University of Idaho football coach Robb Akey was asked if he used the open date in the Vandals’ schedule last week to install anything new for Hawaii.

“Just the wishbone,” Akey deadpanned.

It was a refreshed and reinvigorated Akey that went into overtime holding court on the Western Athletic Conference coaches’ teleconference Monday. He offered a hearty, “aloha!” and sounded nothing like the coach of a last-place, 1-6 team that had lost five games in a row prior to the break.

That’s apparently what an open date can do for you. UH’s hope is that the Vandals aren’t nearly as reenergized as their coach on Saturday in Moscow, Idaho, where they will be the first of three consecutive WAC opponents for Hawaii that are coming off open dates.

In addition to the Vandals, desperate Utah State (2-5) next week at Aloha Stadium and rising Nevada (4-3) the following week in Reno will also have open weeks immediately before UH to prepare and study up for the Warriors. It is hard to remember a similar stretch of consecutive conference opponents all catching breathers before playing Hawaii.

Throw in BYU in the regular-season finale, and four of the Warriors’ final six regular-season opponents will have the benefit of time to regroup, reenergize and strategize before taking on UH.

Of course, open dates, though much-cherished, are only as good as what you make of them. In and of themselves, they guarantee nothing, as the Warriors well know, having come out of a 12-day break only to stumble at San Jose State.

However, over the two previous seasons, the Warriors are 4-5 against teams that have had more than a week to prepare for them.

Dealing with them now takes on added importance for the 4-3 (2-1 WAC) Warriors, whose next three games hold considerable potential. Win them and UH not only wraps up a Hawaii Bowl bid, but likely a piece of a second consecutive WAC championship on their way out of the conference.

For the Vandals, meanwhile, there is urgency. At this point, they are pulling out all the stops — closed practices, players off limits for interviews, etc. — in trying to turn around a campaign that has descended into disappointment.

More was expected of the Vandals at this juncture than having North Dakota as their only victim seven games into the season and taking out a lease on the WAC basement at 0-3.

An opportunity to turn around the year with a bang eluded the Vandals in Charlottesville, Va., when Virginia escaped with a 21-20 overtime victory. That’s the closest Idaho has come to pulling one out since early September.

Small wonder, perhaps, that the Vandals have put everything into getting recharged and ready for the Warriors. “Getting some things polished up,” as Akey puts it. Wishbone or not.

“We’re excited for the second half of the season and we’re looking forward to it being very different than the first half,” Akey said. “And, we can’t wait to get started.”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.