Retrospective: Oregon State Interim Coach Robb Akey's Tenure at Idaho

On Sunday, Oregon State announced a seismic coaching change: Trent Bray was dismissed, and Robb Akey was promoted. The move marks Akey’s second stint as a NCAA Division I head coach.

His first stint was a mixed bag; at Idaho (2007-12), then an FBS member of the now defunct Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Akey went 20-50 in 6 seasons. However, he took over a program in disarray. Is it fair to hold his past against him? Are there any positives Beaver Nation can glean ahead of Akey’s first game in Corvallis? This piece will attempt to look back season-by-season, addressing what went wrong, and what went right, for Robb Akey at Idaho.

On December 20th 2006, Robb Akey becomes Idaho’s head coach

Akey, the defensive coordinator at local rivals Washington State just minutes from Moscow, had built a fine resume on the Palouse: his Cougar defenses contributed to a Pac-10 championship (2002), a Rose Bowl berth (2002), two bowl victories, and three top-ten finishes in the postseason Associated Press media poll.

When the Vandals brought Akey across state lines, he became their fourth head coach in just over three years, and the first Idaho head coach in over 25 years without prior ties to the University of Idaho.

Akey succeeded Dennis Erickson. The legendary coach’s first run in Moscow was a program highlight, as the Vandals became one of the NCAA Division I-AA’s (now Football Championship Subdivision) top programs. At the end of his second tenure, the Vandals were playing up a leg in Division I’s Bowl Subdivision, and paying the price for it: between 1996-07, Idaho posted a 47-79 win-loss record, winning a mere 37% of their games. Erickson left the moribound program for Arizona State after one season, opening the door for Akey.

2007: 1-11 Overall, 0-8 in the Western Athletic Conference

Akey’s opening season was a clunker. In front of 90,000 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the preseason #1 USC Trojans routed Idaho 38-10. A week later, a humble 9,000 fans witnessed Idaho’s narrow victory over FCS Cal Poly. That day, Idaho running back Deonte Jackson etched his name in school record books with 214 yards on the ground, the 9th highest rushing total in program history.

In the blink of an eye, a losing streak unfolded. First, they experienced a 45-28 loss to regional rivals Washington State. Then, fans witnessed home defeats to Northern Illinois and #17 Hawaii. The slump continued with losses through November, concluding with a failed comeback effort against Utah State, 24-19. Idaho might have been the worst Division I FBS school that season, finishing 119th (out of 120 schools) in Pro Football Reference’s Simple Ratings System (SRS).

2008: 2-10 Overall, 1-7 in the Western Athletic Conference

At many programs, Akey’s 2-10 (1-7 in WAC play) mark would appear grim. At Idaho, it was an improvement over the previous campaign. On October 25th, the Vandals’ Homecoming Game, Idaho defeated conference foes New Mexico State 20-14. The victory ended a 24 game losing streak to FBS opponents, and their first WAC win.

Unfortunately, their success was limited. Eight of the team’s ten losses were by more than three touchdowns.

2009: 8-5 Overall, 4-4 in the Western Athletic Conference, and a Bowl Victory

The 2009 season hinted at signs of progress for Robb Akey and the Idaho Vandals. After a 35-23 home win versus Hawaii in October, Idaho soared atop the WAC standings.

While a string of losses to Nevada, Fresno State, #6 Boise State, and Utah State would derail the Vandals, they still finished with a winning record. At season’s end, their 7-5 mark earned them a bid to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, where they outlasted Bowling Green in a 43-42 shootout.

2010: 6-7 Overall, 3-5 in the Western Athletic Conference

The following season featured a slight regression. When conference play began in October, the Vandals fell to Louisiana Tech 48-35. Two weeks later, they would begin a three game losing streak with blowout losses to Hawaii 45-10, #25 Nevada 63-17, and #4 Boise State 52-14. A narrow loss at Fresno State on November 27th, 23-20, doomed the Vandals chances for a bowl game.

Notably, the 2010 season featured a silver lining: three players were selected in the following April’s NFL Draft, the most Idaho draft selections since 1972.

2011: 2-10 Overall, 1-6 in the Western Athletic Conference

The previous season may have hinted at a regression, but this season loudly confirmed it. The Vandals were bad once again: a 32-29 November nailbiter at fellow basement-dwellers San Jose State kept Idaho from going winless in conference play.

2012: 1-11 Overall, 1-5 in the Western Athletic Conference (Akey went 1-7 overall, 1-3 in WAC)

The bottom finally fell out in 2012. Akey’s final season in Moscow began with a brutal upset loss to FCS Eastern Washington 20-3. The Vandals stayed winless into October, until dispatching New Mexico State 26-18 for their only conference win of the season. Two weeks later, a 70-28 shellacking at Louisiana Tech marked the final game of Akey’s tenure.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Akey failed to win at Idaho. However, that failure was a collective one: the program struggled before his arrival, and would continue to struggle following his departure. In the years since, Idaho dropped back down to NCAA I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision) and have recently returned to form, thanks to now departed coach Jason Eck.

While Akey's staff - including interim Oregon State linebackers coach Mark Criner - developed a handful of NFL draft picks, they could not recruit a full roster to win games at the FBS level. At Oregon State, with a substantially higher budget than the Vandals gave Akey, he will be expected to stock the cupboards with significantly more talent than he brought to Idaho. Barring a miracle in recruiting, or a dramatic uptick of the team's performance in the final five games of the season, Akey will likely not be retained long term.