Idaho Potato Bowl storylines to watch: Cartwheeling lineman, record-setting QB and more
If the offer of free French fries at the Albertsons Fan Fest isn’t enough reason to attend the 23rd annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, there should be a sufficient number of storylines to entice a wide array of college football fans.
This year’s game is late on the bowl schedule and being played in January for the first time since 2007, after being contested before Christmas for the past decade. The bowl features a first-time matchup between Nevada (7-5) of the Mountain West Conference — a Boise State rival — and Ohio (6-6) of the Mid-American. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Friday at Albertsons Stadium, and the weather forecast is good: highs near 50, partly sunny. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Nevada is winless in two Potato Bowl appearances but has not played in the game since 2008. Ohio last appeared on the blue turf in 2011, when it beat Utah State 24-23 — its only time playing in the Boise bowl.
Nevada holding tryouts
The Wolf Pack parted ways with defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, secondary coach David Lockwood and safeties coach Mike Chamoures at the end of the regular season.
To help with bowl preparations, Nevada head coach Jay Norvell hired Jody Sears, Josh Brown and John Landwehr on an interim basis. The trio could earn permanent positions, but Norvell said he didn’t want to rush a decision ahead of the bowl game.
“We’re excited to have these high-quality coaches with us as we prepare for a really good Ohio team in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl,” Norvell said in a press release. “With the early signing period behind us, our sole purpose is to prepare our players to win the bowl game. We will focus on filling permanent additions to the staff in January.”
Sears, who will serve as defensive coordinator Friday, is a former head coach at Sacramento State and Weber State. He’s also been a defensive coordinator at Weber State, Washington State and Eastern Washington.
Brown was the defensive coordinator at Cal Poly from 2011 through 2018, and his playing career included two seasons at linebacker at Gavilan College and one year at Oklahoma.
Landwehr returns to the Wolf Pack after spending the 2019 season on the staff at Narbonne High in Southern California. He was previously a graduate assistant for the Wolf Pack from 2016 to 2018.
Boise State’s Ohio connection
For Boise State football fans looking for a team to root for in the Potato Bowl, the Bobcats could be your squad — and not just because there typically is little love lost between BSU and Nevada.
Current Ohio defensive coordinator Ron Collins was on Boise State’s staff under Dan Hawkins from 2001 to 2005. Collins was the Broncos’ linebackers coach for all five of those seasons and the defensive coordinator for four.
Some of the most recognizable players on the Broncos’ defense during that time included linebackers Korey Hall (former Green Bay Packer and Super Bowl champion) and Andy Avalos (Oregon’s defensive coordinator), and cornerback Gabe Franklin (Boise State safeties/nickels coach).
When Hawkins left Boise State for Colorado, Collins joined him in Boulder as the Buffs’ defensive coordinator.
Wolf Pack ‘D’ shorthanded
In addition to an overhaul of the defensive staff, Nevada will play Friday’s bowl game without the services of some of its top defensive playmakers.
Defensive backs Austin Arnold (51 tackles) and Daniel Brown (41 tackles), as well as tackle Hausia Sekona (30 tackles), have all been suspended for the game, and linebacker Gabriel Sewell (52 tackles) is suspended for the first half. Arnold, a junior, also will miss the Wolf Pack’s 2020 opener against UC Davis. Brown and Sekona are both seniors, so their collegiate careers came to an end with the suspension.
All four players were reprimanded for their roles in a fight with UNLV after Nevada lost 33-30 in overtime on Nov. 30 in Reno.
“The Mountain West conducted a thorough review of the incident, and we are appreciative of their efforts and accept their findings,” Nevada Athletic Director Doug Knuth said in a statement. “We are disappointed for the seniors who will miss their final game playing for the Wolf Pack.”
Record-setting QB’s finale
The most efficient quarterback in Ohio history will make his 37th and final career start in the Potato Bowl.
Senior Nathan Rourke boasts a career passing efficiency rating of 146.9 and could move up in the program record book in several other categories by the end of Friday’s bowl game.
Rourke needs two rushing touchdowns to break the program record of 49 set by Kareem Wilson from 1995 to 1998. His 48 rushing TDs are the most among active FBS quarterbacks. With 13 more pass attempts, Rourke will take over the No. 2 spot in program history, and he needs three more points scored to claim the program’s No. 3 ranking.
The native of Canada is responsible for a program-record 110 touchdowns, which is second-most among active FBS players. His prolific career makes Rourke a top prospect for the 2020 Canadian Football League Draft. The CFL Scouting Bureau ranked Rourke as the No. 3 player in its most recent top-20 eligible prospects list.
This season, Rourke earned All-MAC first-team honors with a career-high 2,676 passing yards and a 61.4 percent completion rate, while amassing 32 touchdowns (20 passing, 12 rushing).
“He’s the straw that stirs the drink,” Norvell told NevadaAppeal.com. “We have to do a great job on him. We have to control that quarterback.”
Two things we’d like to see
▪ Ohio has only 13 takeaways this season, but wouldn’t it be nice to see the Bobcats’ Turnover Belt make an appearance at the Potato Bowl? The WWE-style belt is awarded to the team’s defensive playmakers after creating a turnover. Junior cornerback Marlin Brooks has shown off the belt the most this season, with three takeaways.
▪ The Bobcats executed one of the most unique plays of the season in a 37-34 loss to Western Michigan on Nov. 12. In the third quarter, 6-foot-3, 300-pound right guard Hagen Meservy lined up at receiver. When the ball was snapped, Meservy distracted Western Michigan’s defense by doing a cartwheel, which allowed Rourke to complete a 25-yard pass to tight end Ryan Luehrman. Can we get an encore?
This story was originally published January 1, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
