Vandals' O-line keeps making strides

Possibly owing to the former Vandal who recently appeared back on campus, Idaho offensive coordinator Kris Cinkovich alluded to a motto he holds in high regard.

"Run to win," as it was for the Packers of old, when they had Hall of Fame UI grad Jerry Kramer in the trenches.

Not a comparison, just a mold to follow - controlling the line of scrimmage and winning on the ground have been the desired high marks for UI coach Paul Petrino, Cinkovich and a chunk of other Vandal staffers and players who've gone over 60 percent of a season, and lost almost 60 percent of games.

But one key to righting the ship could be rapid development of an ever-growing but semi-green offensive line, one that's doing a bit of rotating for extra relief of the past-half seasonal routine of everyone around the conference getting a little more "banged up."

They'll want to be robust when they travel to Cheney on Saturday for a noon bout on the Inferno against No. 5 Eastern Washington's top-five conference rushing defense, one that likes to blitz.

"I sub freely in practice to get guys work, so if somebody goes down there's somebody ready to step in," Cinkovich said. "They've had the work and they know what to do, now they've gotta hold up that end of the bargain."

Currently, it's Conner Vrba, the second-year starting center, who appeared to have tweaked an ankle on Saturday in UI's 31-12 win over Southern Utah. Petrino said, "we don't know on Vrba yet."

Now freshman Matthew Faupusa and junior Brian Robinson, among others, need to buttress the trenches - but they've already been playing, interchangeably throughout practices since fall.

Here's a simple illustration, provided by Cinkovich: "It's not, 'Oh a guy got hurt, now we've gotta get this guy ready.' I'd like to think we've been getting guys ready all along."

Steady improvement through steady repetitions; that's the clear-cut blueprint for rising fortune.

Citing about 640 rushing yards in the last three games (595 passing) and a general increase in scoring for UI in recent weeks, Cinkovich acknowledged that the line is coming along. It probably helps having two diversely talented backs in Isaiah Saunders and speedster Tyrese Walker toting the rock.

"(We're) sharper, we're getting on target better, we're getting on target with better pad level," Cinkovich said.

Then he provided an oft-forgotten notice: Lines need some time to evolve collectively. They do work and are evaluated in tandem by most, after all.

"There's a way to coach the offensive line, particularly, there's a level of consistency and trustworthiness that you look for to know everybody's doing the right thing," Cinkovich explained. "We're chipping away at those things. We still have a long ways to go, but that's where we've made improvements."

It helps when older guys like All-American hopeful Noah Johnson, center/guard rotator Sean Tulette and tackle Irving Schuster have stayed in well-being, grinding through rapid-fire practices and offering the less-experienced counsel in the form of contention.

"Coming into these practices, I feel like we're always going. There's no breaks; we're constantly grinding, working, literally sprinting through every drill," said Logan Floyd, the true freshman strong tackle. "It brings a lot more energy to practice. There's a lot more tension during practice. That's just competitiveness. That's good, that's a good thing."

He said he looks up to guys like Johnson and Vrba - big men who started upon their campus arrivals and have rapidly become namesakes for fans.

Cinkovich even attributed a portion of Floyd's progress to his position, saying "He next to Noah, which you'll find is motivational, 'cause you're not gonna let that guy down."

He also recognized Floyd's betterment in his knowledge of the offensive schemes and his "full-time education" stemming from hardly missing any snaps.

The hogs have allowed 10 total sacks, which puts them at about mid-tier in the Big Sky, so "there's room to improve," said Cinkovich. But there's a sense the line's on the "uptick," - particularly, in the run game - and Petrino, too, has noticed.

"We're so young, so I think the more games they've gotten to play, and the more they've played together has really helped," he said. "They've made big strides in the last three weeks."

QB update

Paul Petrino said he wanted to rest co-quarterback Colton Richardson a bit more after Richardson suffered a concussion at Idaho State - he also felt comfortable with UI's advantage. He said he will return to using Richardson and Mason Petrino at QB at Eastern Washington.

Better in defensive backfield

UI's secondary had a laborious couple of weeks against UC Davis and Idaho State, but in the last two games, it's allowed 159 total yards and no touchdowns through the air.

Denzal Brantley mentioned how expanded aspects of "maximum effort" and "playing together" have attributed to the successes.

Granted, both Montana and SUU had more of a knack to run (46 passing attempts, 84 rushing)

Coffey honor

Punter/kicker Cade Coffey was named Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week, likely because he booted an 80-yard punt, which is the second-longest in UI history behind Flip Kleffner's 83-yarder in 1953.

Gubrud a go?

According to Spokesman-Review reporter Ryan Collingwood, Eastern Washington quarterback Gage Gubrud appears as if he might play on Saturday. Gubrud, an All-American contender, missed the Eagles' last three games with a foot injury, but practiced Tuesday.

Homecoming again

EWU's homecoming is Saturday - it'll be UI's third straight appearance in such a game. Tickets reportedly have already sold out.

Colton Clark may be reached at cclark@lmtribune.com, on Twitter @coltonclark95 or by phone at (208) 848-2260.