Idaho State notebook: Safety play improving

For more Bengal football coverage check out this story ... ISU's declining home attendance will only improve with winning  

And listen to this recorded radio stream discussing Idaho State's 0-2 start and what to expect going forward (I only made a couple errors. Good luck finding them!) 

On to some news and notes:

Kramer praised the play of junior strong safety Taison Manu from Saturday’s game at Utah State.

Kramer has repeated time and again that when ISU’s safety play rises to the level he expects, the Bengals will have a defense to contend in the Big Sky Conference.

Manu, who graduated from Highland High School, had nine tackles against the Aggies after forcing a fumble and picking up seven tackles at Utah on Aug. 28.

“Taison Manu continues to play outstanding on defense,” Kramer said. “He has really been resurrected by Spencer and our defensive staff. ... You’ve got to find out where he’s at on every play now because he’s becoming that safety factor that we’ve always had in our defenses at Eastern Washington or Montana State.”

Offensive line shuffle
Sophomore offensive lineman Skyler Phillips is expected to return to Idaho State’s starting lineup Saturday. Phillips, who started all 12 games as a true freshman, will slide into the starting role at right guard.

Sophomore Thomas Vazorka started in Phillips’ absence the past two games. Idaho State ran for 280 yards and the offensive line played well, but Kramer says Phillips is a “superstar.”
Burtenshaw takes over long snapping duties

Former Pocatello standout Andy Burtenshaw is the first long snapper Mike Kramer has ever recruited on scholarship.

And two games into his freshman season, Burtenshaw will take over as Idaho State’s long snapper after senior Jake Belnap went down with an injury against Utah State. Kramer said Belnap will be unavailable for about two months.

Defensive depth
Burtenshaw is a capable replacement for Belnap as a long snapper, but Belnap’s absence does hinder Idaho State’s depth defensively. Belnap played in nickel packages defensively for the Bengals and had three tackles at Utah.

With Belnap out, ISU’s front seven loses depth and it’s a unit banged up after two straight games against Football Bowl Subdivision competition. Utah State, in particular, was physical at the point of attack.

Outside of Belnap, Kramer would not specify who is questionable along the defensive line against Chadron State.

“We’re concerned with some other guys who may or may not be available on Saturday on the defensive front,” he said. “Very physical game against Utah State and they did a nice job of pounding us off the ball. We’re still a little unavailable in our defensive line up to this point. We’ll see how that unfolds.”

ISU radio changes
Idaho State’s 2:35 p.m. game against Chadron State on Saturday at Holt Arena will be broadcast on 102.5 FM and 930 AM. Jerry Miller and Mark Liptak, who is replacing Tim Lewis, will call the game.