Idaho offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner has the Vandal offense humming.
Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy and receiver Hayden Hatten earned top awards from the Football Championship Subdivision and Big Sky Conference for their performances during the Vandals’ 30-23 win Saturday at No. 2 Montana.
McCoy finished 21-of-27 passing for 286 yards and two scores to earn the Big Sky’s offensive player of the week, and Hatten had nine catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns, earning him NCAA FCS national offensive accolades.
“It feels great, and it’s a blessing honestly,” McCoy said. “But I’m just happy that we’re winning right now.”
Schleusner, who also coaches quarterbacks, has been around and recruited several big-name receivers and tight ends who have gone on to play in the NFL, like Kenny Golladay, Adam Thielen and Dallas Goedert. He put Hatten’s work against the Grizzles among the best.
“I knew he had talent, we just had to be patient with him,” Schleusner said. “I didn’t know how good he was until I was around him every day. He has elite ball skills, great body control, and his understanding of our offense and what we want has just continued to improve.”
The pair’s performance against Montana is indicative of how effectively the Vandals have run their offense this season.
Idaho is No. 1 in the FCS in time of possession, turnover margin and turnovers lost.
Out of all those statistics, the most impressive is the time of possession. The Vandals keep the ball for an average of 37 minutes per game, but it’s not something Schleusner keeps an eye on.
“Our big key is we’re working to improve on third down,” he said. “We struggled a bit early on, but we’re doing a better job at keeping drives moving.”
Holding on to the football is just an after effect of the Vandals’ offensive scheme. A big part of that is establishing the run.
The Vandals average 140.8 rushing yards per outing and had a stretch of three games where they set season-high marks.
The high rushing totals don’t come from huge breakaway runs. They comes from a community of backs getting a boatload of carries that inevitably wears the opposition down.
Idaho finished the first quarter with just 16 yards rushing in its 55-35 win against Northern Colorado on Oct. 1. Perhaps, seeing those numbers would make a play-caller abandon the run. Not Schleusner. Idaho finished the game with a season-high 252 yards on the ground.
“They continue to get better, and I think they’ll be even better as the year wears on,” Schleusner said. “The running back and offensive line positions have kinda been hit with some injuries, so it’s been hard with continuity, but we continue to improve.”
Schleusner further demonstrated his loyalty against Montana. The Vandals ran the ball 44 times for 52 yards in that one. Despite the low total, it opened up the play-action game, and it led to a huge 23-yard touchdown pass to Hatten in the second quarter. Using play-action has led to some of its biggest plays of the season.
“If we don’t stay committed to the run game, the play-action doesn’t work,” Schleusner said. “It allows us to work our double moves down the field. (McCoy) was hit as he threw on the (Hatten) touchdown and he still delivered it. These guys have done a good job at opening up the big plays and making them happen.”
The ability to run the ball and establish play-action also has helped McCoy access passing lanes.
“It’s so good when you can run and pass the ball because it opens each other up,” said McCoy, a redshirt freshman who averages 226 yards per game and ranks tops in the Big Sky in quarterback efficiency.
Calmness and efficiency were two things Schleusner valued above everything else during Idaho’s quarterback competition in the spring. McCoy exuded confidence from the jump and it earned him the job.
“I used to play in stadiums (in high school) and things like that,” McCoy said. “That got me mentally prepared for these kinds of games. I just go out there and block out the noise and focus on myself.”
Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.
