Idaho faces another dogfight in Albany at the Kibbie Dome
Dec. 9—It's commonplace in the sports world to have a dog mascot, with breeds like huskies and bulldogs being mainstays. But it's not every day a team goes from kenneling a Saluki to hosting a Great Dane.
The fourth-seeded Idaho football team (9-3) plays the fifth-seeded Albany Great Danes (10-3) at 7 p.m. today in the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome (ESPN+).
This is the Vandals' fifth all-time trip to the quarters, and with a win, they'll join the '93 and '88 teams as the only ones in program history to reach the semifinals.
However, the fifth-seeded Great Danes (10-3) won't be an easy out.
Albany has one of the nation's best defenses, allowing 16.8 points per game, which ranks eighth in the FCS and has tallied a Division I-high 49 sacks.
"Their defense is outstanding," Idaho coach Jason Eck said during Monday's news conference. "They're a little better than Southern (Illinois) defense, and they did a great job against us."
Albany opened postseason play with a 41-13 rout against Richmond in the second round of the playoffs on Saturday.
In that one, the Great Danes limited the Spiders to just 32 net rushing yards and tallied seven sacks.
As for the Vandals, they're coming off a 17-13 overtime victory over the Southern Illinois Salukis, giving them their first playoff victory since '93.
Idaho's special teams unit showed up in a big way as senior kicker Ricardo Chavez nailed the 28-yard game-winner in overtime.
Senior returnman Jermaine Jackson also had an 86-yard punt return touchdown to tie the game at 10 in the third quarter, sparking the Vandal comeback.
"They've been outstanding," Eck said of his special teams unit. "Coach (Thomas) Ford has done a great job with that unit, and we take a lot of pride in making plays on special teams."
Here are some things to watch for in Idaho's quarterfinal game:
A stout defense
Idaho's O-line was tasked once again in a big way against SIU last week, and it allowed three sacks and four quarterback hurries.
The Vandal front-five has been outmatched all season, and today's matchup might be the most lopsided to date.
Albany's pressure is mostly generated by senior defensive linemen Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon.
Against Richmond, the pair were game wreckers, with Simon accounting for two sacks, six tackles, three for loss and a fumble recovery that Juncaj forced.
"The tougher matchup will be our O-line against their D-line," Eck said. "The D-ends are one of the better 1-2 combos we've played (this season), and for us to win, we need to win the O-line/D-line battle."
Junacaj has 14 sacks, which ranks No. 2 in the FCS. The Port Jervis, N.Y., native had a season-high four QB takedowns in a 34-13 win over Fordham on Aug. 26.
Juncaj has added 10 quarterback hurries, 20 tackles for a loss and four forced fumbles to his stat sheet.
His running mate, Simon, has recorded 12.5 sacks which ranks fourth in the FCS. He's added 17 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and 21 tackles for loss.
The Great Danes' defense had five players make the All-Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) first-team, including defensive player of the year senior linebacker Dylan Kelly.
Kelly finished the regular season with the second-most tackles in the FCS (145), notching a season-high 23 in a 24-17 win over Towson on Oct. 7.
Kelly's tackle total is the most in program history, besting a mark that stood for more than three decades.
Albany is also one of the best units in the country against the run, allowing 75.9 yards per outing.
"One thing about them is that they play a lot of guys a lot of plays," Eck said. "They have about six guys who have played 800 snaps. Hopefully, you can wear them out."
Not too bad on offense, either
The Great Danes' offense is orchestrated by the FCS' leader in touchdown passes (33), sophomore Resse Poffenbarger.
All-CAA second-team receivers Julian Hicks and Brevin Easton have accounted for 21 of Poffenbarger's 33 touchdown passes.
The Vandals' pass rush will need to make an appearance throughout today's contest, which was something that was limited against SIU.
Salukis' senior quarterback Nic Baker ducked under pressure, using his small frame to aid his escapability. Poffenbarger is 6 feet tall, so he goes about his business differently.
"Their quarterback is an X-factor," Eck said. "If we do win on a pass rush, he can extend and make plays by making a guy miss. We have to play well on defense."
Finding your offensive spark
The Vandals had their worst offensive showing of the season against SIU.
Idaho was held to a season-low 293 yards, following the downward trend on that side of the ball.
With the exception of the "Jack Layne game" against Idaho State, where the Vandals thumped the Bengals 63-21 on Nov. 18, their offense has been stagnant.
The Vandals average 33.2 points per outing but haven't scored more than 30 points since a 42-14 win over Cal Poly on Oct. 7.
In this five-game stretch (excluding ISU), Idaho has averaged 353.4 yards of offense, a number that would rank near the bottom of the Big Sky Conference.
In their first six games of the season, the Vandals averaged 444.3 yards of offense.
It has now been two months since the Vandals eclipsed 400 yards and won the game (Cal Poly).
The Vandals finding or perhaps rediscovering their offensive identity against the Great Danes will be imperative if they want to continue their history-making march.
Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks
