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MOSCOW, Idaho – The BYU football team will return to the field this week to face the University of Idaho, after the Cougars used the bye week to recover from injuries. The two teams have met only three total times (with Idaho winning two), and this will mark the first meeting between the two schools since 1955, when the Vandals beat the Cougars 49-6 in Provo.
Idaho head coach Robb Akey is in his fifth season in charge of the program in Moscow. The Vandals are coming off a come-from-behind win against San Jose State on the road last week and are looking to build momentum after only the second win of the season for Akey and his team. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
Akey met with the media earlier this week to discuss the matchup with the Cougars. Here is what he had to say about the game.
On his feelings after the comeback win at San Jose:
"I thought we did a good job of staying composed and staying positive on the sideline. But the players made the difference by making plays. The bottom line is, you’ve got to stay positive and pay attention to what you can do. I had family members tell me they already had turned the TV off in the first quarter and walked away from the thing. It’s a big time credit to our players for continuing to fight through it. I’m proud of our players, but more than anything I’m happy for them. We certainly made it as hard as we could. I’m not going to tell you everything was beautiful, but the score was.”
On the offense against SJSU and the goals moving forward: “Our offensive line did a nice job of battling through and finishing blocks. Our running backs did a nice job and made some good cuts and made some things happen. We’ve worked very hard in the last several ballgames to be able to build off of this. I’d like to see our offense grow from where we left things. I’d like to think the spark that has been ignited will give us some momentum.”
On the defensive performance after being down 20-0 at the end of the first quarter:
“It doesn’t matter if you’re thrown out there on our 5-yard line or their 5-yard line. Your job is to keep points off the board. We overcame quite an obstacle. That says a lot.”
On changes in the offensive backfield against SJSU:
“We changed the personnel and put a little more beef in the backfield. It was sponsored by Wendy’s,” joked Akey.
On quarterback Taylor Davis keeping the starting job:
“I think since we won, we’ll keep him. We’re like butter now — we’re on a roll. We’ve got to keep it going,” Akey joked. “(He will keep the job) as long as he performs.”
On linebacker Tre’Shawn Robinson:
“He’s the Energizer Rabbit. He is persistent and he is positive and he sees what we’re capable of doing.”
On playing BYU on national TV:
“It’s always good to be seen. Our players are going to be excited about it. Everyone we are recruiting is going to be watching this ball game, and every time they see you on TV and in a positive fashion, it helps you in a big way. It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase the type of football team we are capable of being.”
Landon Walters is a history and political science major currently studying at Salt Lake Community College. He is an avid sports fan and loves writing. He can be reached at mavericksoccer_22@hotmail.com
