Vandals coach on postseason play: 'It's good to be here'

Dec. 2—The No. 4 Idaho football team makes its return to the Football Championship Subdivision playoff for the second consecutive year at 7 p.m. today against Southern Illinois at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome (ESPN2).

The Vandals' second-round matchup against the Salukis (8-4, 4-4 Missouri Valley) will be watched by a national audience across the country on ESPN2, and it'll be the first playoff game on the SprinTurf at the Kibbie Dome since 1993.

"We're excited to be here," Eck said during Monday's news conference. "College football postseason action in the Kibbie Dome post Thanksgiving — it's good to be here at this point in the season."

While Idaho receiving some home cooking will give it a slight advantage, Southern Illinois shouldn't be fazed by a boisterous crowd today, given its Missouri Valley Conference roots, as it routinely makes trips to the FargoDome to face conference foe and routine powerhouse North Dakota State.

"I think in all four of our home games this year, we've had a good home-field advantage," Eck said. "It's been loud. Montana and Montana State were both sellouts, so those were probably the loudest games. But Southern played in the FargoDome this year, and there's a lot of domes in that league, so I don't think it'll be too different from what they're used to, but I'm hoping it can be an edge for us."

Despite the Vandals and Salukis never squaring up on the gridiron, there is a bit of familiarity between the two head coaches.

Eck competed against Southern Illinois and seven-year coaching veteran Nick Hill during his five-year tenure with South Dakota State.

"I think Nick does a really great job of scheming up on offense," Eck said. "They do a good job of motioning and using their personnel. What has probably changed thinking back to his early teams is now they're really good on defense."

Here are some things to watch in today's historic game:

Find a way against a dominant pass rush

For the most part, Hill has been touted as an offensive mind, but this year's team has been built on the back of its defense.

The Salukis are sixth in the FCS in points allowed (15.8 points per game), third in yards allowed (281.4 yards per game) and fifth in rush defense.

This jump in production can be traced to first-year defensive coordinator Antonio James.

James also coaches the defensive line, which is the strength of the Saluki defense.

SIU has totaled 36 sacks on the season, and they've gotten production from several players, with three Salukis having four or more sacks on the year.

Southern Illinois causes pressure by creating confusion up front, rotating in three and four-man fronts throughout the game.

"We really have to do a good job of locking counts with our O-line," Eck said. "I think they'll have a good challenge this week because they present a problem with their fronts. ... We have to make sure we understand what front they're in and get targeted correctly. And they do a great job of getting off blocks, so even if you have them accounted for, you really have to finish on those guys and make sure because they will escape them and get to the ball."

Getting off to a fast start

SIU, much like the rest of the upper echelon of the FCS, has adopted the NDSU offensive model of possessing the ball, controlling the clock and relying on its defense to close things out.

The Vandals also use this model and will need to find a way to make sure that this style of play benefits them and not the Salukis.

SIU averages 26.3 points per game this season, which ranks seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference.

No offensive player for the Salukis earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, and they lack a true game-wrecker on that side of the ball.

However, this type of layout on offense has become typical of Hill's offenses over the years.

"They always have really good skill guys on offense," Eck said. "They have a pretty good knack for spreading the ball around. They have a lot of different playmakers who can do a good job with the ball in their hands."

In order for Idaho to eliminate any possibility for SIU to get things humming offensively, it'll need to put a nail in its coffin early and make sure the game starts fast and in its favor.

"I think that's huge," Eck said. "I think that the teams that have had success against them have been able to get leads on them. They prefer to be in that low-scoring control and be able to play good defense, pin their ears back mode. I think if you put a little pressure on their offense to be a bit more explosive, you can get a lead on these guys."

Execution is what matters

At this point in the season, every team still playing is very good, and these two are no exception.

The Vandals and Salukis have their share of stalwarts that will make an impact today, but the result will depend on who makes the fewest mistakes.

"They have a good team," Eck said. "We got to see what wrinkles they have for us. I'm sure they have some. But like a lot of good teams, part of the reason they've been good is because they've been consistent. They're not a flavor-of-the-week team. They don't have brand-new coverage or blitz every week; they just execute the stuff they do well. I think this time of year is what we do best vs. what they do best, and whoever can execute best will come out as the winner."

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.