ANALYSIS: Handing out first quarter grades for the Vandals

The fourth-ranked Idaho Vandals are a quarter of the way through their season, so it’s a perfect time to go back to school and give out a quarter-mark report card.

Idaho has started strong with a 2-1 record with victories over a Football Bowl Subdivision team in Wyoming and a ranked Football Championship Subdivision squad in UAlbany. The one loss was a surprisingly close game against then-No. 3 Oregon with the Vandals only trailing by a field goal in the fourth quarter. However, that does not mean everything for Idaho will get top marks.

There are still things to be concerned about going forward with the No. 4 team in the FCS.

Here are the Idaho Vandal quarter grades:

Offense — C

This was the hardest grade to give because starting quarterback Jack Layne broke his collarbone in the first game of the season against Oregon. Jack Wagner has come in and done an admirable job as his backup, but there is a lot of growth that needs to be done still.

The running game continues to find its groove as the season has come along. Against the Ducks there just was no room and running backs Elisha Cummings and Nate Thomas had nowhere to go. The Vandals leaned on the running game more against Wyoming, but it was not until that home opener that Cummings and Thomas were able to shine. The duo combined for 146 yards on 19 carries before getting to watch the fourth quarter from the sidelines in the 41-13 blowout win.

Sophomore Jordan Dwyer has been the go-to receiver for Wagner and redshirt freshman Mark Hamper has shown glimpses of being a solid No. 2 option, but Idaho needs other players to stand out. Jake Cox leads all tight ends with three catches so far and only seven different players have a reception in 2024.

Defense — A

There has been so much said about the Vandal defense this year already, but Idaho has balled out on the defensive side.

The total yards numbers have gotten a bit skewed early on in the season as UAlbany had a lot of junk time yardage. Of the 350 yards that the Great Danes gained on the Vandals, 219 came in the final three drives of the game after Idaho had a 41-3 lead.

Oregon was able to move up and down the field against Idaho in the opener and finished the game with 487 yards. However the Ducks only scored 24 points, a season low for Oregon early in the year.

Senior defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby has six sacks on the season — more than he had all of last year — to lead a Vandal pass rush that already has 11 sacks. Idaho only had 24 sacks last year.

Special teams — A

Andrew Marshall returned a punt for a touchdown last week and had another fantastic return called back by penalty. Marshall has a 17.4 yards per return average.

Abraham Willams and Cummings have only had one chance each to return a kick this season, so kick returns are a TBD mark on the grade, but you expect them to be great if given the opportunity.

The special teams MVP early on in the season is junior punter LJ Harm. He is averaging 40.67 yards per attempt and has nailed two longer than 50 yards. The bigger stat is the fact that six of his punts have pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line. Harm has been a true field position changer so far this season.

Offensive line — B

This grade got a bump up with the performance against UAlbany. It was the first chance for the Vandal linemen to face an FCS opponent and they had a standout performance.

Wagner, and Nick Josifek in mop-up duty, were kept clean all game long and the running game averaged 7.5 yards per carry as Thomas and Cummings were able to sprint through open running lanes.

The loss of sophomore Charlie Vliem and redshirt freshman Kaden Robnett for the season will have long-term consequences. Sophomore Layton Vining and junior Logan Harris performed well as replacements against the Great Danes, but if anything, the loss of experience and depth at a volatile position is worrisome.

Situational offense — D

This is a grade that has plenty of time to improve throughout the season, but it has not been good so far.

In a run-focused offense, there are going to be several situations in a game when the offense will face a third down and need a play to extend the drive. So far in 2024, the Vandals are eighth-worst in the FCS in extending a drive on third downs.

Idaho is 7-of-34 (20.6%) on third down conversions so far this year. The positive spin is that the Vandals went 4-of-9 (44.4%) against UAlbany. That percentage would be good enough to be in the top 20, but Idaho needs to show that conversion rate in more than one game.

The reason that the grade is not a straight out F is the fact the Vandals have been perfect in the red zone. Idaho has made seven trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line and the Vandals have scored a touchdown all seven times. They have four rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns inside the red zone this year.

Situational defense — B

The defense has been solid in getting off the field, but there is still room for improvement. Opponents are converting on third down 36.2% (17-of-47) of the time. In the victory against the Great Danes, UAlbany converted on just 4-of-15 opportunities.

In the red zone, the Vandals have been stout and have allowed a touchdown on less than half of the trips by opposing offenses. Idaho has allowed five touchdowns on 11 drives that got inside the 20. Opponents also have four field goals. The Great Danes missed a field goal and failed on a fourth down conversion in the red zone last week.

Overall — B

If you looked at the schedule before the year and tried to predict what the Vandal record would be after three weeks, the most optimistic you could be is 2-1 and that is right where Idaho is. That one loss was an eye-opening battle that no one expected. However, the Vandals cannot earn more than an above-average grade because there is still so much improvement that is on the table.

Isbelle can be reached at 208-848-2268, risbelle@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyIsbelle.