Know your enemy (for this week, anyway)

What's wrong with this picture?

Boise State kicks their WAC season into high gear tomorrow night as they take on the defending *ack* WAC champion Hawaii Warriors on the blue. The Broncos are coming off an impressive defensive performance in Hattiesburg while the Warriors took care of Louisiana Tech. Most fans, like me, know little about Hawaii outside of mutual June Jones hatred. 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 Warrior faithful, I will let you get to know us a little bit too...so take notes.

Ten things Bronco fans might not know about Hawaii

10. In 1923, after defeating Oregon State on Moiliili Field, a rainbow appeared, causing local reporters to start calling the UH football team the "Rainbows". The Warriors dropped the "Rainbow" from their name and logos in 2001 (only 23 years after it became a symbol of the gay pride movement...way to get right on that)

9. The John A. Burns school of medicine, the Medical School of the University of Hawaii, is ranked 12th in the nation for geriatrics. Could this be why Greg McMackin always looks so happy?

8. The University of Hawaii won the 2004 Intercollegiate Sailing Association National Championship. I'm told the championship trophy resides in a case titled: "Championship trophies that no one knew existed"

7. Hawaii's State motto is: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono. Boy, you can say that again.

6. Graduated star wideout Davone Bess was recruited by June Jones' henchmen while serving a 15 month sentence at a juvenile facility. Why June Jones had recruiters at prison-sponsored flag football games is obvious to anyone who's ever watched The Longest Yard.

5. Current UH coach, Greg McMackin authored a book, titled Coaching the Defensive Backfield that is currently in its 7th printing. If you like that, you may also want to check out June Jones' memoir, The Gentlemen's Guide to Mustaches, Leis, and Prison Recruiting

4. In 1926, Hawaii coach Otto Klum's squad scored 101 points twice against opponents "Field Artillery" and "Heilani AC". Interestingly, 101 points is what June Jones' 2007 squad would've scored on San Jose State, had field conditions not been so poor.

3. Singer/Actress Bette Midler attended the University of Hawaii. It is widely believed that Timmy Chang is the wind beneath her wings.

2. Hawaii has won 3 WAC conference titles in their 29 years in the league. Boise State has two more than that in 7 years...so...well...yeah, just suck on that.

1. Runningback Thomas Kaulukukui's number 32 is the only number to date that has been retired by the UH football program. Kaulukukui was only 5'4" and weighed a whopping 145 lbs.

Ten things Warrior fans might not know about the Broncos

10. 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).

9. NHL Legend Bobby Hull's son Bart played running back for Boise State in the early 90s. Bart's brother Brett is a future NHL Hall of Famer and is 3rd all-time in the league in goals scored. I guess this makes Bart the least successful member of the Hull family.

8. Boise State University's motto is: Splendor Sine Occasu, which I believe is Latin for "place of very few parking spaces"

7. Boise was once a key trading post for the Hudson Bay Trading Company. Now Boise is a known mainly as a key trading post for Starbucks coffee and JoAnn Fabrics.

6. Coach Chris Petersen was the 2006 Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year, but lost the WAC Coach of the Year title to Hawaii's June Jones. We demand reparations!

5. Dee Pickett (father of NFL and CFL QB Cody Pickett) was the Broncos quarterback in 1976-77. Pickett was a prolific player for the Broncos, but left the sport to pursue rodeo "fame" and fortune in 1977. Pickett was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2003, which, I believe entitles him to some sort of huge belt buckle.

4. 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. Timmy Chang knows how you feel, Kellen.

3. Boise State freshman walk-on runningback Carlo Audagnotti, probably had the longest trip to the blue of any current player...he's from Johannesburg, South Africa.

2. Backup QB Bush Hamdan was born in Kuwait and his birth name is Bashar...his brother, Gibran is a backup QB for the Buffalo Bills. "Bash" is a cooler name then "Blaze", isn't it?

1. Boise State hasn't lost a WAC game at home...ever. You hear that Hawaii? EVER.

Bush Hamdan has class

Bush Hamdan granted the media one last interview on Saturday and said a mouthful. Is Bush a little bitter? Maybe—but that guy has given his blood, sweat and tears to the Bronco program just like everyone else, so he has a right to be a little down...remember, he just found out on Wednesday that he lost the QB competition for the second straight year and to a freshman no less. Though I may have perceived a twinge of bitterness from Bush...I also saw a lot of humility, toughness and understanding. He said what he needed to say, but didn't throw a fit or throw anyone under the bus. We basically just see a guy that has given 5 years of his life and done everything asked of him, but came up a bit short. Just like if you or I were passed over for a promotion at work, when they decided the fresh-faced 20 year old with a BA was just a better fit. It stings a little, but you move one. Cheers to Bush for taking the news and his "new" role with a lot of grace.

KTVB interview HERE.

Uneducated guesses

First off, let me state that I have tried to objectively look at the Boise State QB race from the beginning. Devotees of the blog may recall that prior to Spring ball, I had Coughlin as my frontrunner. It is clear at this point that MC is not going to be the man. Let me also state that I have been critical of the local media outlets when they have gone too far in campaigning for one QB over the other. I have no qualms saying that I have jumped on the Kellen Moore bandwagon and I think he obviously has a bright future at Boise State. So make no mistake, when I make my following prediction: I am not endorsing one QB over another (not that it matters to the coaching staff) and I think that we are gold if the coaches go either way. That said...after watching yesterday's scrimmage (and not watching any of the Fall practices)—I predict that senior Bush Hamdan is going to be the starter for 2008.

Hamdan, though he had a rougher outing in the first Fall scrimmage...has, from all accounts had a good camp. He was really neck and neck with Moore after Spring ball (an amazing testament to just how good the frosh is) and the 5th year senior has had a solid summer. Last night, though Moore again looked crisp, Hamdan looked more like a starter to me. Moore had a beautiful 50-yard TD pass to Jeremy Childs...but Hamdan had an amazing TD strike to Austin Pettis that he threw off of his back foot as the pocket had nearly collapsed on him. Hamdan also had a very nice touchdown pass to Vinny Perretta and several scrambling tosses that found their mark. Hamdan finished the night 9 of 14 for 214 yards with 3 TDs and one INT (thankfully to new starter Brandyn Thompson). Kellen Moore was 13 of 21 for 149 yards, one TD and one INT. These stats certainly don't indicate a huge chasm between the senior and the frosh and Moore did have the better first scrimmage...but like I said...Hamdan just looked more like the starter yesterday. I will pull a Hal Mumme and have my "gut feeling" moment. Hamdan is gonna be the starter...Moore will see some time this year...Moore will be unstoppable and incredibly good as a sophomore. For those of you that would like to serve up piping hot crow for me if I am wrong, I believe on a PC it's the alt-Print Screen command

Other observations from the 2nd Fall scrimmage

Vinny Perretta is going to tear it up this year. He had two long TD receptions last night and has looked very good this Summer. I think we would've done better last season with VP healthy.

Our RBs look great. I'm used to the sight of Ian Johnson in street clothes at scrimmages, so I'm not too rattled by the fact he didn't play. Doug Martin, Jeremy Avery and DJ Harper look great. They run hard and don't go down without a fight. Even freshman Matt Kaiserman and walk-on Carlo Audagnotti looked good on the blue.

Jarvis Hodge looks like Kimbo Slice. Hodge didn't play yesterday, but he is sporting a thick beard and if you squint...he looks a bit like the wannabe brawler.

Chandler Koch will be good. Koch is tall and has soft hands...maybe he uses Palmolive?

Our Freshman O-lineman are huge. Faraji Wright, Joe Kellogg, Tom Swanson and others are gonna be big players for us in the future...literally.

Tommy Smith and George Iloka will be all-WAC someday soon. alt-Printscreen

Boise State has international appeal. I had 3 Germans speaking ze Deutsch next to me at last night's scrimmage.

Offense ruled the night BUT Kyle Wilson, Jeron Johnson, Billy Winn and others were not suited up.

Brandyn Thompson will fill in nicely for our dearly departed Orlando Scandrick.

This will be a fun year. How's that for another bold prediction?

Scrimmage Links

Murphy less sure of QB race outcome.

Dustin Lapray weighs in on the action. Grab a thesaurus.

IPT's scrimmage photo gallery.

Your guess=as good as mine

Photo by Joe Jaszewski

Ok...so I took the wife and kid down to Bronco Stadium for the ridiculously early scrimmage today. They know that most people are working at 3 PM on a Monday, right? Anyhoo...I showed up a bit late—around 4 and tried to see what I could see. The "big" play (Kellen Moore to Vinny Perretta for a 51 yard TD) had already happened, but thankfully Buck from Statueleft got me up to speed. Here's what I thought I saw:

Kellen Moore looks very poised and makes decisions very quickly (and usually wisely). He didn't have a "wow" type of day, but still led all QBs in yardage with 137 yards and a score. Moore did not play error free ball, but he did not turn the ball over (other than a ball that was stripped by a blitzing Derrell Acrey). Moore's receivers had a few drops, he threw a few a bit wide, but also wisely threw them away when nothing was opening up. Moore was only 9 of 22 on the day...but didn't kill drives and still got over the 100 yard mark. Moore may have just pulled slightly ahead with today's performance.

Bush Hamdan, though dead even throughout the Spring and Summer with Moore—may have ceded a bit of an edge today to Moore. Hamdan had no turnovers to speak of, but often threw into tight coverage and was lucky not to be picked off. Hamdan looked fairly agile in the pocket, but did not tuck and run when it may have been beneficial. The defense put pretty good pressure on him, but Bush wasn't making terribly quick reads. He finished the day 5 of 15 for 48 yards and no scores. Some remarked that the running game seemed to look better with Hamdan at the helm, but this may be chalked up to a) sheer coincidence or b) the fact that the RBs are more accustomed to a right-handed exchange. Hamdan didn't kill the offense, but he didn't spark them much either. It is the first scrimmage, so I won't read too much in. Hamdan, I think is #2 for now.

Nick Lomax had the best passer rating of the outing. He was 7 of 9 and completed 77% of his throws. It must be stated, however, that Lomax's stats were accumulated against mainly 2nd or 3rd teamers and were high percentage, short passes that only netted him 68 yards through the air. Lomax always seems to get up for the scrimmages and doesn't make many boneheaded mistakes...but he is clearly a step behind Moore and Hamdan and has not really impressed a lot in actual game situations. Lomax is hangin' in there, but I don't think he'll push Moore or Hamdan for much PT.

Michael Coughlin did not see much action on Monday. He was a respectable 5 of 8 for 35 yards and clearly possesses the best legs of the group. He also has a rocket arm, but routinely seems to overthrow receivers and rushes his passes. Coughlin saw some action last year in games and performed decently...but he and Lomax, "the tall ones" don't seem to have grasped the offense as well as the redshirt and the 5th year. I still have hope that Coughlin will make a charge and we'll see him some this year, but a starting gig looks like a longshot.

The defense played well and Derrell Acrey and Jeron Johnson stood out. Acrey adds a larger, more physical presence at midfield and Johnson just seems to be everywhere. Jeron hits like a Mack truck and leveled the much larger Julian Hawkins with a hit that echoed off the bleachers. Hunter White also caught my eye as he really flies around out there. The defensive line got good pushes into the backfield which hopefully is because of a combination of skill and the fact that the O-line is missing several cogs.

Receiving was hard to gauge. Very excited to read the stat line that Chandler Koch led all receivers with 61 yards—equally so about frosh Chris Potter snagging 5 tosses. Our future looks bright at receiver...and so does the present. Perretta, obviously snagged a long TD pass that was 100% effort. Nice to see Vinny back at full strength. Also nice to have Jeremy Childs back...he didn't light it up...but always seems to be open. Our receivers and running backs shouldn't be an issue this year. They're gold.

To sum it up. No QB really distanced himself too much. Hamdan or Moore is anyone's guess. Obviously there are pros and cons to either choice, but I don't get the impression that either would do poorly if given the reins. We'll just have to wait until Saturday's scrimmage to see if another can pull away. Until then...happy prognosticating.

The long summer awaits

The annual Blue & Orange game wrapped up last night with the offense beating the defense 25-9. You may think that the scoring system favored the offense, and you would be right. The defense, by all accounts played well and showed that they are a cohesive unit that will go back to Boise State's bread and butter of stopping the run. The defense gave up only one late TD—a 3-yard run by Doug Martin.

QB race will be a photo-finish
The QB race, as everyone expected was NOT resolved last night, but it is pretty fair to say that the 4-man derby has become a two-man race between redshirt freshman Kellen Moore and senior Bush Hamdan. Once again, Moore led all QBs at the scrimmage going 11-of-13 for 99 yards and no turnovers. If you are keeping track at home...Moore had the best stats at 2 of the 3 Spring scrimmages and went 26-of-39 with 265 yards and no turnovers for Spring. The other dog in the hunt, Bush Hamdan, was 7-of-10 for 65 yards in the scrimmage and was 19-of-31 with 239 yards and no turnovers for the Spring.

Now, we are definitely in for a long summer and any one of these QBs can make strides and insert himself back into the race, but for now, between Moore and Hamdan...I believe that we are looking at a similar scenario that we faced in 2004 when Jared Zabransky and Michael Sanford were both vying for the spot. Unless the senior (Hamdan) really distances himself from Moore and the other QBs, I think the coaches will go with "the future" like they did in '04. Obviously, at this point, Moore has the better numbers and has been more consistent...but summer workouts and fall camp could change that. Hamdan is a touch more mobile than Moore and has a bit stronger arm, but Moore is very quick at scanning the field and finding the open man and appears to sense pressure when it is coming and moves well in the pocket.

Barring a total meltdown by Moore over the next few months I would put the quarterback odds at this point at:
Moore-55%
Hamdan-35%
Coughlin-10%*
Lomax-0%

*I do believe that regardless of who is named the starter between Hamdan and Moore, we will still see Mike Coughlin in certain game situations.

Defense makes good strides
While injury-prone, the defense still made very positive strides this Spring as the linebacker corps looks to be very deep and very talented. We will probably see any or all of the eligible LBs in games this season. Sophomore Derrell Acrey has impressed coaches this Spring and looks poised to make a big impact this fall. Kyle Gingg, Tim Brady, Dallas Dobbs and Aaron Tevis also have shown coaches what they wanted to see—playing more physical and knowing their assignments.

The secondary has a few question marks with the departure of Orlando Scandrick and Marty Tadman, and the no one really knows who will replace Scandrick across the field from Kyle Wilson this year. The safety position, however, looks to be in good shape as big-hitter Jeron Johnson returns and Jason Robinson has excelled in the off-season. True frosh George Iloka will likely burn his redshirt this year as he's been a force in the secondary all spring.

Running backs a'plenty
The running back situtation, is barely worth mentioning as there is possibly more depth and talent in the backfield than the Broncos have ever had. With a young, untested O-line, the Bronco offense will look to game-changers Ian Johnson, Jeremy Avery, Doug Martin and DJ Harper to blow the games wide-open. While Ian Johnson is the incumbent starter, Martin and Harper have had big Springs while Avery nurses an injury. Harper has been extremely hard for the defense to take down and Doug Martin looks to be a very solid goal-line back.

Outlook
Spring ball should be enough to assuage the most pessimistic Bronco's fears as the team looks to be filling the voids nicely. Thomas Byrd looks like he will be the starting center and the rest of the O-line will solidify itself in the Fall and hopefully add a little bulk over the summer. The kicking game, with Kyle Brotzman back, should be just fine. The bottom line is this: if the Broncos can regain the chip on their shoulder that they had in '06...the schedule favors another WAC title and good bowl game. The team chemistry will dictate what this 2008-09 Bronco squad can achieve.

OBNUG's Blue & Orange take
Nice IPT slideshow of the B&O
OrangeDeath provides proof of new unis
Statueleft will have scrimmage pics and video galore
Idaho Statesman refutes Phil Dailey's claims that a starter has been crowned.

A clean campaign?

Phil Dailey is a shrewd campaigner. Either that or he is some sort of freakin' clairvoyant as Dailey has boldly proclaimed that the quarterback job is Hamdan's to lose. Whether Dailey is really good at deciphering vague coachspeak or is of the mind that an Ian Johnson endorsement all but seals the deal for Bush we'll never know.

All I want to know is if Mr. Dailey, with his all-knowing power would be willing to grant me some hot stock tips.

Granted, I don't have access to practices like Phil Dailey does, and I can't command the awesome resources of the Idaho Press Tribune...but what exactly is Dailey hearing from the tight-lipped coaches that confirm his claims? Was it this quote from coach Pete...

“We might have more of feel now, but there’s no rush to set anything in stone. We want these to keep these guys competing and the best medicine for improvement is competition.”

Or maybe this concrete declaration by coach Harsin...

“Nobody is overall making a huge jump at this point, they’re doing what we ask them to do.”

Hmmm...maybe Dailey really looked into Harsin's soul when he made that statement and saw the profound commitment to Hamdan glimmering in his eyes. Maybe.

Heck, everyone's got their favorite (even Ian Johnson), but you're the sports director for the Press-Tribune, Phil Dailey...headlines like "Hamdan has QB lead" just aren't going to cut it when you can't back up that statement. Just admit that you are as clueless as the rest of us in this thing until about mid-August.

Dailey's psychic reading

Really?!

To say that Boise State Offensive Coordinator, Bryan Harsin keeps things close to the vest would be a slight understatement. To say that Harsin is a liar would be a slight overstatement. To say that Harsin is being extremely vague and diplomatic with his info would have squarely hit the nail on the head. Harsin yesterday insisted that no quarterback has really established himself as the frontrunner in the highly publicized QB race yet (roll eyes). He did, however, once again fail to include junior Nick Lomax's name among the QBs that he praised for their Spring progress. Not generally one to read too far into things...I am confident that Lomax's repeated exclusion from Harsin's interviews is a good indicator that at this point Lomax is sitting in the #4 QB spot. I also believe that by the end of spring ball on April 11th, we will have a clear favorite.

Luckily for us speculative fans, Harsin gave us a small inkling of how we might figure out the current pecking order:

He plans to give all of them time with the first-team offense this week in practice and reward the guys who play the best with more playing time in Friday’s scrimmage at Mountain View High in Meridian (3:30 p.m.).

Hear that? Take out your stopwatches to Mountain View High on Friday afternoon and determine who is getting the most time in the 2nd scrimmage...already knowing that Lomax is in 4th place (according to my calculations), we should accurately be able to determine the remaining top 3. After the first scrimmage, it looks to be 1. Kellen Moore 2. Bush Hamdan 3. Michael Coughlin and 4. (sorry) Nick Lomax.

One more impressive scrimmage out of Moore and he will be dubbed "the People's Starter"

Not-so-informative Statesman Article (step it up, Cripe)

Brains > brawn.

If you follow internet chatter...especially of the Bronco variety, you've no doubt heard of the miraculous spring scrimmage of Kellen Moore. No, Moore didn't turn water into Gatorade or heal a leper (although could've performed the Heimlich maneuver on a few other Bronco QBs who 'choked') and hey, it was only the FIRST scrimmage of the spring, but many Bronco fans are calling Moore's 10-14 2 TD day a miracle. The miracle lies in the fact that Moore, who is a redshirt freshman, looked to have a better grasp of the Bronco playbook than a sophomore, junior and 5th-year senior.

Moore, a record-setting high school quarterback out of Prosser, Washington is only 6'1" and 180 lbs, but he's a coaches son and voraciously studies film...has since his high school days and probably before that LINK.

Moore has already drawn comparisons to Ryan Dinwiddie ('cept he's a lefty) and I see a little Colt Brennan in him with his quick defensive reads and nickel and dime'n opponents before going deep. The bottom line is this: Kellen Moore has as good a chance (if not better )at the starting job as anyone on the roster and Bronco fans are positively giddy at the prospect of a 4 year starter with all the offensive talent we'll retain.

I know a week or so ago I was giving the inside track to Michael Coughlin, but I sincerely think that with Moore's work ethic and knowledge of the game, coaches may see a small enough "freshman downside" in him that they may just give him the reins.

Granted, Moore needs to continue to impress through Spring ball and into Summer, but with 5 solid running-backs and a slew of fast and talented wide receivers...I think that Moore could reasonably get the starting nod without expectations of "carrying the offense" and in ensuing sophomore, junior and senior campaigns be a true B.M.O.C.

Moore may not have the height of Lomax or Coughlin or the speed and arm-strength of Hamdan, but he has football smarts and a tireless work-ethic and that, I think, may be exactly what Boise State needs again. And do you really think OUR freshman could do any worse than Nathan Enderle?

You think you're better than me?!

Today is a big day for Bronco Nation Boise is positively buzzing as for the first time in 14 years, the Bronco basketball team will not be able to attend the spring football scrimmage. Poor saps.

If you consider yourself a rabid Bronco fan...you will excitedly rush to Bronco Stadium at 3:30 today to watch a glorified practice. You better believe I will be there as I want to see the development of redshirts Kellen Moore, angry Doug Martin and to check out Jarrell Root's kneebrace. We also will have an opportunity to try to figure out which streetclothes-clad kids roaming the sidelines may be potential recruits. It will also mark the first opportunity I will have to take my 8-month old son down on the blue turf that he's been itching to touch ever since he left the womb.

Rumor has it that 8th-year senior Bush Hamdan will be getting the first reps with the first-team offense...but this may be more of a gesture towards the most-senior QB than a nod to who will be inheriting the offense this fall. Coach Bryan Harsin conspicuously left out Nick Lomax's name when praising the development of the QBs this spring; from the Statesman:

Harsin said he has been impressed with the springs of Coughlin and Moore, who are still learning the offense.

“Those guys have come in there and done a nice job of being prepared and playing well,” Harsin said. “ … They’ve accelerated their learning just by their preparation in the offseason.”

I could be reading to far into this...but it's the offseason and we need SOMETHING to analyze besides the falling value of the U.S. dollar.

Guys I would like to check out (not in that way) this afternoon are: Doug Martin, George Iloka, JP Nisby, Billy Winn, Kellen Moore, Dominique Vinson, and possibly Ricky Cookman and Kyle Efaw. Show us somethin' boys!

I will be surreptitiously taking my digital camera into the scrimmage to bring you blogsters some images and video from tonight's festivities, so check me out this evening for some "exclusive" content.

Didn't we just do this?

For the second off-season in a row, the Boise State coaches have the unenviable task of sifting through BSU's bevy of quarterbacks to see which one is best suited to captain the ship. None of the 4 men vying for the job have a single start under their belt and only 3 of them have even seen any action at all. Senior Bush Hamdan was the odds-on favorite to take the reins last year, but after missing scrimmage time with injury and other unknown factors was passed over for then-senior Taylor Tharp. Tharp was a solid performer for Boise State last year and no one really second guessed the coaches' decision, however, inexplicably—it seemed that Hamdan fell all the way to the bottom of the depth chart. Michael Coughlin and Nick Lomax were given playing time when Hamdan was not. No one really knows what lead to this seismic shift of the depth chart, but it has cast a haze over this year's QB race and no one really knows what will happen.

Most Boise State fans would prefer to have at least a 2-3 year starter at the helm so most would probably prefer an underclassmen under center — unless the senior, Hamdan is just that much better this offseason as we suspect Tharp must have been last year. Sophomore Coughlin and Junior Lomax possess prototypical Division-1 size (something quite uncharacteristic for a Bronco QB) and Coughlin appears to have the ability to run a bit as well (albeit not nearly as well as Zabransky). Hamdan probably looked the best of the three in passing situations last year in his limited playing time, and I like Hamdan's leadership and intensity...but if I was to be honest, I also think that the Broncos should look to the future and go with a
younger guy.

Kellen Moore is the darkhorse (inadvertent Bronco pun...chaching!). Moore looked very sharp in camp last year and is one of the higher rated recruits that has come to the blue. He set all kinds of high school records in Washington and has a quick read and quick release. He probably needs one more year in the system before he really has it down...but don't underestimate this kid—he is a student of the game and could inject himself into the race this year.

Bottom line is that the Bronco coaches will pick the best guy—if it's Hamdan, so be it. Personally, I would like to see Miramesa's finest, Michael Coughlin step into the spot this year and then see if Moore can overtake him once he grasps the full Bronco playbook. Coughlin has a cannon (and a pretty nice little mustache on occasion) and if he can improve his reads and his decision making...will be a very nice field general for the mighty Broncos.

A Four Horse Race...

No, I didn't say "Four Horsemen"...


I said..."Four Horse Race" — And that looks to be exactly what we have shaping up for the 2007-08 season of Bronco Football. The race, of course, is to see which player is going to step up and become the starting Bronco QB.

The winner will have sizeable shoes to fill, following Fiesta Bowl hero and NCAA 08 cover boy Jared Zabransky who went 34-5 as a starter at BSU. The QB will also find himself in the shadow of other great Bronco QBs like Ryan Dinwiddie and Bart Hendricks. One thing is for sure, the Broncos have had a hot streak of quarterbacks and have recruited this position very well throughout their history.

So...who's it going to be? Coaches and fans are hoping that a front-runner will emerge as Spring turns into Fall, but at this point it is for the pundits and fans to speculate.

First off is senior Taylor Tharp, who has been an able backup for the last two years, but hasn't blown away fans with his athleticism or other intangibles. Tharp is clearly the most experienced Bronco of the 4, and should know the playbook like the back of his hand, but so far in Spring Ball has not dazzled fans or coaches. Another obstacle that Tharp may face is being a senior...would the coaches rather start an underclassmen to let them evolve or go with Tharp for his Bronco football swan song? The coaches have made it clear that the best man will see the field this year, but if Tharp even so much as "ties" in this race with an underclassman, you can bet that they will get the nod over the senior. Tharp will need to step up in the remaining scrimmages and solidify his position as the front-runner or he may see his time with the first-teamers diminish as we close in on the Weber St. opener.

Next in line is junior Bush Hamdan. Clearly the most athletic of the group and the QB most likely to remind fans of Zabransky. Hamdan does not possess the blazing speed of Zabransky, but he is mobile and has good escapability — he also has one of the stronger arms. Hamdan did very well for himself at the first Spring Scrimmage, completing 8 of 11 passes for 98 yards, but it is hard to tell at this point if the pecking order has shifted. Hamdan is the shortest of the 4 quarterbacks and has somewhat of a sidearm throwing style — this worries some that think this may be a hindrance against tall, http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giffast lineman. Hamdan did have at least one pass knocked down in the first scrimmage. Hamdan has shown really well in scrimmages the last few years, but was still been unable to snatch the backup job from Tharp, which leads many to believe that some other issues are at play. In an interview recently, coach Chris Petersen hinted that Hamdan's main obstacle right now is mental, in that he gets down on himself when he makes mistakes on the field. Hamdan gives it all on the field and I think he is going to make a very significant run at the starting job this year.

Nick Lomax is a sophomore and the tallest of the bunch. The son of former NFL quarterback Neil Lomax, Nick was the 2005 Scout Team Player of the Year and has had high expectations heaped upon him since his arrival. Lomax is virtually untested, however, and the first Spring Scrimmage was not his best outing, going only 6 of 14 with an INT to boot. Lomax seems to be the slowest of the 4 hopefuls, and does not possess great arm strength. He has a decent pocket presence — and his height is a major positive. If Lomax doesn't make a strong move, and soon, he may see his snap count fall dramatically throughout the remainder of spring and fall as the coaches try to narrow the field.

Last, but certainly not least, is Freshman Mike Coughlin. Coughlin, the 2006 Scout Team Player of the Year, has tremendous upside as he:
• is the youngest of the 4 quarterbacks
• is the second tallest at 6'5"
• possesses very good arm strength
• is familiar with the Boise State offense, perhaps beyond his years, since he ran a very similar one in high school.

Coughlin's stats in the first Spring Scrimmage were just a hair's breadth worse than top-performer Hamdan's as he went 8 of 12 for 90 yards — Very impressive for a Redshirt Frosh. If Coughlin can duplicate his great performance in the subsequent Spring scrimmages, he may be able to buy himself some valuable time with the first team. Coughlin has been the subject of intense hype, but has so far lived up to his billing. Many Bronco fans are salivating at the prospect of a four-year starter, but time will tell whether this youngster can survive the rigors of spring ball to emerge as a favorite for the spot.

If I handicap the race today, here is how my list would look:

1. Hamdan
2. Coughlin
3. Tharp
4. Lomax

I will report back on this after the next two scrimmages and give my input. Please leave your comments here on this topic.