Warriors wary of Kibbie Dome
POSTED: Saturday, October 17, 2009
PULLMAN, Wash. » For five years as Idaho's head coach, Chris Tormey relished the havoc the din trapped under the Kibbie Dome's roof raised for visiting teams.
While the Vandals' home stadium—which resembles an airplane hangar—provides protection from the outdoor elements in the Palouse, dealing with the environment inside will be part of the challenge for Hawaii today.
“;It's going to be really noisy. It'll be the most hostile environment we'll play in this year,”; said Tormey, a member of the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame and now a Warriors assistant.
“;The fans are right on top of you and they're really intense about Vandal football and enthusiastic about the direction of the program. When you go into a hostile environment you have to embrace it and use that energy. Let's not be afraid of it, let's get excited about it. That's why you play.”;
The Warriors got their first look at the Kibbie Dome during yesterday's walk-through. Although the Kibbie Dome has the smallest capacity among Western Athletic Conference stadiums at 16,000, a near-sellout crowd and the indoor acoustics are expected to raise the volume today when the Vandals (5-1, 2-0 WAC) host the Warriors (2-3, 0-2). Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Hawaii time.
WAC FOOTBALL
Hawaii (2-3, 0-2) at Idaho (5-1, 2-0) When: Today, 11 a.m.
Where: Kibbie Dome, Moscow, Idaho
TV: PPV, Dig. 255
Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
Line: Idaho by 8
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Idaho's best start since 1994 has given the home fans more to shout about than in UH's previous visits, when the Vandals were dragging along the bottom of the WAC standings.
“;I've been there when there were 8,000 people. Now it's going to be a sold-out crowd, so it's going to be exciting,”; linebacker Blaze Soares said. “;With 8,000 people, it was super loud.”;
The Warriors offense figures to be the unit most challenged by the noise, giving quarterback Bryant Moniz another factor to deal with in his second start. Moniz endured an uneven debut in last week's loss to Fresno State and spent the week ironing out the issues that arose against the Bulldogs.
“;There's a lot of things to improve on—misreads, bad balls, a lot of key mental things, a few physical errors,”; Moniz said. “;I just have to go through my progression and take my first read if it's there.”;
Although the Warriors went seven quarters without a touchdown until scoring twice late in the Fresno State loss, Idaho head coach Robb Akey is wary of Moniz's potential.
“;It's going to be his second start. He's at the controls now, I think that's going to have him settled in,”; Akey said. “;I look at him and I can see he knows where he wants to go with the football, he's got a quick release, and he's got receiver threats all over the place. ... They've very explosive, I'd like to keep their explosiveness to stay off one more week.”;
UH head coach Greg McMackin will match up with longtime friend and Idaho offensive coordinator Steve Axman as the Warriors try to slow down the Vandals, who were 3-21 in Akey's first two seasons.
Quarterback Nathan Enderle has grown into the role of distributor with a group of receivers led by Max Komar (80 yards per game) and 6-foot-6 Eric Greenwood.
The Vandals also have depth at running back with DeMundray Woolridge and Princeton McCarty powering for 6 yards per carry behind a line anchored by 6-foot-6, 325-pound guard Mike Iupati.
“;They've stuck with these guys for the last three years and they've all improved,”; McMackin said. “;This is their third year, they've stuck with them and they're making plays for them.”;
While becoming bowl eligible is beckoning to the Vandals, breaking through against Hawaii offers another motivation for Idaho. UH leads the series 8-1, the lone blemish coming in 1960.
A win today would provide some oxygen to the Warriors' flickering bowl hopes coming off a three-game losing streak.
“;I expect this to be a whale of a football game,”; Akey said. “;I know they're not happy about the way they started WAC play. I'm sure they have a great desire to get themselves back on track. At the same time we have a great desire to extend our streak. To me that's the makings of a great WAC football game.”;
PROBABLE STARTERS
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