A win's a win...

...and a Winn's a Winn

So we learned something valuable on Saturday night: Boise State's offense can play 1 quarter and still win. After treating us to 3 of the most boring quarters of football imaginable, Boise State exited Hattiesburg, MS still undefeated, but Coach Pete was none-too-happy about the effort. Thankfully, the defense continued their domination—holding Southern Miss well below their usual output and shutting them out on 4th down attempts and redzone scoring for all but one ill-fated series. Kyle Wilson owned 5-star freshman WR DeAndre Brown and the Billy Winn and company made the absence of Sean Bingham and Joe Bozikovich scarcely noticeable. A seismic shift has happened this year, however, as I find myself getting much more excited to watch our Defense perform than our Offense. Guess I just don't find holding penalties, fumbled snaps and 2 yard rushing losses all that exciting anymore.

Now, what exactly is the issue with the offense? Hard to say. They did look nigh unstoppable in the second quarter and they truly look, at times, like they could drop 24 in every quarter..but our old pal inconsistency reared his ugly head. Kellen Moore had a so-so outing, throwing for 3 TDs, but also tossing an INT and mishandling a few snaps. The run game looked better...sparked by some nice runs by IJ, Doug Martin and Jeremy Avery. Avery looked the most explosive in the run game, moving the chains well at times and hitting the holes hard, one 77-yarder by Avery was called back by *gasp* a penalty. Jeremy Childs and Austin Pettis had stellar games and truly, two of Kellen's TD passes where "all them". Despite all the good things in the game...it still felt kinda "icky"—5 games in and 5 and 0...but this team seems so far from their potential...maybe that, in itself is a good thing.

The defense is clicking in a big way and the defending WAC champs (sorry, just threw up a little) Hawaii are heading to the blue for a Friday night tussle. You better believe that Coach Pete is gonna work these guys hard this week and no Bronco will lack motivation when the Warriors come in with our hardware. This team may really be scary when every cog falls into place. One such cog, Titus Young, will not be falling in anywhere for a few games, by the way.


LINKS

OBNUG takes you to the Southern Miss/BSU no spin zone.

Statueleft compares Bronco fans to small poultry.

Can you deal with this?

Well guess what? Now this is happening...

The way I see it, Boise State can easily win in Hattiesburg on Saturday by doing just one thing: limiting big plays from Damion Fletcher. We all know that Damion Fletcher is one heck of a back, and despite being outplayed last year by Ian Johnson, will be a force at the Rock on Saturday. Last season, with a much more schizophrenic defense, the Broncos were able to contain Fletcher and hold him to minimal yardage (84 yards)...this year, with a physical defense that has risen to every challenge—I see Fletcher once again being held in check.

Now, I strongly suspect that Ian Johnson and crew will not "upstage" Fletcher again, but limiting Fletcher's effectiveness and not giving up "home run" types of plays is quite simply the key to this weekend's matchup. Lest you forget, the Golden Eagles are also starting a freshman QB, Austin Davis...who is playing admirably, but so far not close to the level he will need to play against the Broncos if the run element is stripped from the USM playbook. Davis is completing 60.1% of his passes and has thrown 9 TDs and 5 INTs...with a strong pass rush by the Bronco DEs I see his TD/INT ratio becoming much more balanced. The Bronco pass defense will have their hands full with DeAndre Brown, but I don't see Davis reeling off many to the mammoth wideout as pressure will be coming all night long. The Bronco defense, though missing Joe Bozikovich and Sean Bingham will just need to play within their zones and keep Fletcher out of the secondary and the game should go the Broncos' way.

On offense, the Broncos should be able to do as they please, quite frankly. The Golden Eagles are lacking a sufficient pass rush and the Bronco O-line has been remarkable with pass blocking. Honestly, Kellen Moore does not need as much time in the pocket as he will be given on Saturday...giving him more time to find Childs, Young, Pettis or Perretta (not to mention Efaw, Brockel, Gallarda, or Hawkins) could be absolutely disastrous for a Southern Miss team that is struggling with pass defense to begin with. USM's home field advantage will allow them to come up with some scoring opportunities, but I suspect, far less than the Broncos will receive. Whether or not the Bronco rushing attack takes off or not (USM hasn't been stellar against the run, either), look for the Broncos to score early and often. I see the runningback committee being utilized in the passing attack a lot this weekend as Southern Miss tends to overpursue with their ends allowing the runningbacks to find space in the flats.

It will be interesting to see what the Bronco coaches have planned for Doug "Doug Mad" Martin, as they have hinted that he will take an unconventional role in the offense on Saturday. Richie Brockel hinted that Martin may be utilized in more of a fullback role as Brockel slides into Chris O'neill's vacant spot. Martin, who is an excellent blocker, can provide lead blocking or simply carry the ball himself. We're giddy thinking about it. Martin will also be heavily utilized on special teams and we may see him return some kicks (with any luck).

The Golden Eagles are certainly no team to take lightly...but it seems the Broncos maintain their focus as good or better than any team in the country and I don't see Southern Miss simply has not encountered an offense of the caliber the Broncos are fielding. The scary part for both sides may be the fact that the Broncos haven't really fired on all cylinders, offensively speaking, for an entire game yet. A few 3-and-out offensive series by the Broncos will be the only thing to keep this one close, in my opinion...if they've ironed out the wrinkles, however...it's curtains for Southern Miss.

Boise State 42, Southern Miss 17

Last year's game highlight:

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.

Bronco Nation Podcast 10-7-08

The Bronco Nation Podcast just got much Bart Hendricks-ier. Bart joined JT Ray of Bronco Nation N.O.W. and I and we discussed the only ray of hope and goodness in this world amid the turmoil and despair: Bronco football. Bart answers whether or not Kellen Moore is better than he was as a frosh, we rehash the La Tech game, praise the Bronco D and give our predictions for the WAC-ky weekend ahead. Start the podcast playing...then minimize the windown and do your spreadsheets...the boss will never know!

 The Bronco Nation Podcast - Its Actually KBOI [47:46m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

How Ian got his groove back.

Ian Johnson decided to find his groove again on a perfect night. Not only had Johnson been ceremoniously promised to gain 150 yards and 3 TDs by O-lineman Jeff Cavender, but the Broncos needed Johnson to find his '06 form in a tough ESPN contest against Southern Miss. Well, Ian got his yards (191 all-purpose) and his TDs (3, exactly) and helped the Broncos defeat the Golden Eagles 38-16 on national TV and in front of a blue and orange crowd.

Taylor Tharp had his best game of the year with over 300 yards passing, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Tharp found Titus Young on a long strike, found Jeremy Childs and Vinny Peretta a few more times and dumped off nifty passes Johnson all night when he felt pressure from the USM D. The outlet pass to Johnson seems to be a new concept on the Bronco offense, but one that worked extremely well and bailed Tharp out of trouble. Johnson looked great in the open field (80 yards on 3 receptions) and Tharp was able to escape the pressure without taking a sack or trying to run.

The Bronco D looked good again on Thursday, shutting down USM's stud RB Damion Fletcher and allowing only minimal gains through the air. Marty Tadman and Jeron Johnson laid some big hits on the Eagles ball carriers all night from the safety position and Orlando Scandrick and Kyle Wilson did a nice job containing the speedy receivers of Southern Miss. Kyle Gingg had a nice game from his linebacker position with several nice tackles for loss.

Tadman finally broke out a bit on his punt returns, giving Boise State good field position all night and Rashaun Scott got the Broncos near the 50 every time he returned a kick it seemed. The Bronco crowd was loud and rowdy all night and helped the defense confuse the Golden Eagles every series.

All in all, a very impressive win for the Broncos. The Golden Eagles were a good team that just flat got outplayed and outcoached on Thursday night. Johnson and the Broncos look to be peaking at the right time with WAC conference play right around the corner. Hal "the Towel" Mumme brings his New Mexico State Aggies and their "air raid" onto the blue for a Sunday night matchup on October 7. If the Broncos keep their foot on the gas this year, the Aggies should be an easy win. I think that Johnson will carve up the weak run defense of the Aggies all night and our improved secondary won't allow Chase Holbrook to nickel and dime us to death.

Broncos are rollin' now. Next game= BSU 42, NMSU 20

Get Noisy in Boizee!

No need to pipe in crowd noise—Boise is going to be rockin' on Thursday night as the Golden Eagles take the field against our Broncos. Southern Miss looks like a well-rounded team with a lot of athleticism and speed and at 2-1, have the same record as the Broncos. Led by a mobile QB in Jeremy Young, the USM offense also has an exceptional runningback in Damion Fletcher who rushed for over 1300 yards last year as a freshman. USM's top receivers are WR Chris Johnson and tight-end Shawn Nelso who have accounted for 346 yards of offense and 3 TDs. Southern Miss is averaging 401 yards per game so far this season as well as putting up an average of 27 points. On the flipside, Boise state is only allowing 249 yards per game and 15 points and is currently ranked 11th nationally, so this could make for an interesting night. Southern Miss' defense has so far yielded 24 pts. per game and given up 342 yards.

The USM defense won't be quite as good against the run as Wyoming or Washington was...so hopefully our run game can finally take off (the Weber St. game does NOT count). Ian Johnson has had a bit of a slow start this year, with only BLANK yards and 3 TDs. The biggest dropoff in Ian's production to this point is his YPC average which has fallen dramatically this year to only 4.7 yards per carry. Ian seems primed to have a big night under the bright lights of ESPN and Jeff Cavender has all but assured the public that Ian will get 150 yards and 3 TDs against the Golden Eagles. Of course, we all know that Ian has it in him, but he needs to find his rhythm like he did last year to really take off again.

If all went well this week, Vinny Peretta should be back in action for the Broncos as should David Shields. Redshirt freshman Jeron Johnson will get his second straight start at strong safety on Thursday and has looked good so far this year.

As usual, if the Broncos run defense can show up like they usually do and shut down the Golden Eagle run game...the Golden Eagles will have to put the ball in the air—with Kyle Wilson, Orlando Scandrick, Marty Tadman and Jeron Johnson roaming the blue...this will not go well. The Bronco defense has been stellar so far this year, especially in our defensive secondary. USM will have to utilize their mobile QB to start opening up running or passing lanes.

I see this game as being as close to a mirror match as we'll see this year, with the defenses making the big difference. Boise State's defense will dominate this game, but the offense needs to start clicking as they've struggled early in the last two outings. If the Defense can play like they have been and the offense starts playing like they can (open up the playbook, coach)...this should be a Bronco win. Add the Bronco crowd noise and home field advantage into the equation and I see this as a 10-14 point Bronco win. Hopefully Kyle Wilson can step in to field some punts this Thursday, broken hand and all... and Rashaun Scott can continue his great play on special teams to give the Broncos some nice field position this week as well.

Remember...don't look like an idiot...it is a blue and orange out this week so if you're sitting in the odd-numbered sections, wear orange and the even-numbered sections wear blue. Rumor has it that they'll be selling cheap Bronco gear in front of the stadium pregame so if you forgot to don your gear...pick some up.

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If you want a good laugh pre-game...check out these hilarious threads on Broncocountry and the Eagles' board.
USM look-alikes
Bronco look-alikes

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BIG congrats to Bronco legend Bart Hendricks for his induction into the Bronco Hall of Fame on Wednesday. If you never saw this dude play on the blue...you missed out. Also, thanks to Bart for adding me to his link list. You can read Bart's excellent blog by clicking his link in MY linklist to your immediate right.