Really competitive' Day 9 of Vandals fall camp as QB Joshua Wood dazzles

Aug. 9—MOSCOW — Competitiveness is not something that this Idaho Vandals football team is lacking.

During 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods Saturday, it was "iron sharpening iron," according to fifth-year defensive lineman Hikifo'Ou Maile, even if that led to a scuffle between members of the O-line and D-line.

Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. said he was relieved that the competition factor was still high on Day 9 of fall camp at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome.

"Really competitive," Ford said about the practice. "I'm really excited about the way this group is working every day. Anytime you come off of the recovery day, I'm worried. You know what I mean? I'm worried. And today they did a great job of refocusing and getting back to life."

QB Wood stands out

When asked about what he thinks has improved the most from the start of Week 1 to the end of Week 2 of camp, Ford mentioned the offensive air attack.

"The passing game on offense (has improved the most)," Ford said. "The quarterbacks have done such a better job in terms of taking care of the ball, understanding our system, especially the operating system within each play. And I think that group has really stood out to me, and the receivers are starting to come around as well."

The passing game sure did show up on Saturday.

During the 7-on-7 period, quarterback Joshua Wood, now listed as a senior with two years of eligibility remaining after being called a redshirt sophomore last year, looked terrific.

He read through the different layers of the secondary well and fired throws without any hesitation.

Wood found junior receiver Tony Harste wide open in the left corner of the end zone, with about 5-7 yards of separation from any defender, for a 40-yard touchdown. Wood placed the ball right into Harste's breadbasket.

A few plays later, he hit junior receiver Noah West-Baranco on the right sideline for a 30-yard gain.

Later in the same 7-on-7 period, Wood found a crossing Gus Donnerberg down the seam as the junior tight end outran his defender and scored yet another 40-yard passing TD from Wood.

Wood looked great, but that doesn't mean he was perfect; he did throw an interception to sophomore safety Jayden Rice-Claiborne on a diving grab, although it could be argued it came from miscommunication with his receiver.

Offensive focus on tempo

One thing offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker said in the spring is that the Vandals' offense is going to push the tempo and switch up the speed of the offense at times.

One drill that stood out during the "unit" drills was two offensive groups on the hashmarks near the sideline hurrying to line up on the ball to run their pre-snap actions quickly before snapping the ball and running a 3-to-5-yard play in slow motion. Then repeat. The first group that reached the end zone before the other celebrated their actions.

That showed in the 11-on-11 portion of the practice too, when they would rush to the ball and try to catch the defense on the backs of their heels.

"I think they've done a really good job," Ford said about the pace of the offense. "They're well-adjusted now. They know that we can go as fast as humanly possible, but we can also slow it down to a snail's pace. So I think the quarterbacks have definitely learned that tempo is part of this system, and they're getting a good handle on it."

Defensive line improvement

The weakest part of the Vandals' defense in 2025 was the defensive line. Aside from Matyus McLain, who has since transferred to Washington State, no defensive lineman had more than one sack.

There were a few simulated sacks on Saturday, and Ford praised the interior defensive line and new defensive line coach VJ Malo.

"The defensive tackles on the interior," Ford mentioned as which position group stood out. "Those guys are doing a phenomenal job. I think coach (VJ) Malo — he is going to be a superstar in this business. He does a phenomenal job with his group, and you can tell that they're really focused on the details and their technique."

Maile, who earned the "Battle Axe" for the best individual performance at Saturday's practice, repeated the same sentiment for Malo and defensive coordinator Lee Stalker.

"Oh, I mean, credit to coach (VJ) Malo," Maile said. "Coach Malo's a hell of a coach. He gets us right, he actually puts us in the right position. It's just on us to go execute. So credit to him and coach (Lee Stalker) for putting us in the right position."

Maile said that in the defensive tackle room, he and fifth-year Vandal Mitch Jaskowiak are the main leaders.

"We try to pull the young ones together," Maile said. "The good thing is that all the young guys, they're all coachable. They're all leaders in their own way. So, I would say probably me and Mitch, we try to get that group going, because this is our last year."

Extra points

There is a battle for who will be the No. 2 quarterback this year. The battle is between Israel Carter, a senior transfer from Norfolk State, and sophomore Sawyer Teeney.

Ford said regardless of who wins that competition, he envisions Carter having a role in the offense and said that "he's very talented" and that "he can do a lot of different things."

The roles for the starting secondary are very up in the air, and Ford said there is depth there, but the pecking order isn't quite figured out.

Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, [email protected] or on X @TrevorJunt.

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