From news services

MOSCOW - There were more gaudy numbers by the University of Idaho but in the ebb and flow of the Vandals' second scrimmage of the spring, coach Paul Petrino saw some highlights from the defense as well.

"There were some great things," said Petrino after the offense netted 1,026 yards and 14 touchdowns during the Friday afternoon session at the Kibbie Dome. "Our offense started out really, really good. They went up and down the field; scored a bunch.

"Then we regrouped on defense and we had some stops. They were playing better, making some plays."

Offensively, big playmakers were in abundance with sophomore Chad Chalich (from Coeur d'Alene High) completing 18 of 32 passes for 304 yards and redshirt freshman Matt Linehan connecting on 33 of 52 for 401 yards. Linehan threw eight touchdown passes and Chalich had three. On the receiving end, three players eclipsed the 100-yard mark with senior Dezmon Epps catching 17 passes for 218 yards, sophomore Deon Watson (from Coeur d'Alene High) grabbing nine for 170 and sophomore Richard Montgomery, who splits time at running back, grabbing four for 104.

The leader on the ground was senior Kristoffer Olugbode with 200 yards on 23 carries. Jerrel Brown, also a senior, had 30 carries for 90 yards.

While it took a while for the defense to get rolling, Petrino saw some things he liked as the scrimmage progressed.

"I thought the second half was pretty even," he said. "That's what you want to see. We made some strides. They're definitely improved."

Defensively, newcomer Irving Steele had 18 tackles from his linebacker position and junior Jayshawn Jordan had 18 at cornerback. Sophomore lineman Zach Cable had three sacks and a total four tackles for loss.

"Overall, walking off the field," Petrino said, "I felt good. We have some guys who are really playing hard. There was a lot of hitting; a lot of big-time plays. We're a lot better now. We have two more weeks to get even better."