Meet the potato: Idaho, ready to get back to business, introduces new rivalry trophy at Big Sky media day

Nineteen-and-a-half-pounds of lacquered Douglas fir shaped like a giant spud and resting atop a wood base dominated the University of Idaho’s table at the Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff media day.

“What the heck is that?” immediately leaps to mind.

The Potato State Trophy. To be contested with Idaho State University.

It joins a pantheon of quirky Vandals’ awards.

The former Governor’s Cup awarded to the winner of the Idaho-Eastern Washington University game during Idaho’s first tour in the Big Sky Conference before the Vandals embarked on a two-decade venture into the Football Bowl Subdivision was dug out of storage a couple of seasons ago. It was rechristened the Che Scow Cup, with its new name printed in black ink on a strip of white athletic tape.

Idaho’s oldest rivalry, with Montana, is memorialized by the Little Brown Stein. The teams first met in 1903. The rivalry was reinvigorated when Idaho beat Montana two years ago for the first time since 2000.

Finally, there is a daily award, a fearsome looking battle ax commemorating the player who had the day’s best practice.

All of it sets a tone. College football should be more than a humorless pursuit of alignments, keys and leverage . The Vandals have been a playoff team in coach Jason Eck’s first two seasons. Last year, they reached the quarterfinals. They are close enough to it to realistically entertain making a national championship run. Serious business. But frivolous fun along the way widens perspective and eases pressure.

“You have got to have trophy games,” says Eck.

Last year, the Vandals and Bengals battled for a Mr. Potato Head atop a trophy base.

“I saw that potato head, and I laughed,” said Keyshawn James-Newby. The All-Big Sky honorable mention edge rusher last year is a key member of what Eck says could be the most dominant defensive line in the league, and Idaho will need it to be for the Vandals to win a Big Sky championship, he adds.

Eck was joined at the media day by seniors James-Newby and All-Big Sky honorable mention safety Tommy McCormick. As is typical at such preseason gatherings, optimism, earnestness and reflection on final chances by seniors were in great supply.

The Vandals begin fall practice July 31 and open the season at Oregon Aug. 31.

“I used to hate fall camp. Now it’s the best part of the year. I love fall camp,” James-Newby said. “It is time spent with teammates and just working on your craft.”

For his final college football campaign, he added he wants to “bring passion and a whole lot of energy.”

McCormick said he enjoys “the grind.”

“I want to make sure I leave nothing on the field,” he said. “You never want to leave with regrets.”

The Vandals last year got a reality check on what it will take for them to make the final leap to national championship contender. They were beaten by Albany in the playoffs, 30-22. In a semifinal game the next week, Albany was destroyed by eventual national champion South Dakota State, 59-0.

The Jackrabbits “were literally head and shoulders above everybody. They were at least two touchdowns better than everybody last year,” Eck says.

McCormick, though, saw opportunity.

“It was a bad matchup for Albany. I think we would have competed well against SDSU. It would have been a good battle if we had gotten there.”

While Idaho relied heavily on its prodigious offense in Eck’s first two years, the Vandals should be able to lean on a controlling defense this season. Idaho came out of spring ball with the defense dominating.

“We were getting after the offense all day,” James-Newby says.

“On the road, always pack your defense and kicking game,” says Eck.

Where crowd noise and weather can adversely affect offense, “outside factors have no effect on defense,” he added. “And three-and-outs set up positive field position.”

The Vandals will have no seniors on offense this year, but while acknowledging the defense was the star of spring, Eck added “the offense took steps, too.”

Preseason camp will hopefully identify a third receiver to team with Jordan Dwyer and Mark Hamper, according to Eck, who pointed out that before he was lost for much of the year two seasons ago, Dwyer caught touchdowns against both Washington State and Indiana. Hamper took advantage of new redshirt rules to play in six games last season without losing a year of eligibility, and he looked more than capable of starting following a productive spring.

Jack Layne is set at quarterback. He replaces former Jerry Rice Award winner Gevani McCoy, who transferred to Oregon State. Stepping in for an injured McCoy the last two years against Idaho State, Layne came away with a pair of victories and has gained the trust of teammates, Eck said.

As a freshman, Layne “was in the mix” to be a starter and replace the incumbent McCoy before his own injury derailed that competition, Eck pointed out .

Layne is, Eck said, “tremendously hard-working and extremely bright. He is the smartest quarterback I have been around.”

If the Vandals collect trophies like the Che Scow Cup and Potato State trophy on the way to a third trip to the FCS playoffs, Eck’s willingness to introduce a bit of levity to the process won’t interfere with any opportunity Idaho has to pursue a national title, James-Newby assures.

“He’s all business when it comes to the football aspect,” he said.