2018 RECORD 4-7, 3-5 Big Sky Conference

COACH Paul Petrino (23-48 in six seasons at Idaho; career record: same)

SERIES RECORD First meeting

OFFENSE Senior Mason Petrino, the son of Paul Petrino, is a dual-threat quarterback who threw for 1,933 yards and 15 touchdowns last season while rushing for 245 yards and three TDs. Backup Colton Richardson suffered through an injury-plagued sophomore year but still threw for 434 yards and five TDs. Richardson went 16 of 18 for 175 yards and three TDs in the team’s spring game, so the competition isn’t over just yet.

Elsewhere, the Vandals must replace leading receiver David Ungerer, who has moved on to the Canadian Football League, but returnees Cutrell Haywood and Jeff Cotton combined for 100 catches last year and 18 catches in the spring game.

Idaho also has a couple of very good offensive linemen in Noah Johnson and Logan Floyd. Paul Petrino said the line’s performance was one of the most encouraging developments to come out of spring practice.

DEFENSE Idaho fielded one of the most porous defenses in the Big Sky last season, allowing 37.5 points per game to rank 12th out of 13 conference teams, and 455.3 yards, ranking 10th. That sounds bad, but the Vandals did play two games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, driving up those numbers significantly.

This year, they return two key members of the linebacker corps in Christian Elliss and Charles Akanno. Elliss was their leading tackler with 81 stops in 2018, while Akanno was second on the team in both sacks (four) and tackles for loss (eight). Also returning is cornerback Lloyd Hightower, who broke up 13 passes last year, third-best in the Big Sky.

SPECIAL TEAMS Petrino called redshirt junior Cade Coffey “a great weapon” for the Vandals. After missing his first two field goal attempts of the 2018 season, Coffey hit eight of his last nine. He had an even bigger impact as a punter, averaging 44.1 yards on 64 attempts, including 19 punts of 50 or more yards.

SCHEDULE The Vandals dropped down to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2018, rejoining the Big Sky after 22 seasons in Division I-A. It was not a seamless transition, but at least the path to improvement is clear: If Idaho is going to compete for championships, it will have to play much better on the road. The Vandals went 0-6 away from home last year.

GAME OF THE YEAR Idaho will face intrastate rival Idaho State on homecoming weekend. It’s been dubbed the “Battle of the Domes,” as both teams have indoor stadiums. Idaho’s Kibbie Dome holds 16,000 for football and was the second-smallest stadium in the FBS when the Vandals were playing at that level.

OUTLOOK Idaho played two FBS opponents last year – Fresno State and Florida – and lost those games by a combined margin of 142-23. That doesn’t bode well for the team’s season-opening visit to Penn State.

Nor does this: In April, Elliss and tight end Dalton Cash were suspended for the opener after being charged in connection with a shoplifting incident at a local Walmart. That’s the last thing the Vandals needed in advance of a cross-country trip to face the most formidable opponent on their schedule.