-128-1
ILB Newton 9 tackles, 2 assists, 1 sack, 2 INT
DE Arteaga 3 tackles, 2 sacks

*UCLA beat Arizona 44-0.

Week 6: #45 Idaho (2-1) at Arkansas State (2-1)

Stuvaints struggles a bit here and our defense gives up some big plays that makes things interesting. However, we were able to shut them down when it mattered most. Arkansas State was 1 for 11 on 3rd downs and Arteaga sacked their QB 6 times.


QB Stuvaints 16-31-221-2-2
WR Holmberg 7-81-2
ILB Newton 9 tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT, 1 TD
DE Arteaga 6 tackles, 1 assist, 6 sacks
DE Cumming 3 tackles, 3 sacks

*Arizona won! They beat Oregon 23-13. Tear down the goalposts!

*Our very own Conrad Arteaga was named Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.

Week 7: North Texas (3-2) at #39 Idaho (3-1)

A completely dominating performance from our defense in which they allow only 1 first down in the first half. This helps stake us to a 17-0 lead and our offense only got better in the 2nd half, eventually tallying 559 total yards. Phillips continues to play well, allowing me to be cautious on Luther's return.


QB Stuvaints 29-49-410-1-1
RB Phillips 24-106-3, 4-33-0
WR Gaines 9-131-0
WR Holmberg 7-126-0
WR Monroe 6-111-1
DE Arteaga 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks

*New recruit:

G Chris Morton - #79 Overall, #7 G

*Arizona starts a streak! They beat Washington State 20-16 to clinch their best record in this entire dynasty.

Yeah. I'm mostly mad at my scout because I think he just simply missed the boat on both Fassero and Stuvaints.

Week 8: #30 Idaho (4-1) at Louisiana-Lafayette (0-5)

It's a game that should be no contest for us and it certainly starts off that way. We jump to a quick 24-0 lead, but the defense falls asleep and allows two Lafayette TD's before the half. We jump out to another lead, but Lafayette keeps fighting back and actually get the ball with a chance to take the lead in the 4th quarter. Our defense finally holds up and Stuvaints' 5th TD pass seals the victory.


QB Stuvaints 22-34-336-5-0
RB Phillips 17-71-0
RB Luther 8-56-0, 3-43-1
WR Monroe 7-125-1
WR Gaines 3-52-1
DE Arteaga 5 tackles, 4 sacks
S Fisk 2 tackles, 2 INT

*New recruit:

QB Pete Newsome - #46 Overall, #7 QB


*The good news is the great QB recruit. The bad news is we got several denials.

*Stanford beats Arizona 37-10 to end their 2 game winning streak.

*We are now ranked #24 in the nation, the highest we've ever been ranked this late.

Week 9: #24 Idaho (5-1) at New Mexico State (2-4)

What a bizarre game. We're able to move the ball fine, but a combination of sloppy play, penalties, and poor defense doomed us all game long. It's only 10-7 at the half, but NMST goes on two long drives in the 3rd quarter to make it a 24-7 game. When our offense can't answer, they quickly strike int he 4th quarter to put the game away at 31-7. This is one we shouldn't have lost.


QB Stuvaints 20-35-282-2-1
WR Holmberg 8-153-0
WR Monroe 6-114-3
WR Gaines 5-70-0
RB Phillips 4-50-0, 3-39-0
ILB Newton 16 tackles, 8 assists
DE Arteaga 1 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks

*New recruits:

T Hardy Schonmann - #152 Overall, #15 T
TE Leon McGregor - #224 Overall, #6 TE
CB Alan Foreman - #508 Overall, #49 CB
S Jay Grier - #556 Overall, #29 S
DE Johnnie Lyon - #687 Overall, #76 DE

*Oregon State beats Arizona 42-14.

*Top 4 are: #1 UCLA (8-0), #2 Michigan (8-0), #3 USC (6-1) #4 Bowling Green (7-0)

Week 10: Bye

*New Recruits:

RB Jay Young - #24 Overall, #4 RB
OLB Darnell Gilman - #532 Overall, #23 OLB

*The top 4 all win to retain their spots.

*My top recruits all seem to be RB's. Hey TCY, I'm not running the wishbone no matter how much you want me to.

Week 11: #33 Idaho (5-2) at Middle Tennessee State (3-4)

And we come out flat once again. The running game goes nowhere and the defense struggles once Arteaga leaves the game with an injury. We fall behind quickly and Stuvaints struggles in pass only mode.


QB Stuvaints 20-41-287-2-2
WR Monroe 7-142-1
ILB Newton 9 tackles, 5 assists, 1 sack

*New recruits:

WR Korey Newsome - #62 Overall, #5 WR
C Paul Diefendorf - #669 Overall, #35 C
DT Scott Fields - #989 Overall, #66 DT

*Michigan loses to Penn State but remains in the #2 spot, ahead of Penn State who is #4 with the same record. Controversy!

*#3 USC beats Arizona 46-20.

Week 12: Troy (5-4) at #44 Idaho (5-3)

This game was closer than it needed to be at the start, mainly due to poor 3rd down conversions (3-13), meaning we had to settle for several FG's. But the defense dominated, aside from falling asleep one one 76 yard pass play, and Stuvaints was sharp.


QB Stuvaints 24-38-359-3-1
RB Luther 20-76-0, 3-39-1
WR Holmberg 8-114-0
WR Gaines 5-107-2
DE Cumming 6 tackles, 2 sacks
DE Perkins 5 tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks

*New Recruit:

WR Bobby Gotchy - #98 Overall, #8 WR

*My ambition has paid off in recruiting this year. We've landed the #7 QB, # 5 WR, #8 WR, #4 RB, #7 G, and #6 TE.

*We still have an outside shot at the conference title, but will need Middle Tennessee State to lose one of their next two games.

*A USC loss helps Bowling Green jump up to #3. They still need either UCLA or Michigan to lose.

*Washington beats Arizona 35-14.

Week 13: Utah State (5-4) at Idaho (6-3)

Our defense completely dominated Utah State, holding them to just 137 total yards. However, the OC had some curious playcalling and wouldn't switch to running even after we took the lead and Luther was playing well. Stuvaints avoided INT's, but struggled with his accuracy. This kept the game close until we pulled away with a 28 point 3rd quarter.


QB Stuvaints 19-38-202-3-0
RB Luther 13-93-1, 3-22-1
WR Monroe 5-57-1
ILB Newton 5 tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT, 1 TD
DE Cumming 3 tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks

*New Recruit:

DE Earnest Warren - #637 Overall, #71 DE

*Middle Tennessee State beat North Texas 28-6. It's all up to next week. If they beat Troy, they win the conference. If they lose, we win the conference.

*UCLA loses to USC but only falls to #2. Bowling Green still undefeated, but stuck at #3.

*Arizona State beat Arizona 28-12. Arizona closes out their best season at 2-9.

Week 14: #35 Boise State (6-4) at #36 Idaho (7-3)

Go figure. I dial up more run plays, but Luther gets stuffed. Still, we have our best showing ever against Boise State. Boise takes a 21-14 lead by scoring right before the half. We immediately cut the lead to 4, but the defenses take over and neither offense can move the ball. Then late in the 4th quarter, we are able to drive to the Boise State 10 yard line with 3:26 left. However, Stuvaints is sacked and fumbles the ball to end our hopes.


QB Stuvaints 21-33-269-2-1
WR Holmberg 8-140-1
ILB Newton 9 tackles, 3 assists, 2 INT
DE Arteaga 7 tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks

*New Recruit:

DT Tyrell Tarver - #530 Overall, #38 DT

*Troy upsets Middle Tennesse State and we win the conference! This means we will go bowling for the first time!!!!

Week 15: Bye

*Bowling Green wins the MAC championship game, but it isn't enough to put them ahead of Michigan or UCLA for the title game.

*We have been invited to the Marino Bowl to play Florida Atlantic.

Week 16: #42 Idaho (7-4) vs. #20 Florida Atlantic

The Marino Bowl (Coral Gables, FL)

Our defense has an outstanding game (including DE Arteaga, who came up with 4.5 sacks) and helps us build an early 10-3 lead. Stuvaints gives us a two score game with a TD pass right before the half. However, our inability to run the ball made it hard to run out the clock. Florida Atlantic scores two 4th quarter TD's to send the game to overtime.

We have to settle for a FG on the 1st possession of overtime. Thankfully, the defense steps up and holds them to a FG of their own. On Florida Atlantic's second possession, they drive to our 4 yard line, but OLB Roman Newman comes up with a huge INT in the end zone. On our possession, we march into FG range, and Copeland hits his 4th FG of the game to win it for us!


QB Stuvaints 18-33-230-1-1
RB Luther 19-37-0, 5-61-0
WR Monroe 5-72-1
K Copeland 4-4 FG's, 2-2 XP
DE Arteaga 6 tackles, 1 assist, 4.5 sacks
DT Niebauer 13 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack
ILB Newton 11 tackles, 6 assists
ILB Kennedy 11 tackles, 4 assists

*What the last few weeks have made clear is that Stuvaints, while better than Fassero, is not the answer for the future. I will not feel bad if he heads to the bench next year.

*Arteaga and Newton were defensive beasts all season long. Here's hoping for some awards love.

*The running game fell apart in the last few weeks. Will have to figure that out for next season.

2008 Idaho Vandals Awards and Stats

National Top Defensive Player: ILB Will Newton
National First Team: ILB Will Newton
Sun Belt MVP: QB Reuben Stuvaints
Sun Belt Top Offensive Player: QB Reuben Stuvaints
Sun Belt Top Defensive Player: ILB Will Newton
Sun Belt Top Offensive Freshman: WR Steven Harding
Sun Belt First Team: QB Reuben Stuvaints, WR Kirk Holmberg, DE Conrad Arteaga, ILB Will Newton, CB Wendell Nutter
Sun Belt Second Team: WR Rob Monroe, P Harvey DeVito, DT Alvin Niebauer

Michigan wins back to back championships.

Heisman Trophy: QB Darrin Suchland - 297 for 481 (61.8%), 3722 yards, 28 TD, 14 INT

By far my best recruiting class so far. 5 Top 100 guys on offense. Solid depth on defense.

Graduating Seniors

This is my first group of recruits to graduate. All of these people played as true freshmen.

WR Kirk Holmberg - #313 Overall, #30 WR

Holmberg was a 4 year starter and never finished a season with less than 600 yards receiving. He broke the 1000 yard mark as a sophomore and finished his career with 210 catches, 3414 yards, and 22 TD's.

Honors: Sun Belt 1st Team (2006), Sun Belt 1st Team (2008)
Ratings: 29/59 to 53/60

WR Derek Abeykoon - #586 Overall, #54 WR

Abeykoon got off to a fantastic start as a true Freshman, catching 67 passes for 982 yards, and 17 TD's. Unfortunately, injury problems plagued him and he only started 15 more games over the next three seasons and only caught 1 pass as a senior.

Honors: National Top Offensive Freshman (2005), National Freshman Team (2005), Sun Belt Top Offensive Freshman (2005), Sun Belt 1st Team (2005)
Ratings: 26/68 to 34/68

G Kevin Sheldon - #599 Overall, #58 G

Sheldon was a 4 year starter at Guard. Oddly, his pass blocking skills got worse every year, to the point where he gave up 16 sacks as a senior.

Honors: National All-Freshman Team (2005), Sun Belt 2nd Team (2007)
Ratings: 19/56 to 45/56

ILB Zach Kennedy - #800 Overal, #41 ILB

Kennedy started his first two seasons, but fell down the depth chart when Will Newton arrived on the scene. Still, he was a solid contributor for all 4 seasons and had a memorable sophomore year with 104 tackles and 18 TFL.

Honors: Sun Belt 1st Team (2006)
Ratings: 7/66 to 37/66

S Larry Fisk - Unranked Overall, #56 S

Fisk was not very smart and had a girlfriend. This severely limited his development. He did start as a junior and senior and came up with 10 INT's in his career.

Ratings: 21/89 to 27/89

TE Colin Johnson - Unranked Overall, #66 TE

Started for 4 years. Never a huge factor in the passing game, but had his moments and he was a solid run blocker.

Ratings: 17/50 to 40/51

CB Wendell Nutter - Unranked Overall, #90 CB

Pretty good for how low he was ranked as a recruit. He started for 4 seasons and tallied 11 INT's, including 6 as a true Freshman in 2005.

Honors: National Freshman Team (2005), Sun Belt 2nd Team (2005), Sun Belt 2nd Team (2006), Sun Belt 1st Team (2007), Sun Belt 1st Team (2008)
Ratings: 19/44 to 49/49

*I get job offers from Oklahoma and Toledo, but I decline both.

*I'm still looking for better OC and DC, but no one good enough is available.

*Our Academic Reputation has improved and we are now 9th in the country.

National Ranking: 47th
Sun Belt Ranking: 1st
Recruiting Ranking: 7th

We have now finally come to the point where I can redshirt all of my incoming freshmen.

Starters in bold


Disappointed at Pierce's lack of development. Will have to go with Stuvaints for another year.


Hopefully, we can get the running game back on track this year.

Flemming, Harry 94 TE Jr 33 51
Romine, Mo 89 TE So* 24 44
McGregor, Leon 84 TE Fr 34 57
Warren, Geoff 87 TE* Jr 3 17
Murphy, Jonathan 93 TE* Jr 4 6
Branch, Leon 3 WR Sr 25 77
Gaines, Danny 85 WR Jr 42 74
Monroe, Rob 4 WR Jr* 42 79
Harding, Steven 9 WR So 42 59
Greene, Terrance 6 WR So* 49 68
Gotchy, Bobby 83 WR Fr 31 80
Newsome, Korey 82 WR Fr 34 74
Flannery, Trevor 81 WR* Jr 6 24 [/code]

Love the way Gotchy and Newsome look. This receiving corps is really coming together.


Again, some really exciting new recruits. Hoping they can develop during their redshirt year.



Both of these guys were solid last year.


I finally have some depth among this group, but would like my guys to develop a bit faster. Hoping for another great year from Arteaga (26.5 sacks last year).



Newton was the National Defensive Player of the Year last season and we still have him for two more years.


We will miss Nutter at CB, but Houlihan and Goettl should do a good job anchoring the secondary.

Week 1: #43 Idaho (0-0) at Navy (0-0)

Well, we almost blow another one against Navy. While we take a 21-10 lead, a Stuvaints INT allows Navy to close the gap to 21-17. Navy adds a FG right after the half to make it a 1 pt game. Stuvaints is unable to move the ball the rest of the game and another of his picks puts Navy in FG range. They miss a 38 yarder and we hold on for a narrow victory.


QB Stuvaints 25-46-291-3-2
WR Gaines 5-63-1
WR Monroe 5-66-0
WR Harding 3-33-2
ILB Newton 10 tackles, 2 assists
OLB Fisk 9 tackles, 3 assists

*Our run defense was oddly poor in this game as Navy's RB got 130 yards on 20 carries.

*Our schedule is really weird this year. We play weeks 1 and 3, but our conference games were scheduled for 8 consecutive weeks.

*Kent State beat Arizona 35-10.

Week 2: Bye

*Arizona beats Memphis 26-14!

Week 3: Washington State (0-1) at #29 Idaho (1-0)

In a rematch with the team who beats us 97-3 back in 2005, it's a shootout. Our defense is just nowhere to be seen, except for a crucial pick six that sent the game into OT. We score on the first possession of OT but Copeland misses the XP. Wazzou scores on their position and converts the XP to win the game. What a terrible way to lose.


QB Stuvaints 26-44-390-3-1
RB Luther 15-89-1, 4-42-0
WR Gaines 11-189-1
ILB Newton 10 tackles, 2 assists
DT Niebauer 7 tackles, 3 assists
S Houlihan 6 tackles, 4 assists, 1 INT, 1 TD

*We lose WR Rob Monroe and TE Harry Flemming to injuries, but we have a couple weeks off, so they shouldn't miss much action.

*DE Conrad Arteaga, who had 26.5 sacks last season, only has 1.5 in 2 games so far this year.

*Nebraska beat Arizona 42-26.

Week 4: Bye

*Back to back defending champions Michigan are on a roll again. They are 3-0 including a 56-28 win at Notre Dame.

Week 5: Bye

*USC (3-0) and Michigan (3-0) are the top two ranked teams at the moment.

Week 6: Arkansas State (2-1) at Idaho (1-1)

We are 21 point dogs at home against Arkansas State? Ridiculous! The defense is especially fired up about that and holds Arkansas state to 137 total yards of offense. Luther has a solid game, but Stuvaints is underwhelming once again. I may give Pierce a shot to start next week.


QB Stuvaints 22-35-292-1-2
RB Luther 19-94-1, 1-12-0
WR Harding 8-107-0
WR Greene 6-83-1
ILB Newton 9 tackles, 2 assists
DE Arteaga 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks

*We also lose backup TE Mo Romine. With two TE's out, I'm forced to take the shirt off Freshman Leon McGregor.

*UCLA beats Arizona 41-3.

*Michigan loses to Penn State 34-17. The top two teams are now USC and Texas.

Week 7: #40 Idaho (2-1) at New Mexico State (1-3)

Pierce has a solid debut, albeit against a very bad team. We score on our first 6 possessions of the first half to take a 34-3 halftime lead and never look back.


QB Pierce 16-24-186-3-0
RB Luther 14-90-2, 1-11-0
WR Gaines 6-65-1
DE Arteaga 3 tackles, 2 sacks

*New Recruit:

G Wayne Cason - #14 Overall, #2 G

*USC is still #1, but Virginia Tech moves up to #2.

*Washington State beats Arizona 34-20.

Week 8: #28 Idaho (3-1) at #47 Troy (3-2)

Well this game could not have gone worse for us. Injuries just pile up, including our start DE Conrad Arteaga and Troy just shreds our defense for 465 yards. Pierce has accuracy issues and throws a couple picks, but he also connects on some deep balls that keep it competitive until Troy pulls away in the 4th.


QB Pierce 12-26-220-3-2
WR Gaines 4-91-1
WR Harding 4-84-1
ILB Newton 13 tackles, 8 assists
OLB Fisk 11 tackles, 3 assists
ILB Brutley 10 tackles, 4 assists

*New Recruits:

WR Erik Weingrad - #116 Overall, #9 WR
C Nolan Drake - #225 Overall, #13 C
TE Todd Springer - #409 Overall, #9 TE
DE Phil Carpenter - #526 Overall, #45 DE
DT Marty Hollis - #531 Overall, #41 DT

*In addition to losing Arteaga, we also lose starters RB Dana Luther, G Chester Morrison, and DT Alvin Niebauer

*California beats Arizona 44-0.

*Virginia Tech loses and Iowa moves into the #2 spot behind USC. Someone tell Tarcone!

Week 9: North Texas (3-3) at #39 Idaho (3-2)

Maybe time to go back to Stuvaints. Pierce struggles again. Luckily, Phillips has a terrific game in place of Luther and we manage to stay in front the entire game.


QB Pierce 20-41-211-1-1
RB Phillips 22-142-2, 3-16-1
WR Monroe 4-61-0
ILB Newton 16 tackles, 2 assists

*New Recruit:

T Stephen Hitchcock - #95 Overall, #13 T
RB Robert Crangle - #188 Overall, #20 RB

*Washington beats Arizona 31-10.

*USC and Iowa remain in the top two spots.

Week 10 : Louisiana-Lafayette (1-5) at #34 Idaho (4-2)

Well, I give the job back to Stuvaints, but he doesn't really do much better than Pierce. Thankfully, our running game and defense are solid and we're able to pull away in the 2nd half.


QB Stuvaints 22-38-230-2-2
RB Phillips 17-97-3, 3-14-0
RB Kemp 14-68-0
WR Gaines 6-71-0
DE Arteaga 3 tackles, 2 sacks
CB Person 3 tackles, 3 assists, 1 INT

*New Recruits:

CB Troy Austin - #578 Overall, #37 CB
S Jon Schwartz - #757 Overall, #35 S

*Chaos in the rankings. USC loses but remains #1. Iowa wins but drops to #5. Undefeated Texas moves back to #2.

*Arizona clinches another 2 win season with a 23-15 victory over Oregon State.

Week 11: #31 Utah State (5-2) at #27 Idaho (5-2)

This was a huge game that gave the winner the inside track to the conference championship and it turned out to be a crazy one. We jump out to an early lead and build that up to 37-20 by the 4th quarter. Utah State mounts a furious comeback and puts up tons of yardage in the 4th quarter (including 313 yards from their WR), but Stuvaints leads a key TD drive late in the 4th to put it away.


QB Stuvaints 23-43-335-3-2
RB Phillips 19-135-1
RB Kemp 9-53-1
WR Gaines 7-134-1
WR Greene 5-73-1
CB Hanks 6 tackles, 1 assists, 2 INT
DE Cumming 2 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks
DE Arteaga 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1.5 sacks

*New Recruits:

WR Shaun Tackett - #367 Overall, #40 WR
OLB Ted Urpsis - #577 Overall, #40 OLB


*Arizona puts up a valiant fight against #1 USC, but loses 35-23.

*Texas loses and Iowa moves back into the #2 spot as the only major unbeaten. USC is still #1.

Week 12: #27 Idaho (6-2) at Middle Tennessee State (4-4)

A game very similar to the past few weeks. We jump out to a huge lead, then fall asleep and allow some huge plays late to make it interesting. It's 38-10 until Middle Tenn scores three straight TD's to make it a one score game. The defense finally steps up late in the 4th quarter and holds on for the victory.


QB Stuvaints 29-49-436-3-2
WR Monroe 8-177-2
WR Gaines 5-102-1
CB Goettl 3 tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT

*New Recruits:

OLB Russell Colwell - #547 Overall, #36 OLB
S Rob Gibson - #618 Overall, #25 S

*Iowa becomes the latest casualty at the top. There are now no unbeaten teams left. USC remains #1 and Ohio State moves to #2.

*Stanford beats Arizona 51-21.

Week 13: #20 Idaho (7-2) at Louisiana-Monroe (4-6)

We notch our 8th win for the first time ever with a solid performance on both sides of the ball. A 24 pt 4th quarter blows the game open and Louisiana-Monroe has no hope of a comeback.


QB Stuvaints 20-34-313-3-2
RB Phillips 18-78-2, 2-16-0
WR Gaines 11-186-2
WR Monroe 5-64-0
WR Greene 2-53-1
ILB Newton 7 tackles, 5 assists
S Houlihan 5 tackles, 2 assists, 1 INT
OLB Newman 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT
S Isaacson 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 INT

*We are now ranked #17, our highest ranking in this dynasty.

*USC loses a 2nd game and finally drops out of the top two (although they hilariously only drop to #3). UCLA and FSU now occupy the top two spots.

Week 14: #17 Idaho (8-2) at #24 Boise State (7-3)

This was much closer than the final score suggests, but still our losing streak against Boise State continues. It's a 7-6 Boise lead in the 4th quarter, when they score on 4 consecutive drives to pull away. Stuvaints played like garbage.


QB Stuvaints 16-33-154-0-0
RB Phillips 12-51-0, 3-19-0
ILB Newton 18 tackles, 1 assist
CB Hanks 6 tackles, 1 assist, 1 INT

*UCLA and FSU retain the top two spots.

*Arizona State beat Arizona 34-14.

Week 15: Bye

*UCLA and FSU will play in the title game.

*We are once again invited to the Marino Bowl to play Sol8 champion Stetson.

Week 16: #24 Idaho (8-3) at #28 Stetson (8-3)

Marino Bowl (Coral Gables, FL)

A typical game for us this year. We start off great, building a 20-0 lead in the 1st half. After the half, Stetson went on two scoring drives to make it a 10 pt game. Then Stuvaints throws a pick six late in the 3rd to make it a 3 pt game. Our defense bails us out, completely shutting Stetson down in the 4th quarter to seal our 2nd straight bowl victory.


QB Stuvaints 24-47-314-3-2
RB Phillips 28-113-0, 1-16-0
WR Gaines 6-90-2
WR Monroe 4-51-1
ILB Brutley 9 tackles, 3 assists

2009 Idaho Vandals - Awards and Rankings

Team MVP: RB Bob Phillips - 172 carries, 780 yards, 11 TD, 21 catches, 183 yards, 1 TD
National Second Team: K Corey Copeland
Sun Belt First Team: K Corey Copeland, ILB Will Newton
Sun Belt Second Team: QB Reuben Stuvaints, WR Danny Gaines, OLB Dennis Fisk, CB Deion Goettl

Not as good a class as last year's, but still some good talent here. Our OL should be really strong in a couple years. Fausel and Webb are Academic recruits.

Heisman Trophy: QB Dale Beaulieu - 312 for 528 (59.0%), 4500 yards, 46 TD, 19 INT

QB DJ Fassero - Unranked Overall, #80 QB

My first QB recruit. He was a fallback option that year and I never expected him to amount to much. He did start as a Freshman and Sophomore and had a few good moments here and there, leading us to improvements in the win column, but his INT bug hurt us in several big games. In the first game of his junior year, he threw 5 picks against Navy and never started another game.

Honors: Sun Belt 2nd Team (2006), Sun Belt 2nd Team (2007)
Ratings: 10/39 to 46/46

RB Bob Phillips - Unranked Overall, #80 RB

Here's a guy who definitely performed beyond expectations. Even when I got a stud RB recruit to replace him, Phillips percformed wonderfully as a backup and then filled in when said stud RB kept getting injuried. Phillips finished with 2326 yards rushing and 27 TD's. He was also a good receiver, coming up with 86 catches, 786 yards, and 7 TD. He performed so well int he 2nd half of his senior year that I named him team MVP.

Honors: Idaho Team MVP (2009)
Ratings: 22/70 to 44/70

WR Leon Branch - Unranked Overall, #93 WR

Was useful early on before we added depth to WR. As a sophomore, he had 646 yards and 7 TD's. Fell down the depth chart the last two seasons because we had much better guys coming in and he wasn't able to develop his skills.

Ratings: 18/77 to 25/77

C Tito Quinn - Unranked Overall, #43 C

Never started a game in 4 years and wasted a year by getting suspended over a bar fight.

Ratings: 14/44 to 43/44

G Chester Morrison - #386 Overall, #37 G

A solid 4 year starter whose senior season was unfortunately cut short by injuries. Only allowed 2 sacks in 164 plays as a senior.

Ratings: 8/67 to 71/71

T Kendall McClenney - #121 Overall, #19 T

My first big time recruit. I wouldn't say he was a disappoitment, because he started for 4 years, but he never made an all-conference team and allowed 7 sacks as a senior.

Ratings: 26/90 to 46/89

T Jermaine Small - Unranked Overall, Unranked by Position, #13 in CT

A bottom of the barrel recruit I picked up just to bring warm bodies in. He started as a sophomore because there were no other options, but played terribly and never started again.

Ratings: 7/62 to 19/62

DE Conrad Arteaga - #795 Overall, #71 DE

Proved to be the star of his recruiting class. A 4 year starter who notably compiled 26.5 sacks as a Junior and ended with 60.5 sacks and 75 TFL in his career.

Honors: Sun Belt 2nd Team (2007), Sun Belt 1st Team (2008)
Ratings: 9/85 to 64/85

DE Patrick Cumming - Unranked Overall, Unranked by Position, #67 in IL

Another bottom of the barrel recruit, but Cumming turned out to be a hidden gem. He started for 4 years and put together 101 tackles, 52 assists, 40 sacks, and 48 TFL.

Ratings: 10/44 to 39/44

DT Renaldo Newhart - Unranked Overall, #91 DT

Started as a true Freshman and part of his Sophomore year, but fell own the depth chart due to a lack of development.

Ratings: 14/57 to 20/57

DT Norm Timms - Unranked OVerall, Unranked by Position, #12 in ID

Gave a local Idaho kid a chance, but he was never good enough to get meaningful playing time until his Senior year, when he started 5 games due to injuries. He didn't play very well in them.

Ratings: 15/52 to 31/53

OLB Warren Coleman - Unranked Overall, Unranked by Position, #13 in ID

Another local kid who never managed to crack the starting lineup.

Ratings: 20/51 to 30/51

OLB Roman Newman - Unranked Overall, Unranked by Position, #94 in PA

Another hidden gem who managed to start for 4 years. Was really good in pass coverage, finishing his career with 8 INT's.

Ratings: 20/50 to 45/50

CB Deon Goettl - #699 Overall, #44 CB

Four year starter who proved to be a reliable coverage guy despite his INT number trailing off in his last 2 seasons. Ended with 145 tackles and 11 INT's.

Honors: Sun Belt 2nd Team (2009)
Ratings: 22/51 to 58/58

S Stephen Houlihan - #770 Overall, #41 S

Was a dependable backup for his first 3 seasons, then performed reliably as a starter in his Senior season. Finished with 5 INT's and 3 TD's.

Ratings: 20/61 to 50/61

Is this the year you finally take care of business with Boise?

Let's hope so. I've been recruiting better than they have, so there's no more excuses.

Here are your 2010 Idaho Vandals!

National Ranking: 36th
Sun Belt Ranking: 1st
Recruiting Ranking: 15th

Starters in bold

*All Freshmen will be getting the shirt this year.


It's time to move on from Stuvaints. Pierce wasn't the answer last year. Newsome is still very green, but his potential is maxed out almost everywhere, including Avoid INT, which has been one of our biggest problems.


Young is an absolute stud and immediately vaults up the depth chart ahead of Luther.


Great depth here, so much so that last season's 1000 yard receiver Gaines is 6th on the depth chart.


This is a problem. Guys on the line, especially at Tackle, are not developing fast enough. I've been tinkering with time management settings to rectify this.


It's the last season for DeVito, who has been very good. Copeland rebounded from the missed XP against Wazzou and was 2nd team All-American last year.


Another area where development isn't happening fast enough. Lots of potential here.


Newton is a beast and we get him for one last season. Good talent at OLB as well.



Love how my new Safety recruits look. Walton is an odd fit for our defensive style, but should work at Strong Safety.