Oh Nate Enderle...

Um... go Vandals. I think. It seems that their former quarterback stud isn't doing so hot.

Former Idaho quarterback Nate Enderle recorded the slowest time in the 40-yard dash Sunday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Not that it means much.

The former Vandals ran – unofficially – a 5.18. As bad as it seems, however, it's not as bad as Tom Brady's 5.28. And Chris Redmon, selected in the third round by Baltimore ran a 5.37.

So, he still has hope.

The difference between Redmon/Brady to Enderle... they went to big schools and Enderle didn't. I'm not sure how many teams are chomping at the bit for a slow-footed quarterback from Idaho. At least there won't be an NFL season next year so it wont matter!

Lalala....can't hear you Brandon...

Vandals release football schedule

Idaho just released it's 2010 schedule, coming off that wonderful Humanitarian Bowl win season and it looks like they might be setting themselves up for another bowl run.

2010 schedule

Sept. 2 - North Dakota
Sept. 11 - at Nebraska
Sept. 18 - UNLV
Sept. 25 - at Colorado State
Oct. 2 - Western Michigan
Oct. 9 - bye
Oct. 16 - at Louisiana Tech 
Oct. 23 - New Mexico State
Oct. 30 - at Hawai`i
Nov. 6 - Nevada
Nov. 12 - Boise State
Nov. 20 - at Utah State
Nov. 27 - at Fresno State
Dec. 5 - San Jose State

Oh and circle Nov. 12, you know that one is going to be a barn-burner in Moscow.

Idaho presents Robb Akey new contract

You've probably noticed that Idaho has had like 15 coaches in the last five years and really didn't have stability until Robb Akey showed up there. Now that he's riding on the top of the world after his big bowl game win, and the university wants to keep him around for a while.

Idaho athletic director Rob Spear said the school has presented a new contract to Robb Akey and is waiting to hear back from the third-year football coach who led the Vandals to their first winning season in a decade. Spear, who was interviewed before Monday night’s nationally televised basketball game between Boise State and Idaho, said the offer “has been out there for a while.” Akey just completed the third year of his original five-year contract. Idaho finished the season 8-5 and won the Humanitarian Bowl

Found this on Huckleberries. Let me be the first to say... Robb Akey! Please Stay! You're the best thing to happen to football in the Inland Northwest since Erik Meyer.

Why the Vandals won the game

So if you missed it last night (and you shouldn't because ESPN shoved it down your throat during SportsCenter), the Idaho Vandals grabbed the nation's attention with a miracle 43-42 victory over Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl.

The biggest thrill being Idaho's touchdown with just a few ticks left on the clock and then head coach Robb Akey's decision to go for two instead of just tying it up. Gutsy, but probably not the smartest call, he should have just taken the extra point and gone for the win in overtime. However, since he converted the 2-point try, he got the praise and a center place on SportsCenter.

But maybe that's what he wanted all the time. I'm thinking that Akey was caught up in the emotion of the thing, said be damned to overtime since there's nothing to play for after the Bowl game and thought that the two-point conversation. However, what if he had enough foresight to realize the kind of game his team was playing in (a very entertaining game on ESPN) and that a converted two-point conversion would be a nice centerpiece play for the program?

Remember Boise St. vs. Oklahoma and the Statue of Liberty play?

Sure it was a risk, but if Idaho converts the two-point, it becomes the talk of the sports nation for a while. If Idaho failed to make the two-point, they'd still be talked about. That means exposure. That means better recruiting. Instead of being a footnote bowl, Akey made this game something to think about.

And if recruits are thinking about it, than that's a good thing.

The truth about Robb Akey

- Robb Akey doesn't actually need glasses, he wears them to protect everyone else from his laser vision.

- He once met Chuck Norris after he beat up the former Texas Ranger during a parking ticket arguement.

- Grizzly Bears are afraid to eat out of his Picnic Basket.

- Idaho is now painting a mural in the Kibbie Dome akin to "Touchdown Jesus"... only it will be called "Two-Point Conversion Akey."

- The UN considers Akey a weapon of mass destruction.

- "The Ten Commandments" was actually based on the life and times of Robb Akey.

- The sun sets every night because it's scared to death of Robb Akey

Epic Video: Idaho Vandals highlights

Idaho kicks off it's Bowl game against Bowling Green in a little bit (Humanitarian Bowl, kickoff at 1:30 pm). Check out some highlights from the season...

Video Bites: Idaho bowling

The November 30th edition of the JustSON Video Bites. That's right, bite sized videos!

4A Washington Playoffs:
http://www.mywiaa.org/brackets/Football16.aspx?s=Football&c=4A&y=2009

3A Washington Playoffs:
http://www.mywiaa.org/brackets/Football16.aspx?s=Football&c=3A&y=2009

Eastern's Athletic site:
http://www.goeags.com

Idaho's Athletic site:
http://www.govandals.com/

Idaho beats Utah for first time in 71 year

What is with the Vandals? First the football program makes and incredible turnaround and now all of sudden the basketball team is making a splash.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Mac Hopson scored eight of his 16 points in the last six minutes as Idaho beat Utah 94-87 on Friday, bringing the team its first win against the school in 71 years.

Plagued by foul trouble, Hopson re-entered the game with the score tied and engineered a 13-6 run to end the game.

Steffan Johnson scored 19 points and Jeff Ledbetter added 16 as the Vandals (1-0) took its first game after losing 11-straight on the road.

The teams have played 15 times over the years and last Idaho victory was in 1938.

71 years? Did they even have the dribble back then or did they still use peach baskets? Holy Cow. Looking like we might have another Vandal success story on our hands. 

News flash: Idaho does not like Boise St.

Nothing like a little story to spark the rivalry for the Idaho-Boise St. game this week which should be awesome. Apparently Vandals athletic director Rob Spear isn't a big Broncos fan. In fact, he wouldn't even fly in a plane with the BSU color scheme on it.

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP)—The Boise State vs. Idaho rivalry has taken to some not-so-friendly skies.

Idaho athletic director Rob Spear says he declined to board a Horizon Air flight after learning the airplane was painted in Boise State’s blue and orange colors.

Spear was traveling to Boise on Saturday for fundraising events. He requested another flight and then drove about 90 miles north to fly from the Spokane, Wash., airport to Boise.

Boise State and Horizon Air unveiled the plane, which sports the team logo on its tail, as an ode to the Broncos earlier this month.

I'm assuming that this plane only flies into minor cities and stuggles to land in larger airports. Just saying. Boise St. this year has been riding on their reputation alone and beating up (and sometimes barely squeaking by) on WAC opponents. That's why I don't listen to mid-major schools that complain about not playing for a national championship because they play against San Jean Weston State every week.

Good job Rob! Show Boise St. just how lame they are.

QB Controversy brewing in Idaho

Or is it? After throwing three interceptions and being benched by Idaho head coach Rob Akey last Saturday, junior QB Nathan Enderle was named the starting quarterback for next weekend's game against Hawaii.

Enderle was pulled late in the fourth quarter in last week’s win at San Jose State for backup Brian Reader, who directed the Vandals to the game-clinching drive. But Enderle beat out Reader before the season and had played well before his three-interception performance. Said Akey, “Nate is our starter. Absolutely. He is our starter and we’ve got a very talented backup.”

As long as the Vandals don't have this Derrick Anderson-Brady Quinn hate-fest, I'm fine with a little competition although Enderle is statistically one of the best QBs in the country.

Vandals are awesome. No really, they are.

Nobody saw this coming, and I mean NOBODY. The Idaho Vandals are atop the WAC conference after jumping out to their best start in recent memory with a victory over San Jose State.

The Vandals (5-1, 2-0 in the WAC) were able to muster the decisive scoring drive with Enderle on the bench and backup Brian Reader under center. Reader completed his only pass attempt — a crucial 11-yarder to Eric Greenwood. But the last march was all about a rushing attack that was money most of the night. The Vandals ran seven straight times after Reader’s completion, and punctuated the winning drive with a stirring DeMaundray Woolridge 5-yard TD run.

Woolridge is quickly becoming one of the most clutch performers Idaho has had in a LONG time. He has eight touchdowns through six games, and he’s averaging 6.0 yards per carry behind a stellar offensive line. (Princeton McCarty is also shining behind that line as well.)

Now, what does this mean? For starters, Idaho is alone atop the WAC with a 2-0 record. And it’s one win from locking up a bowl berth. That victory could very well come against Hawaii.

Boise State better be worried...

Vandals get some play in the Boston Globe

People are starting to take notice of the plucky Idaho Vandals, which have shown signs of revival with a 4-1 record going into today's game against San Jose State. Boston.com has this little nugget on them...

Looking for a feel-good team? Look to Moscow. Moscow, Idaho, that is. The Idaho Vandals are making some noise in the Western Athletic Conference, off to a 4-1 start and looking to steal a little thunder from Boise State. Idaho, which was an abysmal 3-21 the past two seasons, stunned Colorado State at the Kibbie Dome last week and is led by quarterback Nathan Enderle (1,293 yards, 8 TDs) and tailback DeMaundray Woolridge (56 rushes, 357 yards, 6 TDs). The Vandals’ loss came at Washington in Week 2. Idaho visits San Jose State tomorrow, and coach Robb Akey’s team has a shot at being 10-1 when it travels to Boise’s blue turf Nov. 14

Found this on Huckleberries Online. I'm really glad people are starting to get behind the Vandals because they deserve the support after years of being terrible. If you like rooting for the little guy, throw away that UW jersey and get Vandalized because here comes Idaho!

College football google fun!

So I typed in "Washington Huskies fan" in Google images and this came up...

My! Looks like they're really passionate fans, I believe one girl thinks she's in church. The other guy is blowing his nose into his beanie. The guy wearing the beanie below is obviously high and the guy on the left is wearing some sort of weird Snoopy costume.

Then I went out and Googled "Washington State Cougars fans" and this gem popped up.



Scary. But still awesome.

Still not happy though, I Googled "Idaho Vandals fans"...

God bless Idaho.

Epic Photo: Your Vandals moment of Zen

Idaho’s Princeton McCarty (20) looks for some running room against New Mexico State in an NCAA college football game Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M. (AP Photo/The Albuquerque Journal, Jim Thompson)

Last year I picked Idaho as my FBS team of choice (since EWU is a FCS member) and they've started this season off with a promising 21-6 victory over New Mexico State. Sure NMSU sucks, but hey! Baby steps... go Vandals.

Shock game today vs. the worst uniforms in the league

Boise has never been known for its excellent uniform choices. I mean it is the same city that gave us the Smurf turf and the uniforms to match it at Boise State University. (And seriously guys, I will stand by the Idaho Vandals long before I ever root for the Broncos. Even if they go winless the next ten years. Which could actually happen).

Now their af2 team, which plays Spokane tonight at 7 p.m. in the Spokane Arena, is no better. Check out those duds above. I mean it's workable if you're a crossing guard or something but you'd think somebody would have brought it up in a board meeting with team ownership that you can't stare at the uniforms for more than like two seconds before your eyes start bleeding.

And brown helmets? Shiny brown helmets? This reminds me of that Dane Cook stand up where he says "Somebody s*** on the coats." Apparently somebody did the same to the helmets in the Boise Burn equipment room.

The team itself is actually quite good, they're ranked seventh in the Coaches Poll and are second in the West Division behind Spokane at 4-1. However, the Shock have already beaten the Burn in their home stadium 63-45. That was two weeks ago as Boise committed five turnovers.

Don't forgot to check in with Just South of North, as we'll have Dylan Kitzan running the live game blog!

Our Neighbors -- Wild and Wacky Edition

ESPN 700 AM in Spokane had recently changed up their format, combining two of their afternoon talk shows into one super-epic show with roughly 12 guys on the air at the same time entitled "Dennis Patchin and the Wingmen" which has a snazzy Top-Gun logo.

And while I would venture to guess that this was because of budget concerns, meshing "Bud and the Wingmen" with "The Dennis Patchin" show has produced an interesting and pretty engaging show. It honestly seems like the guys are having fun on the air and not forcing the "wacky morning DJ whoaaaaaaah" stick.

Now you're probably asking why I'm showing a photo of the Idaho Vandals football team, shirtless. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's because Moscow Idaho is apparently the center of the football universe.

And I didn't realize it until the guys at Patchin and the Wingmen pointed this out. Let me explain the two reasons why the Vandals are the backbone of football in America.

1. Tom Cable, the former head coach for the Idaho Vandals is now the head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders. Granted being head coach of the Raiders is like choosing a movie during a romantic date with your girlfriend - you don't really have a choice. Thanks Al Davis.

2. Patchin and the Wingmen pointed out that seven out of the ten assistant coaches on the Washington Huskies football team either played football or coached football at Idaho.

(Okay this isn't really connected, but you can now download your own UW head coach Steve Sarkisian desktop background. WHOOP DEE DOOO!!!)

I think that those reasons are pretty concrete :D, but you can tell me that I'm wrong in the comment bar.

MONTANA UPDATE

You know what, these guys really stink. I hate them. I'm not updating them. UM? They're good in men and women's basketball this year. Nuff said. Now go get a job.

Our Neighbors Weekly Update: JustSoN coverage across the Pacific Northwest

-University of Montana-

Tonight the Lady Griz take on Portland State, at PSU, for claim of the top of the Big Sky. Both teams are 6-0 in conference games. With Montana being 17-3 overall, and Portland State is 13-6. It's a winner take all game at a big time in the season. The game starts 7 p.m. Pacific and can be watched online at www.bigskytv.org.

On the men's side PSU is visiting Montana tonight. The Griz currently sit in 3rd in the Big Sky, having beat Northern Colorado 68-59 on 1/25. The men Vikings also are in 1st place, and the Griz could really use a home win.

Indoor track will be in Bozeman on Friday for the Montana State Dual Invitational. Montana will be going against MSU and Idaho State.

-Montana State University-

The men's team has slid to 6th in the Big Sky after back-to-back losses. At the hands of Northern Colorado the Bears had their way with the Bobcats, 55-65. After that, MSU traveled down to Southern Mississippi, only to loose 60-68. Tonight they host Eastern Washington. The Eagles currently sit in 7th in the Conference and are looking to get their season back on track. A win tonight for the Bobcats would be huge.

-Idaho State University-

Tonight ISU will be trying to "white out" their arena as the Weber Wildcats come into town. The Bengals have a slight hold on the 4 spot in the Conference, but Northern Colorado is nipping at their heels. But Weber State won't be overlooked. The Wildcats are currently tied with PSU for first in the Big Sky. ISU needs a win tonight at home to keep pace with the Bears.

-University of Idaho-

While ISU is trying to white out their gym, U of I is trying to "black out" theirs. Tonight the Vandals take on Boise State. The Vandals are flying high after winning the rematch with New Mexico State 67-57. UI currently sit in 4th in the WAC, one spot behind the visiting Boise State. A win tonight would help close the gap between the two. Idaho is 3-3 in conference, while Boise State is 5-2.

The indoor track teams will be heading to Pullman on Friday and Saturday for the Washington State Cougar Invitational.

-University of Alaska Anchorage-

The gymnasitics team heads to Colorado this week. The 0-4 squad is searching for their first win of the season. 1/31 will see them in Denver, 2/1 the squad goes Colorado Springs to take on Air Force.

In men's basketball, the Seawolves lost at Billings, MT to Montana State - Billings 60-69. Seniors Jeremiah Trueman and Kenny Barker combined for 37 points. But a late 2nd half push by the Yellowjackets proved to much for UAA.

UConn is pretty good

So No. 2 UConn put the hurt on No. 8 Gonzaga today 88-83 in overtime, Eastern Washington lost by 30 points to Washington and WSU plays Idaho tomorrow.

Can't hardly wait.

The Zags had a full crowd at Key Arena behind them but it wasn't enough as the Huskies turned up the defense in the waning seconds of regulation and overtime. Pargo couldn't seem to be able to hold onto the ball either. All Gonzaga's three point shooters fouled out when they really needed them.

All in all, it wasn't the greatest outings for the Zags and they only lost by five points to second-best team in the country. You can't be too discouraged, this is a talented team, they're just going to need to play better under pressure.

With the game on the line, they fell apart. Does that sound familiar? Anyone remember Adam Morrison crying at center court, because I do. However, I think this team is considerably better than that Sweet Sixteen Squad.

Once they get rolling in the WCC schedule, they'll get into the perfect attitude for the NCAA Tournament.

... and I really don't want to talk about the Eagles right now.

Reasons why you're still single

You wear an Idaho Vandals t-shirt in public.

Seriously.