WAC Player of the Week: Hout'd!

Bronco true frosh LB/DE/MVP/BMOC Byron Hout was named the WAC defensive player of the week today, striking fear into WAC opponents for the next 3 1/2 years. You may remember that Hout's redshirt was burned halfway through the season as coaches found him too good/terrifying to keep off the field. We applaud their foresight. Hout has been a force in every game he has played in this year proving largely unblockable and downright mean. All this from a kid that was and still is expected to play linebacker. Hout had 2 sacks, 5 tackles and a forced fumble against Idaho on Saturday...the fumble was returned for a TD by Ellis Powers. If your keen eyes can't pick up Hout on the field in the mess of D-line substitutions that the Broncos pull—he's number 94 (he'll be the guy shedding his block effortlessly).

In other news, Jeremy Avery got robbed as the offensive player of the week. Nevada's Colin Kaepernick got the honors instead. Hey Colin, dare you to repeat.

Story

ADRIANNN!

Good lord, look at this photo of linebacker Kyle Gingg from last night's win over Bowling Green. All I can say is: this personifies what the defense needs to be about this year...and so far, so good. The Defense has been hitting hard, getting turnovers and bending, but not breaking...giving up only 2 scores in two games. I'll have a game wrap-up and reaction in the morning. Photo by the Statesman's Joe Jaszewski

Elite Eight

Who's this happy fellow? Why, he's the newest Bronco commit, that's who.

Keeping with the recent trend of early verbals for the Broncos, O'Dea High School (Seattle, WA) linebacker Allen Mooney has decided to spend his college career at Boise State. The middle linebacker is rated as a 3-star player and the 22nd best at his position in the country. Mooney racked up 106 tackles and 3 forced fumbles last year as a junior despite missing 3 games. Mooney also was named All-League in '06 and '07. Here's what ESPN has to say about Mooney (whom they rank as a 74, if that means anything to you):

If Mooney had another two inches of height, he would be a highly sought-after inside linebacker on the recruiting trail. What he lacks in height he makes up for with great bulk and a compact durable frame more than capable of dealing with the punishment required of a D-I ILB. Has a natural nose for the football but does a good job reading his keys and diagnosing the play quickly. A reactive athlete with good initial quicks and jump to the football for his size. Excels at stuffing his middle run gaps and attacking downhill. Fills hard and fast vertically with good leverage. Difficult to turn out of the hole when he steps down fast with good momentum. Can hold his base at the point of attack; naturally strong with good explosiveness from his hips. Strong tackler who runs through ball carriers and looks for the punishing hit. Does not possess great sideline-to-sideline range but closes fast off-tackle and has good chase speed. Shows some burst tracking plays down inside-out and flashes good pop/explosion on contact. While he scrapes well off-tackle at times he gets knocked off his pursuit due to lack of hand technique. Lacks long arms and compact frame limit his extension when trying to keep blockers off his body. Occasionally gets chopped down when pursuing. Could struggle at the next level disengaging the cutoff block and lacks the lateral fluidity to slip it consistently. We would like to see him work on playing with consistent bend and leverage. Tends to wrap up high and lack of sink in his hips hinders lateral mobility, transitional and change-of-direction quickness. Overall, Mooney can stuff the inside run, blanket his middle zone in pass and provide above average range off-tackle. Tough competitor between the white lines and is definitely a kid being overlooked due to his lack of great height.

The productivity of the powerfully built (5'11", 220 lbs.) Mooney is impressive and he joins #14 ranked weakside linebacker John Michael Davis in the 2009 class. With Boise State loaded with young 'backers and with two huge verbals thus far—the future looks incredibly bright for the Boise State defense. Mooney had another offer from Army and was drawing interest from Washington and Oregon amongst others. Again, Mooney looks to be the prototypical Boise State pickup...slightly too undersized for the big programs to bite on, but talented enough to make their recruiting practices to look short-sighted. Mooney is a straight up baller and I admit, was one of the recruits I was hoping we would land. Check out Mooney's highlight tape below and tell me that seeing this kid, John Michael Davis and Byron Hout prowling midfield on the blue isn't a positively terrifying vision for WAC offenses.



Oh yeah, Boise State has 8 verbals...and it's early July....and they're good. The day of reckoning is at hand.

Damn pt. 2 (this time, in a good way)

Well, Boise State fans who were downtrodden this morning at the news of Darren Markle's WSU commitment now have reason to rejoice. WLB John Michael Davis from Tesoro, CA has given a verbal commitment to play for the Broncos according to Rivals.com. Davis is 6'2" and 225 lbs. runs a 4.59 40. Davis is also rated by Scout.com as the #14 WLB in the country. Davis joins an impressive group of early commits for the Broncos, that now stands at 5 recruits.

Needless to say, Boise State is off to a fantastic start for their '09 class. Let's hope these verbals stick.

Damn...

Mountain View standout linebacker, weight-lifting champion, and overall B.A. Darren Markle appears to have given his verbal commitment to the Washington State Cougars. We can't blame Darren for wanting to play in the Pac-10...we CAN blame Boise State for not offering him a scholly. What gives?!

Ah well, there are other fish in the sea and we're glad to see that Markle isn't going to be playing for a rival institution. We're also glad that he'll most likely have the opportunity in his career to knock a Vandal's head clean off.

Other LBs still on BSU's radar:

• Boseko Lokombo
• Allen Mooney
• Kyle Van Noy
• John Michael Davis
• Huldon Tharp

Bronco linebacker prospect injured at football camp

Boise State WLB prospect Huldon Tharp jacked up his knee at the Pittsburg State University football camp and could miss his senior season at Mulvane HS in Kansas. Tharp is rated as the #18 WILL Linebacker in the nation and a 3-star recruit by Scout.com. Tharp was participating in the PSU camp with his Mulvane teammates when he "tweaked" his knee...

“He might not play for the rest of this season,” Fennewald said. “He was running the ball and ran into a kid from Carthage and Huldon actually knocked the kid over, but he said that his knee felt funny afterwards.”

Tharp holds offers from Miami, Kansas and Stanford as well and is part of a very good class of linebackers that the Broncos have their eyes on.

Hopefully Tharp, who is having surgery today, will make a full-recovery and come LOI day, be the second Tharp to play for the Broncos.

Tharp's Junior highlights (he's not too shabby at RB, either):

ex-BSU player bested by Idaho Vandal

Round one of the hip new Canadian game called "don't tear your Achilles" goes to a Vandal, according to a canada.com news article. Rolly Lumbala, a 10-year player at Idaho is a Canuck...so is former Boise State reserve linebacker and special teamer Josh Bean. Both players have returned to their homeland in pursuit of a dream to play a bizarre brand of football in the CFL. Bean knows what it is like to win...Lumbala does not—but Lumbala has defeated BC's training camp, while Bean did not.

Bean tore his Achilles at the Lions' camp and will have surgery this Friday, but he's already got words of encouragement for his obscure Vandal counterpart.

When you've got to handle a losing situation for three, four, five years, you might not be interested in football anymore. You've got to credit him for overcoming that situation and coming here to excel.

Ha ha, nice one Josh...way to remind Lumbala of his utterly squandered years in Moscow. Actually, reminding your bitter rival of how many years of losses they racked up is considered a high compliment in Canada.

Bean will be rehabbing for six to nine months while he gets cozy with his Canadian girlfriend.

...my girlfriend's from here [Coquitlam] so I'll just move in with her. I'll stay around the facility [Surrey practice field] all season for my rehab.

No word on what a Coquitlam is, yet...I think it may be a kind of herbal ointment.

Bean's health defeat at the hands of a Vandal wasn't the only surprising news, however...it turns out Boise State isn't even in Idaho.

Bean played for the Boise State Broncos, who went 32-7 over the linebacker's final three seasons, including a perfect 13-0 in 2006 when the Montana team upset Oklahoma in an epic and WAC-ky Fiesta Bowl

Crap!

Full story HERE

Shields' shoulders will not cooperate

Boise State senior linebacker David Shields will not play in 2008 and has likely played his last game as a Bronco. Shields was hampered most of last season with shoulder injuries that date back to his high school days in St. Louis. Shields, who wears #43, will stay on scholarship, but because of his medical hardship year, his scholly won't count against the squad. Shields has been a player of high character and a great leader on the Bronco squad since coming to Boise—initially as a running back. He is expected to graduate in December.

BSU has no shortage of linebackers, so the loss of Shields won't be debilitating to the corps. Expected starters are Kyle Gingg, Derrell Acrey and Dallas Dobbs; with incoming JC LB Daron Mackey, redshirt frosh Hunter White, Aaron Tevis and Dan Paul and possibly true frosh Byron Hout looking to factor in as well.

Statesman link.
Broncosports link

Not only is he irrelevant...

In a fitting end to the draft, Idaho's All-WAC linebacker David Vobora was tagged "Mr. Irrelevant" with the very last pick of the weekend by the St. Louis Rams. Now, I won't knock Mr. Vobora as a player, he was a very solid for the Vandals...perhaps the only consistently solid player for the Vandals...but I did find a few of his answers to a recent questionnaire to be a bit...interesting.

—Not only was Vobora the Vandals' top producer on defense—he did it all while being completely color blind!

What celebrity would play you in the movie version of your life and why?
Denzel Washington. Might as well have the best in the business do it right?

Is it worth mentioning now for those unfamiliar with the Idaho program that David Vobora is white?

—Vobora also shows a tender, sensitive side:

What is one thing your teammates don't know about you?
'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' is my favorite chick flick.

Yes, but is your twin Denzel Washington in it?

—Vobora likes to move it, move it:

What reality TV show would you like to be on and why?
'Dancing with the Stars' because the professional dancers are hot!

Are you talking about this guy?

—And last but not least, we learned that Vobora considers moral victories to be his greatest achievements:

What's your proudest moment in football?
When I sacked the Boise State QB at home in our rival game late in the fourth quarter in front of a packed house my junior year

Enjoy your trip to Disneyland, David.

Sula headed to Boise State

Not to be confused with Mr. Sulu, Don Shula, or Indiana Jones' trusted ally Sala...LB/RB Jack Sula is headed to Boise State. Apparently, a late qualifier, Sula will hopefully live up to the hype provided by his un-biased high school coach:

"It's a good fit for Jack, and it's a steal for Boise," Carson coach Mike Christensen said. "I told Coach (Chris) Petersen that Jack was the best all-around player I've coached, just his attitude, his ability. He should do very well. I told him that it would not surprise me if Jack leads them back to the Fiesta Bowl or a BCS game."

Can't say I'm bummed to hear of one more linebacker in the mix. You can check out the story here if you would like to read more and don't get annoyed by an excessive amount of flash banners.

Here's what ESPN had to say about Sula...who had offers from Washington and Nevada amongst others:

Sula is a well-rounded running back prospect who does not possess elite skill in one area, but can move the chains with the ball in his hands. Possesses adequate height with an athletically-built frame that should continue to fill out with lean bulk. Best asset as a running back prospect may be his soft hands and receiving skills out of the backfield. Plucks the ball well in stride, transitions quickly upfield and extends well away from his frame for the difficult grab. Could develop into a fine 3rd down back despite his lack of great speed and elusiveness. As a runner, he hits the hole quickly and can break through the initial wave of arm tackles when he decides to square up his shoulder pads and run downhill. Not real explosive or sudden when he finds a crease but is a smooth, natural runner who glides a bit with his nice stride. While he occasionally flashes good leg drive, balance, lean and the ability to break tackles as an in-line runner, his power is inconsistent. At times he will run east-west instead of hitting it up hard inside. Light through his hips and lower-body limiting yards after contact. Movement skills and lateral quickness are marginal in the open field and he lacks a second gear and top-end speed. Shows some ability at linebacker and could develop there if his current speed does not transition well on offense. Would need to add good size and play with more physicality if he makes the move. Sula possesses good versatility as a prospect and his best days could be a head of him as a prospect.

Intriguing development, no?