Know your enemy (for this week, anyway)

What's that whistling sound? Just Colin Kaepernick standing in the wind.

Boise State and the Bronco Nation head to Reno this Saturday to take on the Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack. The Broncos are coming off Vandal hammering (no, pun intended) and Nevada is coming off a dominant performance against San Jose State. Most fans, like me, know little about the Wolf Pack outside of the lil General and "the fastest thing on stick legs" Colin Kaepernick. Needless to say, there is a lot to be learned about this week's foe (don't worry, Kellen Moore already knows their defense intimately)...so let's explore through the magic of factoids and childish jokes. For the mutual benefit of the Wolf Pack faithful, I will let you get to know us a little bit too...so take notes.

Ten things Bronco fans might not know about the Wolf Pack and their iniquitous den to the south

10. Ron Toomer, who holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from UNR, designed the first upside down roller coaster, the Corkscrew. The Corkscrew was a mainstay at Knott's Berry Farm for years, but now resides at the Silverwood amusement park in Athol, Idaho. Corkscrews are also good for popping corks...say on a champagne bottle...whilst celebrating an outright WAC title.

9. The Wolf Pack play their games at Mackay Stadium (29,993). The stadium is named for Clarence H. Mackay, the son of John W. Mackay, a silver and telegraph mogul. Clarence Mackay was an early financier of the university and gifted the school the Mackay School of Mines. Mackay was a tad eccentric, some might say...he collected medieval suits of armor, refused to marry his second wife for 15 years until his first wife died, and disinherited his daughter after she married composer Irving Berlin.

8. The oldest secret society at the University of Nevada-Reno is the Coffin and Keys Society, which was founded in 1916. The club was formed to be "a force to give the proper impetus to affairs of school life". Currently, the society appears to be mainly involved in putting t-shirts on statues, arranging canned food in decorative ways, and lounging in jaunty caps and Halloween masks. Spooky.

7. The UNR football program has produced an NFL Hall of Famer in fullback Marion Motley. Motley was only the second African American player inducted into the Hall of Fame after playing nine years in the league with the Steelers and Browns. During Motley's tenure with the Browns, in which he played fullback and linebacker, the Browns were 47-4-3 and won every championship in the AAFC. Sounds like Motley had quite the Crüe.

6. Each year, UNR and UNLV battle on the gridiron for the Fremont Cannon. The cannon goes to the victor of the contest for a year and it's undercarriage is painted in the winning school's colors. The cannon is a replica of the howitzer cannon that explorer John Fremont and his party hauled west and abandoned in the Sierra Nevada in 1844. Fremont was also the first Republican nominee for President of the United States...he didn't win, of course—maybe the nation was looking for a leader that didn't just leave cannons lying around.

5. Archaeological digs show that ancient native Americans known as the Martis, lived in the area where Reno now stands. The Martis resided in the area from 3,000 BC to 500 AD. Man, they just missed Chris Ault.

4. The UNR campus was the setting for five motion pictures in the 1940s, among the tititles: Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble, Apartment for Peggy, Mother is a freshman, and Mr. Belvedere goes to College (no, not that Mr. Belvedere), which was one of Shirley Temple's last films.

3. Nevada coach Chris Ault, "inventor" of the Pistol offense, is one of only 4 active coaches that have already been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The other 3 are Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden, and Joe Gagliardi. If that doesn't sound like an advertising dream team for Geritol® and Efferdent®, I don't know what does.

2. UNR football's first All-American (1923) was James "Rabbit" Bradshaw. No relation to this guy OR this guy.

1. Boise State has clinched outright WAC titles in Reno in every even numbered year since 2002. The Wolf Pack haven't had a sellout at Mackay since 2003. The Wolf Pack have the number one rushing offense in the country and Boise State has the number 2 scoring defense in the country. Boise State has not lost to the Wolf Pack since 1998. Something's gotta gonna give on Saturday...excited yet?

Ten things Wolf Pack fans might not know about the Broncos and their heavenly home to the north

10. Idaho governor C.L. "Butch" Otter is an alum of Boise Junior College where he played linebacker for legendary Bronco coach Lyle Smith. Otter didn't stuff the run...he vetoed it.

9. Former Boise State cornerback DaWuan Miller had only one arm. He had several key interceptions in the 1994 Division 1-AA playoffs that helped get the Broncos to the national championship game. Looks like the arm he was left with was his good arm. Amazing.

8. Former Bronco QB Jared Zabransky once told ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit that he could throw a potato 80 yards. The comment found its way into the NCAA Football 07 game when Herbstreit, doing the voice over work says at random points in games "That reminds me of the time that kid at the Liberty Bowl told me he could throw a potato 80 yards."

7. Boise had it's very own "trial of the century" in 1907, when the leaders of the Western Federation of Miners labor union went on trial accused of hiring assassin Harry Orchard to kill Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg.

6. Boise's Statehouse building is heated geothermally by underground hotsprings. Most hot springs I've ever been to are rife with scantily clad hippies...can't imagine who you'd meet at an underground one.

5. Hollywood director Michael Hoffman is a Boise State alum and was the school's first Rhodes Scholar. He won two Oscars for the film Restoration, but I think his finest work is the documentary film Out of the Blue, which is about Boise State's undefeated 2006 season...oops, I just spoiled the ending.

4. Boise State has been shutout only twice in football, the last coming against Washington State in 1997. Boise State registered two shutouts over their opponents just last year. 20 of Boise State's 24 opponent shutouts since 1968 have occurred at home. Their most lopsided win ever? The first ever game on the blue turf: a 74-0 win over Humboldt State which answered once and for all the question, "can Hippies play football?"

3. Since 1973, Boise State has won 13 conference championships including 5 straight WAC titles from 2002 to 2006. Prior to 1968, they competed in the JC ranks, and as stated before...were a dominant force at 153-25-6 and winning the JC national championship in 1958. Boise State won the 1-AA national championship in 1980 by defeating Eastern Kentucky and played in the championship again in 1994, but lost to a Jim Tressel-led Youngstown State.

2. Boise State sophomore wideout Austin Pettis is the nephew of former major league baseball player Gary Pettis. Gary Pettis still holds the record for most stolen bases in the Angels organization (186)...Austin holds the Boise State record for stealing the most corner fade routes from defensive backs (all of them).

1. Boise State freshman QB Kellen Moore set state records for career completions (787), career touchdown passes (173), completions in a season (317), passing yards in a season (4,600) and touchdown passes in a season (67) at Prosser High, in Washington, but he never won state. His brother Kirby, who will join Kellen on the Blue next season, recently became the national record holder for receiving TDs in a career. Something in the water in Prosser, Washington besides apple residue.

That's about the long and short of it...apologies for the delay this week...one of my biggest resources was out of commission so I had to wing this one and bring back some oldies-but-goodies.

Know your enemy (for this week, anyway)

Coincidence?

Boise State will wrap up their non-conference schedule this Saturday when they head to Hattiesburg, Mississsippi to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The Broncos are coming off an impressive 38-3 win at Bronco Stadium against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs while the Golden Eagles are reeling from two straight home losses (Marshall and UTEP). Most fans, like me, know little about Southern Miss outside of Brett Favre. Needless to say, there is a lot to be learned about this week's foe (don't worry, Kellen Moore already knows their defense intimately)...so let's explore through the magic of factoids and childish jokes. For the mutual benefit of the Golden Eagle faithful, I will let you get to know us a little bit too...so take notes.

Ten things Bronco fans might not know about Southern Miss

10. Southern Miss' first mascot was the Tiger, but they were also called the "Normalites" since the University of Southern Mississippi was originally called Mississippi Normal College. Three things to look out for in a cave: Stalagtites, Stalagmites and Normalites (they bite).

9. The current Southern Miss mascot's name is Seymour d'Campus. He was preceded by Seymour d'Freshmanquadresidencehalls.

8. Singer/Songwriter Jimmy Buffett is a USM alum. Some say his lost shaker of salt is in the Student Union lost and found.

7. The Golden Eagles play their home football games at M.M. Roberts stadium (capacity 36,000) which is nicknamed "the Rock". Sadly, the Rock, who played football at Miami...never got to play at the Rock.

6. Southern Miss has been playing football since 1912 and have an all-time winning percentage of 58%. They have been nationally ranked 3 times in their history and have won 10 conference championships along with national championships in 1958 and 1962. Their coach during their national championship years? A hall of famer named "pie"

5. USM's early Student Handbooks (and current alumni publication) were known as The Drawl. Southern stereotypes be damned!

4. Some claim that Hattiesburg, Mississippi is the birthplace of rock and roll since 1936 recordings in Hattiesburg by Blind Roosevelt Graves and his Mississippi Jook Band "featured fully formed rock & roll guitar riffs and a stomping rock & roll beat". The "rock band" consisted of a guitar, piano, tamborine and kazoo—that must've been some crazy moshpit.

3. 7 Southern Miss alums currently play in the NFL, most notably Brett Favre of the New York Jets. Least notably? Chris White, who plays Center for the Houston Texans.

2. Southern Miss runningback Damion Fletcher won the Conerly trophy in 2007. The Conerly trophy is "awarded to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi"—Wow...with criteria like that how could he lose?

1. Southern Miss is a combined 5-0 against the Mobile (AL) Shipbuilders, the Parris Island (SC) Marines, the Seashore (MS) Campground, and the Hattiesburg (MS) Boy Scouts. Rumor has it that they played a band of hobos sometime in the 1920s as well, but no records were kept.

Ten things Southern Miss fans might not know about Boise State

10. Boise State has an all-time win percentage hovering right around 70%. They have won 13 conference titles and 2 national championships (JC and 1-AA) and are the only non-BCS team to have been ranked in either national poll, at least at some point, over the last 7 seasons. The entire 2006 squad was encased in carbonite and are housed in Boise State's Allen Noble Hall of Fame.

9. Boise State's famous Blue turf was first installed in 1986. This was the biggest thing to happen in 1986, until Police Academy 3 came out.

8. To this date, the only number that the Broncos have retired is #12. It was worn by quarterback Jim McMillan, an NFL draftee and record holder for most touchdowns in a single game (6, against Montana in 1974). I wasn't alive when McMillan was assaulting Big Sky defenses, but I imagine he had a mustache.

7. Annually, Boise State generates $330 million in economic impact on the state in jobs, earnings and sales. Oh...and lots of useless Boise State merchandise.

6. Boise State University started out as Boise Junior College in 1932. Prior to becoming BJC, it was a school for girls called St. Margaret's. No "school for girls" jokes will be tolerated.

5. The Bronco mascot was chosen during BJC’s first year because students wanted something that reflected Boise’s western location, and because so many wild horses roamed the nearby Owyhee Canyonlands. Horses are known to stomp eagles to death on the range...particularly those of the golden variety...I think.

4. Boise State star runningback Ian Johnson (pay no attention to this year's stats) once ran a small business knitting beanies for anyone who wanted them. The NCAA shut down his semi-lucrative business after an ESPN story about his "hobby" hit the airwaves.

3. Lyle Smith, whom Boise State's field is named after coached the Broncos football team for 20 years and compiled a record of 156-26-8 (82%). Smith won a national championship in 1958 (a good year all around, apparently) and went undefeated 5 times. Take that, "Pie"!

2. It is illegal to fish with a beaver in Boise, Idaho. Thankfully, it is also illegal to point out obvious childish innuendo.

1. Boise State's Freshman phenom, Kellen Moore, is currently 6th in the nation in pass efficiency and 1st in the nation in awesomeness. You can't make that stuff up, folks.

Boise State-37, La Tech-13

Mark it down. Now underline it. Now pin it on the fridge. Kellen Moore and company are going to light up the Bulldogs like a Christmas tree in just a few short hours. If I weren't heading down to Bronco Stadium in short order, I would give you more details. Suffice it to say, the Broncos are going to smack Dooley's dogs in the mouth and take advantage of the Bulldogs weak pass defense in a very large way.

IJ gets his hundy. Moore gets his trés (in 3.5 quarters). Jeron Johnson meets Taylor Bennett...and people will hear it in the parking lot.

How's that for concise?!

Bronco Nation Podcast 9-25-08

With the podcaster numbers reduced by prior engagements...JT and Drew still manage to trudge through another podcast that simply had to be done. We chat about Autzen stadium, Kellen Moore's perceived greatness, the Bronco secondary's perceived dirtiness and the Vandals perceived crappiness Of course we chatted about players of the week and the upcoming schedule, too. Give a listen.

 The Bronco Nation Podcast - The Vocal Minority [54:40m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

9-10-08 Bronco Nation Podcast

Buck, JT and some guy named me mull some things over—namely: the WAC's new ESPN deal, Jake Locker's "excessive" celebration, Vinny Perretta the blogger, some predictions, and the key to the Bowling Green game on Saturday. Enjoy the wit and wisdom.

 The Bronco Nation Podcast - Seven Feet is Too High [49:19m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Know your enemy (for this week, anyway)

Boise State's first real test of the season will come sauntering onto the blue this Saturday in the form of the Bowling Green Falcons. The Falcons started the 2008 season with a bang when they knocked off then #25 Pitt—unfortunately, they promptly fell back to earth losing big this last weekend to Minnesota. So...our SOS remains so-so, but after a excruciating bye-week the Broncos are ready to dine on Falcon. Most fans, like me, know next to nothing about our MAC foes other than the fact that they run a no-huddle offense that doesn't lend itself to loud noises (hint, hint) and that they were soundly beaten in their last trip to the blue. Needless to say, there is a lot to be learned about our week 3 foe (don't worry, Kellen Moore already knows their defense intimately)...so let's explore through the magic of factoids and childish jokes. For the mutual benefit of the Falcon faithful, I will let you get to know us a little bit too...so take notes.

Ten things Bronco fans might not know about Bowling Green

10. Bowling Green State University appears to be aptly named, as it resides in Bowling Green, Ohio. Bowling Green is also the name of cities in New York and Kentucky. You are now ready for Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

9. Bowling Green State University was originally known as Bowling Green State Normal School. It was just up the road from Bowling Green State Abnormal School.

8. Bowling Green plays their football games at Doyt Perry Stadium, capacity 24,000. The Stadium is named after coach Doyt Perry, who led the Falcons to a 77-11-5 record in his tenure there in the 50s and 60s. While not huge...the stadium makes the Kibbie Dome look like Papa Smurf's toadstool cottage.

7. Falcons are fond of gibberish. The official fight song of the university is a little ditty called Ay Ziggy which features stirring lyrics like: "Ay Ziggy zoomba zoomba zoomba Ay ziggy zoomba zoomba ze". Now I'm really glad that BSU changed their fight song from Blee bloo bah bah boo bee beep.

6. Bowling Green has been playing football since 1919 and has 16 conference championships to show for it. Their last championship came in 2003 as they went 11-3 and won the MAC west division title. That year, they defeated Purdue and Northwestern of the Big Ten and only lost to Ohio State by 7 in Columbus.

5. Bowling Green has completed 5 undefeated seasons in school history...their last coming in 1959 under Doyt Perry (yes, THAT Doyt Perry!)

4. The Falcons have won 56.5% of their games since their debut in 1919.

3. Bowling Green's highest (and only) national ranking in Division 1-A came in 2003 when they finished at #23 in the AP and Coaches polls. That year, Boise State finished 16th and 15th in the AP and Coaches polls, respectively.

2. Urban Meyer coached at Bowling Green for two seasons and racked up a 17-6 record there before blowing up at Utah and eventually ending up at Florida, where they won the National Championship in 2006.

1. There are currently 5 Bowling Green alums playing in the NFL...one of them, WR Steve Sanders, was played by Ian Zering on Beverly Hills 90210.

Ten things Bowling Green fans might not know about Boise State

10. Boise State has been in existence since 1932, when it was founded by the Episcopal Church as Boise Junior College. In 1968, it achieved 4 year status and was changed to Boise College, then in 1969 changed again to Boise State College and finally became Boise State University in 1974.

9. The father of Boise State football is Lyle H. Smith. I guess you could call him the Doyt Perry of Boise...but a more accurate way would be to describe Doyt Perry as the Lyle Smith of Bowling Green. Smith coached Boise State football from 1947 to 1967, going 153-25-6 in that span. Under Smith, Boise State football went undefeated 5 times and won a national championship. Smith chose his own replacement, Tony Knap, in 1968 and served as the Athletic Director until 1981. Knap was pretty good too...he went 71-19 in his eight years with the Broncos.

8. Many think that Boise State ripped off their colors and mascot from the Denver Broncos...well it may be the other way around. Boise State's mascot and colors were picked in 1932 by student Owen Sproat and others after a basketball game. As Sproat put it:

“most of the guys rode horses — it was pretty much cattle country in those days.”

The johnny-come-lately Denver Broncos didn't come on the scene until 1960.

7. Since 1973, Boise State has won 13 conference championships including 5 straight WAC titles from 2002 to 2006. Prior to 1968, they competed in the JC ranks, and as stated before...were a dominant force at 153-25-6 and winning the JC national championship in 1958. Boise State won the 1-AA national championship in 1980 by defeating Eastern Kentucky and played in the championship again in 1994, but lost to a Jim Tressel-led Youngstown State.

6. Boise State joined the 1-A ranks in 1996...since that time, they have finished the season ranked 4 times (peaking at #5 in 2006) and won 7 conference championships.

5. Bronco Stadium's Lyle Smith Field is the nation's only non-green playing surface. "The Blue" or the "Smurf Turf" as it is affectionately known was first installed in 1986 and is currently in its 4th iteration. Contrary to popular belief...geese do not break their necks after mistaking it for a white lined lake. Jimmy Hoffa is also NOT buried under the field (as far as we know)

4. The Broncos are 59-2 at Bronco Stadium since 1999. Their last regular season loss on the blue was to Washington State in 2001.

3. Boise State currently has 11 players active on NFL rosters. Ryan Clady is the highest ever draft pick from Boise State. He was picked 12th overall in this years draft.

2. Boise State's current QB, redshirt frosh Kellen Moore, owns pretty much every high school football record in the state of Washington. Moore had 787 completions, 173 touchdowns, and over over 11,000 yards passing at Prosser High School. As a junior, he was named the Washington player of the year over Jake Locker, the current QB at UW. He emits awesomeness from every pore.

1. Chris Petersen won the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year award in 2006. In 2007, Mark Mangino of Kansas ate won the award.

So there you are...now we know each other...and knowing is half the battle.

That'll do, Kellen...that'll do

Photo by Joe Jaszewski/Statesman

The Kellen Moore era has begun in earnest and it looks like it may be soon joining other well-known eras such as the paleozoic and mesozoic. Moore looked freakin' great against a game ISU team, but obviously will really show his mettle in the upcoming weeks. Moore's 274 yard, 2 TD day was the best debut we've witnessed in quite some time...let alone from a freshman. Kellen looked poised, confident and showed a great touch when it came to nickel and diming or dropping 80 yard TD bombs. Moore finished the night with no turnovers and a passer rating of well over 200 in the 49-7 drubbing of the Bengals—Nice.

MIA
A few notables sat the game out and will be key returners for Bowling Green (who gave our SOS a boost yesterday by beating a possibly overrated, but still solid #25 Pitt team). Ryan Winterswyk was conspicuously absent at DE, but was filled in for nicely by future star Jarrell Root. Winterswyk has a bit of a knee tweak and may not be a go for the game against the Falcons on the 13th, but "should" be back for the Oregon game (keep your fingers nicely crossed). Kyle Gingg was also absent last night with a minor injury...he is more likely to be healthy for the BGSU tussle, but was not overly missed against ISU as Derrell Acrey recorded 14 tackles and freshman Aaron Tevis recorded 8, a tipped pass and two sacks.

No cause for alarm
Many fans are a little worried about inconsistent line play in the first game...mainly due to the fact that the offense didn't get rolling until nearly the 2nd quarter and the fact that the running game never fully took flight. Let me address those concerns thusly: It was the first FREAKIN' GAME! Let's all take a step back and look at the big picture. Boise State was about half a yard from posting the exact same score against Idaho State last night as they did against Weber State in the 2007 opener. Boise State's O-line is extremely young and untested...were missing behemoth Nate Potter and still allowed a single sack and sprung the runners for some big gainers. I personally thought that the run-blocking last night was not as good as the pass-blocking...but it was nothing terrible...the interior line wasn't opening huge holes, but Kellen stayed relatively pressure free and the run game looked like it could've really taken off if given more time. Also, Doug Martin and DJ Harper played extremely sparingly last night. The D-line looked pretty good...good pressure...a lot of sacks...and if you take out one lackluster drive pretty much shut down the ISU offense entirely. More perspective: In 2006 (considered by some to have been a "pretty good year") Ian Johnson had 89 rushing yards in the opener against Sacramento State. Last night? 87 yards. We're fine, Chicken Little.

Could be cleaner
As I said before, this was the first real live football a lot of these guys have played in months and for a lot of them, the first real live college football of their careers. There were some mistakes made—fumbles, pass interference, missed blocks and poor pursuit angles...but all-in-all this was a solid outing all around. Any mistakes made seemed to be atoned for later on and that is all you can ask of our athletes. Two oddly familiar looking fumbles by Titus Young were atoned for by two beautiful TDs, and bad field position for the Broncos (yep, fumbles) gave way to great defensive stands. Linebackers and secondary played very well...missed tackles were at a minimum and the one long drive given up by the D seemed to be due more to some poor pursuit angles than poor tackling like last year. The D-line was getting a good push, but will need to seal off the ends a bit better...Winterswyk will help with this immensely.

Bright spots
Richie Brockel did his best Mike Alstott impression on two goal line runs. Freshman Tyler Shoemaker from Mountain View showed the coaches that putting him on scholly last week was the right move by hauling in two nice TDs. Derrell Acrey wasn't "supposed" to start this one, but did...led the team in tackles with 14 and looked grrrreat. Jeron Johnson showed that you better think twice before running into him head-on...he isn't going to slow down. Ian Johnson blocked a punt...really. Aaron Tevis is a Colt Brooks clone...and he's only a frosh. One bright spot for the Bengals was their place kicker...he was kicking the crap outta that ball last night. Never got to see our new look kick return team because the balls were sailing out of the endzone.

Passing Grades
Offense—B+
Defense—B
Special Teams—B
BroncoVision—D

Kellen gets Helmet Sticker

End of the Rainbows? Hawaii WAC football preview

Part 6 of our WAC football preview is here. Today, I am examining the June Jones-less Warriors of Hawaii. The Warriors enjoyed a magical 2007 season that saw them capture the league title...play a cupcake schedule and get beatdown on national television by Georgia (it's ok Warrior fans, we know what that feels like). Will the Hawaii train keep on a rollin' without June, Colt and the dreadlocks? Hmmmm.

The Warriors lose a lot of big offensive tools from last season with the departure of Colt Brennan, Ryan Grice-Mullen, Davone Bess and company. The Warriors also lost June Jones...who was also a giant tool. Will the upheaval on offense spell doom and despair for Hawaii? The short answer is yes. The Warrior D is decent for the first time in a long time...but the Warriors success over the last few seasons has been predicated by their ability to put up tons of points—and without Brennan and company those points will be a little bit harder to come by. The 'bows may not drop as far as people think, however. Shall we discuss?

"McMackin" is not when you pick up someone at McDonalds
Greg McMackin took the reins from June Jones this offseason...or maybe it would be more accurate to say he took the floral print shirts and leis from June Jones this offseason. Either way, opposing team's fans are unsure what to do now that a villainous creep is not roaming Warrior sidelines. Could we be entering an era where I actually root for Hawaii when they aren't playing the Broncos? I doubt it will go that far, but McMackin does seem to be the polar opposite of Jones; humble, respectful and runs a tight ship. Unfortunately, McMackin's disciplinarian role and laid back approach may take Hawaii in the opposite direction, reversing what in many circles is known as "the Dennis Erickson" effect. Will no more recruiting the local jails, no more arrogant proclamations, no more JC raiding equal less wins for the Warriors? It's entirely possible. The islands are a difficult place to recruit and if McMackin can't hold on to the wealth of local talent, the Warriors seem destined for a decline. Add in the fact that Jones threw the entire university under the bus with his departure and sent a message to any recruits willing to fly the Pacific that Hawaii isn't committed to their athletics, and the gravy train may be permanently parked at the station. McMackin just may restore a modicum of respect to the Hawaii program, however...and not the type of "respect" that the Colt Brennan Express has garnered over the last few seasons...the lasting kind.

Most improved
Having a Hawaii player named preseason player of the year is nothing new...but having one named on defense is. Linebacker Solomon Elimimian (how many Elimimians do you guys have over there?) was named the preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the WAC media types and he should lead arguably the strongest linebacking corps in the WAC this year. Elimimian, who had 141 tackles in 2007 will be joined by Adam Leonard and Blaze Soares and they should pose a formidable challenge this season for WAC rushers. Ryan Mouton will lead the vastly improved Hawaii secondary. The Hawaii defense finished the '07 season ranked 34th nationally...a very good step for the Hawaii D. If defensively minded McMackin can keep those fires stoked...I don't see why the Hawaii D will have a huge letdown this year since many of their top playmakers return. In a reversal of sorts, the Hawaii defense should keep Hawaii in games this season—if not...another bowl trip could be tough.

Yes...you are rebuilding
A lot of coaches, when faced with the yearly departures of upperclassmen and early draftees, like to reassure fans that the team isn't really "rebuilding" but rather "reloading"...in some cases this is true...for Hawaii, it is not. McMackin and crew and most assuredly rebuilding after losing Colt Brennan and a slew of talented wideouts. JC-transfer Brent Rausch will lead the Warriors against Florida this Saturday...but don't expect to see a Colt Brennan clone take to the swamp...Rausch likely would not have gotten the nod over Brennan's heir-apparent, Tyler Graunke had Graunke not had some academic "problems" this offseason. But as it stands, Rausch is the man for their first outing...a probable beating at the hands of the Gators. Graunke has been re-instated, but has definitely run afoul of McMackin and crew and will really have to fight and claw his way back into the starting spot past Greg Alexander, Inoke Funaki and Rausch. McMackin also intimated at WAC media days that the Warriors are going to add a new element to their offense this year...something called "rushing"...no word yet on how that little experiment will pan out for them (I might advise against it). If McMackin sticks with the Jones version of the Run-n-Shoot...he better have the best man under center...because it can get ugly, at times without one (ask Timmy Chang).

One hit wonders?
I like what I've seen and heard from Greg McMackin so far. Despite his striking resemblance to Dick Van Patten and affinity for 44-oz Cokes...he seems like a solid guy. Solid guys usually can get the most out of their players...and I think that the defending WAC champion Warriors will again be in the mix. I don't, however, think that they will be able to repeat their success. For starters, their schedule isn't laughably weak like last years and isn't overly heavy with home dates...the Warriors may have exorcised some of their mainland demons last year, but I don't expect them to do much off the island this season. The Warriors will not beat Florida, Oregon State or Cincinnati and will likely have trouble with Washington State in their OOC matchups—they will roll Idaho and San Jose State and handle Utah State and New Mexico State easily...but that is where their conference domination will end this year. They will fail to get by Boise State, Fresno State and most likely Nevada...and will have their hands full with Louisiana Tech. No matter how you slice it...this is going to be a letdown year for Hawaii, who is coming off their best season ever. I think that a 5-7 year is not out of the question, but think a little leftover magic from 2007 will push them to 7-5. One thing is certain, they won't beat Boise State this year...the Broncos want that championship back...and they want it bad.

In the long run...you'll be better off without him.

Previous previews:
Utah State preview
Idaho preview
New Mexico State preview
San Jose State preview
Louisiana Tech preview

This one goes to Eleven

Nigel Tufnel would be so proud. That's eleven verbals for Boise State as of today (someone special's birthday). DE Kharyee Marshall from Washington High School in Phoenix, AZ pulled the proverbial trigger and will join other Arizona commits Justin Jungblut and Ebo Makinde on the blue (hopefully). Both Jungblut and Makinde received Pac-10 offers AFTER giving Boise State the nod—hopefully the blue will prevail. Marshall is a 6'2" 215 lb. D-line standout who also held offers from Idaho, Nevada, SDSU, Utah and UTEP. Marshall possesses a good frame that will no doubt take more weight and also has good speed at 4.7 in the 40. Marshall is rated as a 3 star recruit by rivals and classified as the 50th best player at his position. Makinde, Jungblut and Marshall are rated as the 16th, 22nd and 23rd best players in Arizona, respectively.

Hey Pac-10...keep away from our recruits!

Noice! Thompson Coach Pete's Player of the Day

Brandyn Thompson was named Coach Pete's Player of the Day for the 4th day of Fall Camp.

“Brandyn showed up today with great focus, energy and he turned that into some play-making ability,” said Petersen. “He had an awesome interception, but his coverage has been very tight all camp long. We’re looking forward to great things out of him this fall.”

This is very good news, since the early departure of Orlando Scandrick has left a gaping void in the defensive secondary opposite Kyle Wilson. Thompson was one of 5 true frosh to play last year, but was mainly utilized in nickel formations when we played NMSU and Hawaii. Particularly uplifting for nervous Broncos is the fact that Thompson has outperformed other highly touted recruits Antwon Murray, Keith McGowan and Garcia Day. Thompson had an acrobatic pick today against Austin Pettis, who I'm pretty sure is 3 feet taller than him. Good job, Brandyn...keep that intensity up cuz WAC offenses like to throw.

In other news...Ian talks

Big Surprise

Well, it looks as if my crystal ball is nicely buffed for the 2008 season—Ryan Winterswyk is off to the predictable start as an all-WAC world-beater for his sophomore season and has been named Pete's "camper of the day" for the first day of fall camp. Pete said of the super soph:

“Great effort,” said Petersen. “He’s a veteran guy for us now and he knows the intensity we need to play with and win with and he sure had it on day one.”

Oh yes (rubbing hands together maniacally), it is all going as we have foreseen it...Winterswyk "the Flying Dutchmen" gets the very first camper of the day honor...records 17 sacks against Idaho State...crushes a Bowling Green running back into dust... Oh yes, it is all panning out like we thought.

Does the WAC realize it is about to get systematically Swiked?

In other news...Dave Southorn intimates that some of the newcomers are fat. Who are you, Dave...Charles Atlas?

And does the Bronco blog podcast has some competition? Nope.

And how about the Magic Valley Times? They've got Wordsworth doing their blogging...brings a tear to the eye.

IPT has a nice little audio slideshow of day one.

2008 Podcast numero uno

JT Ray from Bronconation N.O.W., "Buck" Rogers from Statueleft and yours truly kicked off the 2008 season with an epic roundtable discussion about everything from Bob Behler to the ticket crisis. We were missing Kevan from OBNUG and aren't quite in mid-season form yet...but you may enjoy hearing our extremely biased opinions. Enjoy.

 The Bronco Nation Podcast - Shaken Off the Rust [50:15m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

WAC film comparisons

WAC media days are over (great wrap-up by OBNUG here) and fall camp is tantalizingly close...so what better way to kill some more time than by putting together an arbitrary list comparing WAC teams to their film counterparts.

Movie content, plot and general awesomeness/crappiness were NOT considered...just throwing up puns here.

Utah State— Superbad

Idaho— The Devil's Advocate

New Mexico State— The Other Sister

Hawaii— You Only Live Once

Fresno State— Almost Famous

Nevada— The Way We Were

Louisiana Tech— Southern Comfort

San Jose State— Closer

Boise State— Best of the Best

Got more? Think yours are better? Email fightfightbsu@gmail.com or comment.

What's in a (nick)name?

There have been many great nicknames in the annals of sports history; "Magic"..."Primetime"..."Chocolate Thunder"..."Bill Wennington"—great players seem to require great nicknames. Sadly, this has been an area in which Boise State has been sorely lacking of late. Boise State's recent nicknames consist mainly of shortening the players name or using their initials. ENOUGH!

Fight, Fight, BSU would like to arbitrarily hand out some nicknames that we hope stick with our young squad. Some will require no explanation...some will. Bear with me.

In no particular order:

Austin "Stickum®" Pettis—Dude's got amazing hands

Vinny "Vincenzo" Perretta—Vinny's an all-purpose player...and "Vinny" is plenty tough...but if he eventually wants to take over the family business; Vincenzo it shall be.

Titus "the" Young—Titus torched defenses as a true frosh last year, but still doesn't look a day over 15. I looked back to Alexander the Great and Hagar the Horrible for this one. Titus the Young shall conquer Gaul.

Bush "2 in the hand" Hamdan—I've never understood that saying...but depending on what we're talking about could be pretty darn cool. Example: 2 beating hearts?

Jarrell "Voltron" Root—credit BC's Zagco for this gem.

Ryan "the flying Dutchmen" Winterswyk—Ryan is from La Habra, CA...but we believe his ancestors to have been pillaging Norsemen.

Jeremy "Slash and Burn" Avery—Avery didn't like "Peanut" too much, and I feel that his running style is most similar to this agricultural practice.

Doug "Doug Mad" Martin—"Doug mad, Doug smash".

DJ "the Quiet Man" Harper—Harper is quiet and unassuming...he also is a punishing runner and one of the fastest guys on the team.

Mike "Teed Off" Williams—You wouldn't like Mike T. when he is angry...only Doug Martin likes him when he's angry.

Kellen "the Prodigy" Moore—Kellen may start as a redshirt freshman and demolish recordbooks in a 4-year conquest. We'll see.

Ian "Freakin'" Johnson—He's just Ian freakin' Johnson. 'Nuff said.

Jeremy "AO" Childs—Always Open.

Nate "White Shadow" Potter—He'll be in Clady's shadow his whole career. Embrace it, pal.

Derrell "Geeked Up" Acrey—No one looks like they're having more fun on or off the field than Acrey. We're all expecting big things from this kid.

Kyle "What's with the 2 G's" Gingg—Ohhhh..the 2nd G is silent.

Dallas "Pops" Dobbs—I graduated from BSU almost 4 years ago...I think Dobbs was in my freshman English class.

Billy "the Professor" Winn—Billy looks like he can recite Pi to the 30th decimal point. We hope that he formulates hypotheses on the field about how to destroy quarterbacks.

JP "Morgan" Nisby—JP Morgan was an American banker and financier. JP Nisby is a freakishly strong defensive lineman. Do I have to spell this one out?

Richie "Malibu" Brockel—Looks a little like a Mattel® Ken doll...with much bigger traps.

Andrew "Big Pun" Woodruff—He's a player and he crushes...a lot.

Kyle "Yoink" Wilson—"Oh, you thought you had that ball? Yoink"

I'm tapped out. Got any more? Send them my way!
fightfightbsu@gmail.com

Reader Carroll proposes the following alternates:

J.P. "Mr. Nasty" Nisby—This guy is a monster!

Ryan "Seek And Destroy" Winterswyk—Ryan is on a mission.

Doug "Full Metal Jacket" Martin—Don't get in his way! He will go right through you.

Kellen "Ever Ready" Moore—Kellen will just keep going, and going, and going...

Jeremy "Checkmate" Childs—Checkmate is defined as: "To strike in such a manner that no escape or defense is possible."

Reader Jason (Hayzer) proposes "T-Byrd" for Frosh Center Thomas Byrd

Bob Behler drives a Pontiac G6

Among the extremely valuable tidbits that the Statesman was able to uncover in their exclusive interview with the new Voice of the Broncos, Bob Behler, was that he drives a Pontiac G6. Hard hitting journalism at it's best, right? But maybe can't we cull deeper insight into Bob Behler the man by his choice of car? After all, a lot can be learned about a man by looking at his ride. For example...I drive a 2003 Dodge Neon—this says about me: "I don't give a crap about my car, as long as it runs". It also may be reasonably deduced about someone that drives a gas-guzzling Hummer that they are a jackass don't particularly care for Al Gore or his ilk. So, what does Bob Behler's Pontiac say about him? Well, G6s are definitely sporty...so we know that he must be serious about sports and that bodes well for Boise State fans. The G6 is also the 11th best selling car in the United States and has won several industry awards...so clearly Bob does his homework. Depending on whether Behler drives the sedan, coupe or hard-top convertible variety of the G6 could speak volumes as well. If he drives the sedan, he may be just as likely to take his car to the grocery store as he would be to take it on the Autobahn. If he drives the coupe...he is probably not hauling any little Behlers around. If he drives the hard-top convertible...all bets are off—Behler may just be a bad boy beneath that bespectacled visage. The G6 has a 240 HP V6 engine...Behler's got boundless energy and enthusiasm. The G6 was also the car that was famously given away to Oprah Winfrey show guests in 2004—so I'm sure that Behler is the sensitive sort.

So really, if you dig a bit deeper...the Statesman's puff piece might have revealed a lot more about the Peak's new franchise talent than they intended. Or was it that the Statesman had a method to their madness when they asked Behler the seemingly lame innocent question? Nah.

Statesman article HERE.

An Interview with Buster Bronco

It's a long offseason...so for the next few months we're going to be throwing out some exclusive interviews with ex-players, analysts and fans. Our third such interview is with Buster Bronco (shown above with Nick Schlekeway), a revered and reviled member of the Boise State family. Buster's exact age and gender are subject of speculation...but one thing is for sure...he exists!

DREW: Buster, how are you recovering from your off-season bout with laminitis?
(Winnies loudly and then snorts)

DREW: I see...so you'll be ready to take the field on August 30th?
Neigh.

DREW: Was that a yes? How about this: will your off-season injury keep you off the field come August, yay or neigh?
Neigh.

DREW: Excellent...according to your wikipedia page, you are also known as Flappymouth...where did that name come from?
(Tosses head violently to and fro)

DREW: So I think you are indicating that you don't know...do you know?
Neigh.

DREW: Fair enough. Some have criticized your on-field antics—what do you have to say to your critics?
(bows head and snorts softly, but as he raises his head again I see tears welling up in his comically oversized eyes)

DREW: So, it's not easy for you to talk about?
Neigh.

DREW: How old are you exactly?
(stomps hoof 10 times)

DREW: So, you are ten years old? Is that in human years?
Neigh.

DREW: Your arms have gotten dramatically bigger in the last 10 years...is there anything added to your hay?
Neigh. (Buster flexes his fuzzy horse arms)

DREW: Did you know that the Western Michigan mascot is also named 'Buster'?
Neigh. (Buster looks visibly shaken by this news for some reason)

DREW: Does this upset you?
(tosses head violently in up and down motion)

DREW: Buster, you are rumored to be in a relationship with the Channel 7 logo mascot...is this true?
Neigh. NEIGH. (Buster overturns chair and kicks his hooves at me, barely missing my chin)

DREW: I guess this interview is over.

Broncos find their voice

So, after getting spurned by their top pick and overshooting their announcement date by over a week...it appears that Peak Broadcasting and Boise State has found their man.

This morning a cryptic anonymous message was left on my article about the Peak delay that said an announcement was forthcoming. Now, Idaho Radio News has posted a similarly cryptic headline-only article saying that indeed Peak and the Broncos have found their man. Bob Behler, the voice of the Umass Minutemen for the last 8 years, looks to be heir apparent to Paul J's throne. Behler, for the last 5 years, has also been the manager of broadcast properties at Umass. East coast Behler and his broadcast partners were honored as the Associated Press' Best Radio Play-by-Play in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for five of the last six years. Prior to becoming the UMass mainstay, Behler worked as the play-by-play announcer for Bucknell's various athletic programs.

The announcement of Behler's hiring ends months-long speculation about who KIDO would be placing in the booth. Behler has precious little time to get his act together as football season is fast approaching. We sincerely wish Behler the best and hope that Bronco fans still reeling from Paul J's departure will be able to find a little room in their hearts for "Bob B"...maybe it's too soon for a Paul J-esque moniker.

I, for one, am hoping that Paul J can take Behler under his wing to get him up to speed on the Broncos program that he knows so well. Maybe Paul J can teach him some of his "quainter" on-air antics as well.

Here's some 20-year old audio of Behler calling a Bucknell/Penn game if you really can't wait.

Here's some much more recent Behler audio as he does an NIT interview.

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.

New Bronco announcer by week's end

According to the IPT, Peak Broadcasting is down to the final four in their quest to find the next Bronco play-by-play man (or woman). Kevin Godwin, the station's VP said they are interviewing this week and hope to make their announcement this weekend. Word of advice for Peak: don't screw up. A good many Bronco fans were chagrined when Paul J and crew were cut loose—don't exacerbate the problem by throwing a Ted Dawson or Dave Tester behind the mic. We need an announcer with a passion for football and college sport in general (and it won't hurt if he has a thick, black mustache and soothing baritone) and that knows his stuff. No mispronunciations, no calling the wrong plays and absolutely no love for the Idaho Vandals. We want our next announcer to call the BSU/Idaho games like his is calling the D-Day play-by-play for French radio.

You're in the homestretch, Peak...you can see the finish line...we implore you, don't pull a Big Brown.

Ryan Clady about to be rich

Why do players leave school early? Two words: CHA CHING! Ryan Clady, Boise State's highest ever draft pick, and first ever to declare for the draft after his junior season (followed, in short order, by Orlando Scandrick) may be seeing up to an $11 million dollar package from the Denver Broncos. Denver's nine draft picks will be paid out an estimated $14 million in bonuses with Clady expected to gobble up around 80 percent of that sum.

It's your money, Ryan...but think how sweet this would sound: Cladyvision.

Denver Post