Idaho continues to acclimate itself to systems of new offensive, defensive coordinators during spring practice

Apr. 11—MOSCOW, Idaho — If Ferrari Miller's middle name isn't Mack, it ought to be.

In the early going of Idaho's spring football practices, Miller has shown himself to be as much truck as elite performance automobile. The Vandals concluded their sixth of 15 spring sessions Saturday with their first 11-on-11 live tackling period Saturday. The 5-10, 220-pound running back, Miller, lived up to his first name getting to the corner and going off on a couple of 25-yard runs.

But Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. also highlighted Miller's day as a receiver, a pass blocker and as someone who can advanced the ball between the tackles.

"It's a bit different than tag tempo or thud tempo," he said of defenders stepping up to try to bring Miller to the ground.

Nonetheless, Ford said that while he saw positive performances on both sides of the ball, defense got the best of the day.

"The defense had the edge."

With new offensive and defensive coordinators in Ian Shoemaker and Lee Stalker, respectively, the Vandals are learning many new systems this spring. On offense, Ford wants Idaho to develop the capacity to play fast. Shoemaker added the goal is to be able to play at varying tempos. "Fluctuation of tempo is the advantage." Run-pass options will be a staple of the attack.

"The RPO has been part of every structure I have been since the 2000s," he said. It puts a premium on quarterbacks reading defenses, and Shoemaker is feeding the scheme to the Vandals in bunches.

"We are doing the hardest thing now, the post-snap decision.

"Getting in a huddle is easy. We are trying to do the most difficult thing now."

He acknowledged, "I thought it was going better than it looked like today. Coach Stalker and the boys kind of got after us."

On his side of the ball, Stalker is teaching multiple defenses. Idaho has been in a four-front so far, but Stalker said through the remainder of spring the Vandals will progress through 3-4 and 3-3-5 looks. The overarching goal is "to understand the defense. Know where the help is. Know the down and distance, where we are on the field and what we have to defend.

"If we can get out of spring with a base knowledge of our coverages and our run fits, it sets us up for a successful summer and fall camp," he said. Stalker is also putting a premium on forcing turnovers, and he said the Vandals have fully bought into his philosophy.

Idaho has suffered a few practice injuries. Redshirt junior running back Art Williams, who was averaging 4.9 yards a carry last year before going out for the season with an injury following the fourth game, missed Saturday's practice, too, although "hopefully, we'll get Art back soon," Ford said. Sophomore wide receiver Daveon Superales, who caught 11 passes for 178 yards in seven games last year, left practice early Saturday and watched the scrimmage portion from the sidelines with an ice pack taped to his right knee.

"We're dinged up at receiver," Ford said. Sophomores Nolan McWilliam and Kage Repenn, and redshirt freshman tight end Mason Culmer all took advantage of their time on the field to make impressive catches, and starting quarterback Joshua Wood and redshirt junior Jack Wagner were on target in finding them.

Ford said he expects Wood to come out of spring even more efficient than last season when the dual-threat redshirt junior averaged 6.8 yards rushing and scored seven touchdowns on the ground and threw for 1,898 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first season as Idaho's starter after transferring from Fresno State last summer.

Wagner had seemingly been drifting down the depth chart, helping out as a holder and giving the defense a look at quarterback. But he has apparently shown Ford something lately since he got the majority of reps behind Wood Saturday.