The good, the bad & the unknown: Idaho

The Good

The opening - This one was over in about the first two plays. Hell of a hit by Budda Baker on the opening kickoff and a nice on-the-run play from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis.

Kick team - Speaking of that first play, the kick team looks nasty this season and should make a big play or two this season in big games. Love seeing that many starters rushing down the field with speed and tenacity.

Receivers - What was supposed to be the team’s weakness looked like a strength again. Dante Pettis had maybe the nicest game of his career and John Ross and Chico McClatcher made plays pretty much every time their numbers were called.

Jake Browning - Another seamless game by Browning. He tossed touchdowns with ease, but I was most impressed with his escapability. There were numerous plays where Browning slipped away from sacks to make plays.

Hitting and tackling - The defense looked not just superb for the second straight week, but incredibly intimidating. Opponents have to know they are going to be taking some serious hits when they have the ball against the Husky defense this year and the tackling has also been on point.

Short-yard defense - The Husky D stood tall when their backs were against the wall in short-yardage situations.

Vita Vea and Greg Gaines/middle push - Vea and Gaines were monsters up front in their reps. They were both especially disruptive on passing downs, where they provided a rare middle rush when the edges weren’t making it happen.

The Bad

First quarter stretch - The Huskies did have a not-so-nice stretch after that opening score and through most of the first quarter. For a brief period, the offensive line couldn’t block, the defense couldn’t get a rush going, and the defensive backs were giving large cushions against Idaho. Just a blip in the overall day, but not a good one.

The Unknown

Myles Gaskin and the run game? It was another underwhelming game for Gaskin and the run game overall. Is that more of a product of the coaching staff knowing the game was at hand and trying to save Gaskin and the wear and tear for tougher games, or is there a legitimate concern there?

Offensive line? Another at least slightly concerning performance from the offensive line. They never got the run game going and regularly struggled in pass protection, in one case directly leading to a turnover. Is the offensive line just figuring things out against light competition, or are they going to be in trouble in Pac-12 play?

Edge rush? Gaines and Vea caused pressure up the middle, but it looked like the Huskies really lacked edge rushers (in the Travis Feeney and Cory Littleton mold) when the game was on the line. Will players like Psalm Wooching and Joe Mathis be able to create pass rush on the edge against better competition?

How much have we seen? I have a feeling Chris Petersen and company haven’t opened much up against Rutgers and Idaho. Have we really even seen that much of what the Huskies can/want to do in 2016?