Defensive Line

At first glance, the Idaho defensive line shows an impressive resume.

With five-tackles-for-a-loss, three quarterback hurries and two forced and recovered fumbles, the four man has been getting pressure behind the line of scrimmage.

Then factor in that the Vandals hold the No. 29 rushing defense in the nation, and the defensive line looks good.

But then you get deeper into the statistics to see the whole picture.

So far this season, Idaho has faced New Mexico State, Washington and San Diego State. These programs have the No. 40, No. 90 and No. 112 rushing offenses, respectively, in the nation.

This week, the Vandals will face the No. 24 rushing offense in NIU.

Idaho has size in the middle. Both nose guard Jonah Sataraka and defensive tackle Michael Cosgrove both weigh 280 pounds. But in three games this year, these players have combined for only two sacks.

The edges haven’t been any better for Idaho. The Vandals have chosen speed over weight at the position. Defensive end Aaron Lavarias is only 248 pounds, while Andre Ferguson weighs a mere 225 pounds. Although this group is fast, it has only one tackle-for-a-loss and has yet to sack the quarterback.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

Blitzing is what the Vandals like to do according to NIU head coach Jerry Kill.

This has the Huskies’ head coach putting extra focus on film sessions for his offense.

“Any time you play teams that blitz a lot, you’ve got to make sure that you cover each gap,” Kill said. “We’ve got to do a good job of recognizing what they are doing and when they are doing it.”

That means this group should be leading the Vandals in bringing the pressure.

Strong side linebacker JoJo Dickson and middle linebacker Paul Senescall are tied for second on the team with 18 tackles each this season. Weak side linebacker Robert Siavii is close behind with 14 tackles in three games.

But while the group has been able to tackle the opposition it hasn’t created a problem in the backfield.

Senescall has the only tackle-for-a-loss in the group. And no one has a sack this season. Sacks have been a problem in general for Idaho, as it ranks No. 110 out of 120 teams in the nation in the statistic.

What has really hurt the Vandals, however, is their oppositions’ third-down conversion rate. This season Idaho has allowed 24 of 60 third downs, or 60 percent, to be converted. That is the worst percentage in the nation.

One bright stop for the group came last week as Dickson nabbed one of the Vandals two interceptions this season, picking off San Diego State for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Grade: D+

Secondary

There’s no doubt about it, free safety Shiloh Keo is the start of the Idaho defense.

The junior leads the Vandals with 14 solo tackles and 24 total tackles this season. Keo also holds the team lead in interceptions — one — and broken up passes — two.

“What I do know is they are very athletic,” NIU wide receiver Marcus Lewis said about the Idaho secondary. “They like to run around a lot.”

But outside of Keo, the rest of the secondary has proven to be ineffective. Between the three other defensive backs, only one pass has been broken up.

As a team, Idaho has the No. 87 pass defense in the nation, as it is allowing 243 yards per game.

The Vandals have faced the No. 23 and No. 28 passing defense this season. Idaho, however, has pressure from its defensive line, which should be helping the secondary.

NIU ranks as the No. 100 passing offense in the nation. New Mexico State, which has the No. 114 passing offense in the nation, was able to throw for 235 yards, however, against its WAC counterpart.

Grade: C-

Special Teams

Redshirt freshman Bobby Cowan was an all-state quarterback his sophomore and senior year in Washington.

But he was an all-state punter for three seasons in high school too.

Still listed as a quarterback by the Vandals, Cowan has been handling the punting duties this season. The punter ranks No. 11 in the nation, averaging 45.6 yards per boot.

Fellow freshman Trey Farquhar has been kicking field goals for Idaho this season. Farquhar is 5-for-7 this season hitting from 29 yards to 44 yards out.

As for punt and kickoff returns, Idaho ranks No. 48 and No. 66 in the nation, respectively. One weakness in the Vandals kicking game, however, has been their punt return defense. This part of the special team is allowed 15.6 yards per punt return, which ranks Idaho No. 104 in the nation.

Grade: B

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