Murphy: Rivalry remains far from competitive

Idaho is still collecting slights instead of victories in its football rivalry with Boise State. Saturday's 63-25 Bronco Stadium beatdown added several to the former category, while doing nothing to move the Vandals closer to the latter.

Boise State extended its winning streak to 11 games in this so-called rivalry - one more fiercely contested among fans this week than by the teams Saturday - and reminded the upstart Vandals who rules the Gem State's football class.

"We obviously have got a lot more work to do than we thought," Idaho linebacker Paul Senescall said.

If this had been a hockey game, there would have been a fight at some point in the third quarter. Like it or not, that's what hockey players do when their team is getting whipped - a demonstration of pride.

To its credit, Idaho didn't resort to punches. The Vandals played hard until the end, tacking on a garbage-time touchdown to make the final score closer.

But it did little to change the Vandals' mood after the game. Even Idaho's ever-positive coach could find little to smile about.

"I didn't expect to get blown out like this today," Idaho coach Robb Akey said. "I knew it was going to be a battle. I know they're a very good football team. I've known that for a very long time. But I didn't expect for this to happen."

The gap between the programs remains as wide as the Snake River Canyon. No amount of grandstanding about the paint scheme on Horizon Air planes is going to close it.

On top of Plane-Gate, a clear example of the "What about us?" syndrome that afflicts Idaho in this rivalry right now, Vandals fans certainly perceived several slights during the game.

There was a halfback pass for a touchdown from Matt Kaiserman to Kyle Efaw in the third quarter with Boise State leading 49-17. There was Chris Petersen's decision to challenge a call with less than 5 minutes remaining and the Broncos leading 63-17.

Vandals history won't record that Petersen was correct. Petersen offered a perfectly reasonable explanation, saying he owed it to the players on the field to "not give them anything."

Some Vandals fans now have their fake punt, their tangible proof that the other team's coach is as classless as they've always believed he was. The famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) decision by Idaho to fake a punt against Boise State and ailing coach Pokey Allen in 1996 while leading 43-6 still galls Broncos fans.

"Its our responsibility to take care of the football there," Akey said, refusing to complain about the challenge.

You can add the challenge to the list, which certainly includes Doug Martin's logo smashing with the Hammer before last year's game in the Kibbie Dome.

The point of collecting slights is to make you feel better. See, we're not as dastardly as those guys in the other colors. You never hear the winning team complain about fake punts or halfback passes or wrong-colored planes or challenge calls.

At some point, you need to collect on those slights. You need to pay them back.

"I think we're almost to that point," receiver Max Komar said. "Next year it's going to be a lot more competitive."

Let's hope so. The rivalry needs a lot more competition and a lot less complaining.