The road ahead -|Josh Halmmann|-

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Vandals Linebackers Depth Chart

LOLB
Robert Siavii 6'1 227 LBS - SR
Blake Parrish 6'1 213 LBS - FR

[i]With two freshman taking their redshirt years, Siavii will be the clear starter with inside linebacker Blake Parrish slated to back him up if the need arises. Siavii only had special team duties last year and his skillset has only improved marginally. Luckily enough the left side of the defense is fairly strong so his weaknesses shouldn't be overly capitalized upon.[/i

ILB
Jeffrey Bediako 6'3 241 LBS - SR
Josh Hines 6'2 228 LBS - FR
Jeremiah Walters 6'2 230 LBS - SO

Bediako is the only player on the inside linebacker depth chart with playing experience. Bediako returns after forcing six turnovers and recording a pair of sacks, with excellent speed and burst he should have another strong campaign as he solidifies himself as a defensive captain. Josh Hines was a prospect the Vandals chased after heavily and signing him gives a second inside linebacker that excels in both aerial and ground defense.

ROLB
James Randall 6'0 224 LBS - JR
Josh McNeal 6'1 199 LBS - FR

Redshirts are playing a huge factor in the lack of depth in the linebacking corp that lost a lot of depth to graduation. James Randall will likely be the defensive captain next season, but this season he is just a little bit of work away from being a solid defender. He has great athletic skills but his talent is extremely raw. He had 3.5 sacks and forced three turnovers, also scoring a touchdown a year ago. McNeal is a cornerback buried on the CB depth chart and will give Randall a breather when the need arises.

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Secondary Depth Chart

DB
Dion Bass 5'11 193 LBS - JR
Tracy Carter 5'10 180 LBS - SR
AJ Annelus 5'10 196 LBS - SR
Solomon Dixon 5'9 164 LBS - SO
Bradley Njoku 6'0 203 LBS - SO

[i]Dion Bass had a terrific season alongside Aaron Grymes last season, this year he picks up the difficult task of covering the opponents top receiver. As the #2 corner he posted ten deflections and three interceptions while also forcing a single fumble. Alongside him will be Tracy Carter who had a break through in spring practice after a 2 interception season. This unit lacks the high end skill set that Aaron Grymes had but the depth is substantially greater. The bottom three defensive backs have had minimal to no playing time. They all have shown promise in camp, but the difference will be truly felt come the regular season opener.

FS
Phillip Cobbs 6'0 212 LBS FR
Josh McNeal 6'1 199 LBS FR
Bradley Njoku 6'0 203 LBS SO

With two true freshman leading the depth chart, little can be said about past experience. McNeal is a traditional defensive back and will be playing out of position as back up linebacker and safety. Cobbs was signed as a strong safety but due to depth, he was moved to free safety where he proved to be the best available on the roster. His awareness will need to increase to become the player Halmmann believes he can be, but the future is bright for Cobbs.

SS
Trey Williams 6'1 206 LBS SR
D'Mario Carter 5'10 215 LBS JR

Trey Williams will try to fill the vacancies left by graduations and his skill set is fantastic, with top end speed, he will look to build off a 3 interception 2012. He is a threat to score when he intercepts the ball with game changing speed and should help seal off the end when the need arises in the ground game.

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NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Aug 1, 2013
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	Wisconsin Badgers
2	Virginia Tech Hokies
3	Florida State Seminoles
4	Georgia Bulldogs
5	Texas Longhorns
6	LSU Tigers
7	Alabama Crimson Tide
8	Kansas State Wildcats
9	Oklahoma Sooners
10	USC Trojans
11	Tennessee Volunteers
12	Arkansas Razorbacks
13	Ohio State Buckeyes
14	South Carolina Gamecocks
15	Clemson Tigers
16	North Carolina Tarheels
17	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
18	Nebraska Cornhuskers
19	Michigan Wolverines
20	Oregon Ducks
21	Auburn Tigers
22	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
23	Iowa Hawkeyes
24	Michigan State Spartans
25	Utah Utes

Heisman Watch - Updated: Aug 1, 2013
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Marcus Lattimore	HB	South Carolina
Michael Ford	HB	LSU
Ken Malcome	HB	Georgia
Waymon James	HB	TCU
John Hubert	HB	Kansas State

2011 NCAA 1st Team All-Americans
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Rakeem Cato, Marshall	6'1	182	Jr.
HB	Michael Ford, LSU	5'10	216	Sr.
HB	Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina	6'0	220	Sr.
WR	Marquess Wilson, Washington State	6'4	185	Sr.
WR	Nick Harwell, Miami University	6'1	185	Sr.
TE	CJ Fiedorowicz, Iowa	6'7	266	Sr.
OL	Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M	6'6	310	Sr.
OL	Xavier Su'a Filo, UCLA	6'4	313	Jr.
OL	Travis Frederick, Wisconsin	6'4	330	Sr.
OL	Mason Walters, Texas	6'6	316	Sr.
OL	DJ Fluker, Alabama	6'6	336	Sr.
DL	Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame	6'6	298	Jr.
DL	Ben Gardner, Stanford	6'4	276	Sr.
DL	Danny Shelton, Washington	6'1	326	Jr.
DL	Jose Jose, UCF	6'3	329	Sr.
LB	Jerrion Johnson, Southern Miss	6'1	208	Sr.
LB	Tom Wort, Oklahoma	6'0	232	Sr.
LB	Tariq Edwards, Virginia Tech	6'2	234	Sr.
DB	Dayonne Nunley, Miami University	5'8	183	Sr.
DB	Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech	6'0	182	Sr.
DB	John Hardy Tuliau, Hawai'i	5'11	165	Sr.
DB	Gabe Lemon, San Diego State	5'10	186	Sr.
K	Anthony Fera, Texas	6'2	221	Sr.
P	Michael Branthover, Virginia Tech	5'8	191	Jr.
RS	Devrin Young, Tennessee	5'8	172	Jr.

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WAC Outlook

WAC Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Aug 1, 2013
RK	OVR	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	38	Montana State
2	67	Wyoming
3	73	Hawai'i
4	100	UTEP
5	101	Montana
6	114	New Mexico
7	115	Idaho
8	119	New Mexico State

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Idaho Vandals 2013-2014 Preview
Team Captains:
Mike Marboe (C) - JR
Trey Williams (SS) - SR
Dion Bass (CB) - JR

2013 Schedule

8/31 @
San Jose State might not be a WAC affiliate anymore, having moved on to a more stable conference, but the two will play none the less. San Jose State will open their season in home territory. The teams are fairly even on paper but the slight edge goes on the defensive end for San Jose State who should cause problems for an offensive group that has three players either in new positions or new to campus.

9/7 @
Penn State will be coming fresh off a likely loss to Texas Tech to bring on their home opener. This should be a blow out for the Nittany Lions who will look to take out the frustrations of a poor 2012 season out on the Vandals whom are likely to open another season with consecutive losses.

9/14 @
The opening schedule of the Vandals is definitely not doing them any favors and if they come in skidding, do not expect a victory against Baylor. The Bears had one of the best recruiting classes in the nation and posted some of the bigger upsets from a year ago. They lost some talent to graduation but the core that remains still has a terrific foundation. This could be another blow out.

9/21
The Vandals will open up their first game at the Kibbie dome in the second to last week of September. This will be a decent opportunity to end the losing streak, the Hoosiers aren't improving very quickly and they have been consistently towards the bottom of the NCAA on a yearly basis as of late. They get to be slightly favored by virtue of their conference affiliations but by now the Vandals should be clicking and a close win could be possible.

9/28 @ #2
This is the game that no Vandal fans are looking forward to. Traveling to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech who moves into this season at #2. The Hokies are projected to have the best defense in the NCAA this season, while their offense is above average the defense should do more than enough to stifle the Vandals.

Projected Record: 1-4

10/19
The Miners are opening up their inaugural season in WAC play after the NCAA forced them to move to the conference prior to the season. The Texas school aims to improve upon it's 5-7 record from last year and is a little more well rounded than the Vandals, but the Vandals have playmakers on the offensive end, while the Miners are simply average it comes down to which defense can hold who.

10/26
Last season, the Cowboys escaped with a three point victory over the Vandals. The Cowboys are sporting an even stronger offense but their defense has gotten weaker. As far as projections go, this game should be a shootout, don't be surprised to see the score hit the forties or fifties in this matchup with two defenses outclassed by their offensive counterparts.

11/2
Another team that proved to be forced into the WAC, Hawaii has never been capable of finding a long term home. Their distance from the mainland proves to be a difficult feat to overcome and the NCAA officially subsidized their lower grossing sports to accommodate. The Warriors football squad will return to the WAC as contenders to Montana State. Hawaii is well rounded on both sides of the ball and shouldn't be taken likely. This game could prove to be a blow out. The edge that it could go in favor of Idaho is slim, senior night comes early this season, the first week of November and having only four home games, the Vandals will need to make a point of winning this matchup.

11/5 @
A three game home stand gives way to the deserts of New Mexico where the Vandals will be the clear favorites. The Vandals took a close one against the Lobos a year ago and with New Mexico largely treading water while the Vandals improved, expect a larger margin of victory that favors Idaho.

11/16 @ Montana State
The Bobcats won the WAC with relative ease a year ago, having lost one conference game in a matchup that largely was unimportant given they had won the WAC and were not in play to make a BCS Buster run (unranked at 10-1 prior to loss). The Bobcats had a huge inaugural season and should continue to be strong with a strong core returning. Aside from Hawaii, it's difficult to name a legitimate contender to the Bobcats throne, Idaho made a serious run last year before caving at the end, this could prove to be a trap game for the Bobcats, who will be coming off a six game road trip to close out the season with a three game homestand.

11/23 @ Montana
The following week, the Vandals will return to Montana where the Bears stunned the Vandals in the final moments last season. The Vandals will be out for revenge and while Montana on paper has a better offense, their defense is at more of a disadvantage given their sluggish speed compared to the up tempo Vandal offense. This could be a blow out, but either way expect fireworks, both offenses are towards the top of the WAC, the Bears make a case for being tied with the Bobcats and Warriors as the best. Much like last years disappointing 5-7 season though, their defense will be among the worst.

11/30 @
Rivalry week for many schools will see the Vandals close with a sleep inducing matchup against the Cowboys. The Cowboys gave the Vandals fits last season but the Vandals are much better than last years counterparts while the Aggies improvements have been considered marginal across the WAC. The Vandals if they are in play for a bowl bid could easily secure it with this match up, but at the end of a long season featuring 8 road trips, this could be the Vandals trap game.

Projected Conference Record: 4-3
Projected Overall Record: 5-7

All-WAC Honors
Karel Kearney (DT) - 1st Team
Jeffrey Bediako (ILB) - 1st Team
James Randall (OLB) - 1st Team
Dion Bass (DB) - 1st Team
Trey Williams (S) - 1st Team
Todd Handley (HB) - RET

Maurice Trotter (WR) - 2nd Team
Marquan Major (WR) - RET

Idaho Vandals Depth Chart - 2013
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Van Cotton* (78)	Andy Keller* (69)	Marquan Major (63)
TE	Taylor Elmo (77)	Clayton Homme (69)	Justin Veltung (61)
LT	Dallas Sandberg (73)	Kyle Salm (66)
LG	AJ Jones (71)	Semisi Tupou (61)
C	Mike Marboe (79)	Kyle Salm (66)
RG	Jordan Johnson (76)	Semisi Tupou (61)
RT	Brady Lisoski (73)	Nick Van Rotz (67)
WR	Daniel Micheletti (71)	Maurice Trotter (69)	Najee Lovett (60)
QB	Chris Espinosa (75)	Taylor Davis (73)	Corey Gilmore*(69)
FB	Robert Hopkins (68)
HB	Dominique Blackman (75)	James Baker (73)	Todd Handley (71)	Trae Armstrong (60)
Base 3-4 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Maxx Forde (73)	Karel Kearney (63)
NT	Ryan Jacobs* (78)	Karel Kearney (73)	Jesse Davis (66)
RDE	Dallas Malone* (69)	Karel Kearney (63)	Quinton Bradley (57)
LOLB	Robert Siavii (68)	Blake Parrish (63)
LILB	Jeffrey Bediako (70)	Jeremiah Walters (59)
RILB	Josh Hines* (67)	Karel Kearney (60)
ROLB	James Randall (72)	Josh McNeal* (59)
CB	Dion Bass (74)	AJ Annelus (69)	Bradley Njoku (63)
SS	Trey Williams (77)	D'Mario Carter (68)
FS	Phillip Cobbs (70)	Josh McNeal* (70)	Bradley Njoku (69)
CB	Tracy Carter (72)	Solomon Dixon (64)
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
MLB
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Corey Allen* (68)
P	David Burke* (64)
H	Taylor Davis
PR	Christian Whitehead	Todd Handley
KR	Christian Whitehead	Todd Handley
LS	Mike Marboe

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Week 1

Week 1 Matchups

Results

#19 South Carolina 28 @ #4 Georiga 35

Connecticut 24 @ Kentucky 27

UMass 14 @ UNLV 24

#25 Utah 27 @ Stanford 21

Utah State 7 @ #10 USC 27

Week 1 saw some tight games to open up the 2013 season. After last years controversial and exciting conclusion, to open up 2013 with tight games could be a sign of more to come. Even so, no notable upsets in a light week of action. Georgia staved off the Old Ball Coach and his Gamecocks with a 35-28 thriller that wasn't won until a late touchdown run by Heisman candidate, Ken Malcome.

The Kentucky Wildcats played in their first Big East game and SEC dominance may be a bit of an overstatement, barely escaping a Connecticut squad that was anything but consistent last year. In a battle of bottom feeders, UNLV edged out the Massachusetts Minutemen in a matchup that drew maybe a thousand spectators. USC retained the power of their home stadium, knocking off the upset minded Aggies led by senior Chuckie Keeton. Keeton and his offensive unit were shut out for three quarters; all in all a total of 59 minutes. Scoring in the final minute of the game by connecting with Givens to hold off the shut out. Max Wittek played strong in his first start completing 65% of his passes, tossing over 200 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Finally in the final headliner of the opening week, Utah held off a Stanford rally to escape with a 27-21 victory and pick up a ranking while in the process. In a battle of ground attacks, the Utes outgained the Cardinal 175-122 while anemic passing attacks of 114 and 106 yards were left in the rear view. This game was ugly, aside from the poor passing, a combined eight turnovers showed that both Pacific 12 schools need to shake off some rust.

With one week in the books and many teams suiting up for the first time in the 2013 season, only one thing can be said.

Are you ready for some football?

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Vandals take season opener

Rusty is what could describe this game. There were big plays, from both ends but they were a result of rust. Neither team seemed primed for this game, quarterback David Fales throwing three interceptions, Chris Espinosa adding two, Dominique Blackman rushing for all of 11 yards in the first half, Jason Simpson fumbling in the first half setting up a Vandal field goal. The issues were abundant.

Opening the game, it seemed that the issues would be the Spartans alone. On third and short, a lofted pass to freshman Van Cotton was pulled down by Cotton who blew past an overly aggressive defensive back whom came up to try and make a play. Cotton despite only having average speed went untouched fifty-eight yards for the score. The following San Jose State drive, the offense was seemingly electric picking up two consecutive first downs before a hand off to Jason Simpson was going to go for another first down but a hit across the middle of the field forced the ball from his hands. The Vandals jumped on it and started moving downfield but had to settle for a field goal.

The Spartans struggled with a three and out, the crowd seemingly quiet but after another Vandal three and out, the Spartans took the ball downfield slowly but surely. David Fales found fullback Marcus Tucker for a touchdown to end the first at 10-7. The Vandals lacked killer instinct early in the game thanks to a non-existant ground attack. Struggling to get into the endzone despite forcing two interceptions, the Vandals settled for two field goals to make it a 16-7 game. The lead wouldn't hold with the Spartans David Fales hooking up with Chandler Jones on a deep route going for a touchdown. Harrison Waid added a field goal before the end of the half to give them the lead heading into the half.

Most of the third quarter was a back and fourth defensive struggle, the Spartans started to drive behind a ground attack, the moment they broke from it and passed the ball on an attempted bubble screen, freshman Josh McNeal came up and intercepted the ball going 89 yards untouched to give the Spartans the lead. The Spartan offense seemed deflated and gave a quick three and out and the Vandals pushed again on the Spartans. Getting inside the redzone and ultimately to third and goal, Chris Espinosa lofted a pass up to Marquan Major who pulled it down taking a rough hit but still holding onto the ball. The Vandals failed a two point conversion with the McNeal interception, putting the score at 29-17 heading into the final frame.

Seeking to put the nail into the coffin, after another Spartan three and out, the Vandals managed to move the ball fluidly, marching downfield with Allen knocking in his fourth field goal of the afternoon to make it 32-17. The Spartans would struggle and by the time they scored it was far too late. David Fales connected with Sam Boyd on a fourteen yard pass on a slant. Boyd pulled in the reception in the corner of the end zone. The Spartans went for two, running a pitch off left tackle and would get the ball into the end zone for two to make it a seven point matchup.

Trae Armstrong would kill the Spartans come back hopes, diving onto the onside kick, Todd Handley helped burned the final time outs and Chris Espinosa knelt the ball to close out a season opening win against the WAC defecting San Jose State Spartans.

Van Cotton was huge in his first game, with a team high six receptions, 153 yards and his touchdown in the first quarter. Chris Espinosa struggled but adjusting to the new system will take some time. After a slow start, Dominique Blackman finished with over 100 yards rushing.

The Vandals win starts them out undefeated but with a brutal four game stretch ahead of them, the wins will be spread far. Penn State in Happy Valley will be the Vandals next matchup.

Idaho Vandals at San Jose State Spartans
Aug 31, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Idaho Vandals (1-0)	10	6	13	3	32
San Jose State Spartans (0-1)	7	10	0	8	25

Team Stats Comparison
	IDHO	SJSU
Total Offense	363	462
Rushing Yards	130	136
Passing Yards	233	326
First Downs	16	21
Punt Return Yards	0	14
Kick Return Yards	20	151
Total Yards	383	627
Turnovers	2	4
3rd Down Converstion	4/13	4/10
4th Down Conversion	0/1	1/3
2-Point Conversion	0/1	1/1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	(1-2)/4	(2-1)/5
Penalties	2-20	2-23
Posession Time	15:14	16:45

Idaho Vandals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chris Espinosa 17/33 198 2 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Dominique Blackman 18 101 5.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Van Cotton 6 153 25.1 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Dion Bass 4 0 2 0

San Jose State Spartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT David Fales 18/35 326 3 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jason SImpson 17 113 6.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Chandler Jones 5 135 26.8 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Keith Smith 5 0 1 0

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UCLA 59 MO 10 • UTEP 38 FCS 10 •MOS 42 FCS 7 • MSU 41 NMSU 7 • FSU 35 NM 18• WYO 24 FCS 10 • HAW 21 CMU 7
	WAC
	Name	W	L	CW	CL
	Montana State	1	0	0	0
	Hawaii	1	0	0	0
	Idaho	1	0	0	0
	UTEP	1	0	0	0
	Wyoming	1	0	0	0
	New Mexico	0	1	0	0
	New Mexico State	0	1	0	0
	Montana	0	1	0	0
	N/A	0	0	0	0
	N/A	0	0	0	0
	N/A	0	0	0	0
	N/A	0	0	0	0
NCAA News
Oklahoma improves to #6 after tight win over LSU
SMU loses inaugural Big 12 matchup against Baylor, 26-27
Boise State cannot repeat magic, drops 21-28 contest to #19 Auburn
#2 Hokies defense helps lead rout of Eastern Washington; 55-0
Nittany Lions start of 2013 with a bang, blowing out texas tech 34-13
Marcus Lattimore returns for his senior season and is favorite to win heisman
Phil Steele predicts Texas to be best team over next four years; but projects 2 Alabama titles