When the Idaho Vandals begin fall practice on Thursday in Moscow, they’ll do so with lofty expectations.

“It’s no doubt going to be the best team we’ve had since I’ve been there, and our expectations are to go to a bowl game,” fourth-year Vandal coach Paul Petrino said last Monday at the Sun Belt Conference media day in New Orleans. “And if it’s anything less than that, then we’ll be disappointed. That’s what we expect to do this year.”

Why the high expectations?

Idaho won four games last season, which may not seem like much to fans in the southern part of our state, but marked the Vandals’ most victories since 2010. Throw in two other games where Idaho blew big fourth-quarter leads, add in experience on the offensive line and at quarterback, and depth on defense, and, well, that leads to the talk.

“Our mindset is, expect to win,” senior defensive lineman Tueni Lupeamanu said at the conference media day. “We have it on our shirts. I’m looking forward to making a bowl game.”

MAKING A bowl game would be big news, as Idaho has only done that twice since moving up to NCAA Division I (now FBS) in 1996.

Idaho’s optimism is understandable. However, before the Vandals start getting sized for bowl rings, some questions need to be answered.

Yes, their strength on offense is with a quarterback (Matt Linehan) who is entering his third season as a starter, and an offensive line with four returning starters who have combined for 82 career starts. And several experienced receivers return, including senior Deon Watson (Coeur d’Alene High).

“When Matt has time, we pick apart defenses all day,” Idaho senior tight end Trent Cowan said at media day.

Linehan, a junior, missed some time last year with injuries, but backup Jake Luton filled in capably. But Luton, a sophomore, opted to transfer to a junior college in search of more playing time, leaving the Vandals a bit thin behind Linehan at QB. With Linehan out last spring with a foot injury, redshirt freshman Gunnar Amos (Coeur d’Alene High) got quite a few reps. Petrino could also bring in a JC quarterback for more experience and depth.

And defensively, the Vandals need to be able to stop somebody. As prolific as the Idaho offense was, the defense was equally porous at times. However, Petrino thinks that will change this year.

“It’ll be the first year we’ve actually had depth on defense,” he said. “We’ve played with everybody for three quarters the last two years, then we’ve gotten worn down.”

WITH A squad laden with juniors and seniors, Idaho is poised to play well in its final two seasons in the Sun Belt. The conference has given the Vandals the boot following the 2017 season, and Idaho made the decision earlier this year to return to FCS and the Big Sky Conference in 2018.

“We’re not looking that far ahead as a team,” Petrino said. “We’re just worried about this year, and getting to six wins (and becoming bowl-eligible).”

Vandal players echo the same sentiment, but as Cowan admitted, “We’ve kind of got a chip on our shoulder,” after getting kicked out of a conference and dropping a level in football.

Idaho got an advantage in the scheduling this year by avoiding Arkansas State and Georgia Southern, two of the top teams in the Sun Belt in recent years. Now, it’s up to the Vandals to take advantage of it, before they trade a Belt for a Sky.

“Hopefully we’ll do well this season, and prove the Sun Belt wrong (for ousting the Vandals),” Lupeamanu said.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.