All Time Record: 448-574-26
Bowl Record: 2-1
Conf. Champs: 1 (1998)
2013 Record: 8-5
2013 Bowl: Hawaii (L)
2013 Review
First-year head coach Mike Lowrey inherited a team that was coming of a 1-11 season and had been 2-10 the year before. Things were looking bleak in Moscow just three years removed from their second ever bowl appearance.
Lowrey came in and completely changed the culture in the locker room, though. He created competition at every position and encouraged the seniors to be leaders on the team. Freshmen fought for playing time and upper classmen fought the complacency that had engulfed the team prior to Lowrey's arrival.
The Vandals came out of the gates strong and started the season 8-1. It was the best start in team history and they had a legitimate shot at a Mountain West Conference title. Unfortunately, injuries crippled the team late in the year and Idaho lost their last four games of the year, including a Hawaii Bowl loss to Air Force.
Looking forward to 2014
Although the Vandals stumbled to the finish line last year, there were a lot of positives that came from what was overall a very good season. First and foremost, the team believed it could win and fan support was rejuvenated. While a good start to 2014 will be key to keeping the fans engaged, the overall feel in the locker room is one in which everyone believes that they can win.
Starting center Mike Marboe leads an experienced offensive line that returns all five starters. While the skill position players on offense are mostly new faces, an improved and experienced line will set the tone for the offense. Defensively, the team is switching to a 3-3-5 defense but returns 7 starters on a unit that ranked among the best in the conference.
The biggest difference with this year's team will be the influx of new talent. Coach Lowrey and his staff worked hard to bring offensive talent to Moscow and wound up compiling the 22nd best recruiting class in the nation, the highest ranked class in school history. The prize of the class was #1 running back prospect Joseph Ward. The Vandals also signed the #5 RB prospect (Kasey Booth) as well as junior college standouts James Madison and George Turner at quarterback. Wide receiver Tim Brown was another highly regarded prospect that the staff plucked out of Louisiana.
Lowrey said he plans to transition to an up-tempo, spread option type offense this year and, judging by the recruiting class, he now has the talent to do it. While Ward and Turner are expected to redshirt this year, the team now has the offensive depth at key position to not only withstand injury, but also lead the team for the next 3-4 years.
Predictions
The Vandals have a very tough schedule to start the season. They open at rival Washington State who played the Vandals very tough last year despite their 3-9 record. The first conference game at Arkansas State (8-5) follows and will set the tone for the entire conference schedule. Two more non-conference opponents (home versus Iowa State (4-8) and at Duke (8-5)) will not be easy wins either. Then the Vandals host San Jose State (who handed the team their first loss last season) and Nevada (another loss last year) before traveling to last year's conference champs Louisiana Tech and preseason #23 Utah State.
Those first eight games could leave Idaho anywhere from 3-5 to 6-2 depending on how quickly the team picks up the new offensive and defensive schemes and how many breaks go their way. The end of the schedule features three homes games (New Mexico State, UNLV and Fresno) and a road game at Boise. Again, its not an easy schedule, but with three home games the Vandals should come out of it at least even (2-2) or possibly even 3-1.
That leaves this team looking at a finish of somewhere between 6-6 and 9-3. That should be enough for a second-straight bowl appearance and, possibly, another run at a conference championship (providing some breaks go their way).