What can Brown do for us?

Who is this mystery man?

It looks like Boise State may have just snagged another recruit this weekend...but this one was so far off my radar that I'm having to do some major league sleuthing to bring in much info. Encinal's Jonathan Brown has been rumored to have committed this weekend after a recruiting trip with the likes of Kirby Moore. Brown was named the All-East Bay player of the Year this year as a two way standout at quarterback and linebacker (Bronco QB commit Joe Southwick was the All-East Bay Offensive Player of the Year). Now, I don't have confirmation on this yet, but it's certainly hard to believe that the talented Brown will be coming in at QB after the earlier verbals from Joe Southwick and Mikey Tamburo. Has Boise State nabbed its 3rd linebacker of the class? Could be. Brown's size, 5'11" and 200 lbs. sure seems to put him in Boise State linebacker range (smallish), but he looks athletic enough to play anywhere on the field. Update: Looks like Brown is coming in as a Safety. Brown notched 92 tackles last year, 8 quarterback sacks and two blocked punts. Colorado and Air Force were rumored to have interest or offered Brown. More to come when I find it out. Below is a short video showing Brown's explosiveness:



Two-way leader guides Encinal [SFGate]
Encinal's Brown commits to Boise State [Inside Bay Area]

Shamburger not headed to the blue

All roads don't lead to Boise...news to me.

Safety Will Shamburger, once Boise State's 12th verbal commit of the 2009 class, is a big softy. Shamburger decommitted from the Broncos on the 16th and will instead head to Seattle and join the Huskies. The writing appeared to be on the wall when Shamburger wavered from his commitment in early December, telling some scouting services that he'd switch commitments if Arizona State came calling...well, they didn't—but it was obvious that Shamburger's heart wasn't fully with the Broncos and he'll now head to greener turf (literally, not figuratively) in the Emerald city. After Shamburger's early December waffling, the Broncos quickly wrapped up JC Safety Winston Venable...effectively making Shamburger's decommitment a non-issue—but it is nice that Shamburger is no longer leading the Broncos on and infecting the Broncos commit sheet with a big, red "Soft Verbal" tag.

Have fun in Huskyland, Will...we're sure you'll look great in purple (like Grimace)

Wilson will not follow in Scandrick's footsteps

Now now...it's not polite to point.

All-WAC/All-American cornerback Kyle Wilson is staying put. That mighty wind you just heard was Bronco fans exhaling. After a couple of weeks of speculation that the talented Bronco DB may go pro...Wilson's brother Gerry says he's on the blue for the long haul.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a tough call, but I wouldn’t say it was easy,” said Gerry Wilson, the oldest of three Wilson boys. “… It was a matter of evaluating what’s best for Kyle and what’s best for the team.”

Gerry, who played college ball at Princeton and is the CEO of yoonew, an online sports ticket trading company, obviously knows the importance of education and might have helped sway his little brother's decision. If this is the case, Bronco Nation thanks you. Wilson may be on track to be another first or second-round draft pick in the 2010 draft and will be a key cog on a Bronco D that should be amazing next season. Now, go and have a chat with Jeremy Childs, won't ya?!

Full Story [Statesman]

Poll position

Y'know who was awesome at this game? D.A.R.Y.L.

Boise State's final rankings are in, and they are about what we expected. The Broncos, who you may recall were 1 point from a perfect season, finished 11th in the AP poll and 13th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. Also, take a gander at the respect TCU got by defeating the Broncos (by one point, I might have mentioned) in the December 23rd Poinsettia Bowl—they finish at 7th in both polls (and take a picture...that's the last time you'll see a 2-loss non-BCS team ranked that high). The final rankings also failed to hand Utah a share of the national title, placing them 2nd and 4th in the AP and Coaches' polls, respectively. In a fair bit of irony, Oregon is ranked higher than the Broncos in both final polls.

The final rankings for the Broncos cap a pretty darn good year that surprised many, given the youth of the team, and will no doubt give them the momentum to start the 2009 season ranked. Hopefully, the Broncos will not squander that goodwill in the opening weeks of the '09 campaign. All signs point to the Broncos having a real tough squad next year.

New Year's Resolutions

New Year's resolutions—they're as predictable as death and taxes. Each and every January 1st, we look at ourselves in the mirror and resolve to quit smoking, quit drinking, lose some weight, and punch John Minegar in the head...heck, some of us even keep them until mid-February. Well, don't believe for one minute that the Broncos aren't taking a long look in the mirror this year and making a list of things that they'll do or do better in 2009. Just for the heck of it, let's speculate on a few, shall we?

Jeremy Childs—Don't listen to pal Orlando Scandrick's pleas to join him in the NFL.

Titus Young—Go to school, go to practice, go home, go to sleep...repeat.

Kellen Moore—Save some awesomeness for 2009. No need to blow it all on your Freshman year.

Bronco O-line—For the love of God, EAT SOMETHING!

Jarrell Root and Shay McLellin—Have titanium rods put into legs.

Jeron Johnson—Get all that blood cleaned off helmet.

Chris Petersen—Refinance mortgage.

Kirby Moore—Develop E.T./Elliot-like mental bond with older brother.

Byron Hout—Doin' fine...stay the course.

George Iloka—Gain weight, add a few more vertical inches to hair.

Bryan Harsin—Find "Austin Pettis Corner Fade" in playbook, circle it in red.

Derrell Acrey—Become motivational speaker.

Kyle Wilson—Stay for senior year.

Ryan Winterswyk—Tape pictures of WAC QBs to 2 x 4s, break them with bare hands.

Doug Martin—Go from being "angry runner" to "insane-with-rage runner"

4-2-5 defense—Doin' fine...stay the course.

Tim Socha—Start wearing TCU: 2008 Poinsettia Bowl Champions t-shirt every day.

FFBSU—Punch John Minegar in head.

The Leno Show

"I'll protect you, Kellen."

Boise State received their 19th verbal commitment (20th if you count the softy) of the 2009 class today as big OT Charles Leno pulled the proverbial trigger. Leno, a 6'5" 265 pounder out of San Leandro HS (CA), had scholly offers from Idaho, SDSU, SJSU, UNLV and Utah as well as interest from several Pac-10 schools. Leno is rated as the #24 Offensive Tackle of the '09 class by ESPN and also grades out as a 79 using their formula. Besides receiving passing grades from ESPN's recruiting team, they had this (among other things) to say about the big man.

Leno is on prime time when he's on the field. He has very good size and is extremely athletic. Runs more like a tight end than a tackle; gives great effort when leading downfield on the screen pass or getting crossfield to pick up a defender. Plays the game with a great sense of urgency and gives 100% every play.

Coach Pete will get that ratcheted up to 110%, so don't worry.

By the way, Leno visited the blue during the Fresno State game so it's a miracle that it took him two weeks to pull the trigger—still one of the most memorable nights at Bronco Stadium I can remember.

Leno scouting report [ESPN]
List of Boise State commits [Scout.com]

The definitive Poinsettia Bowl preview

A few days ago, I was asked to write a "thorough" Poinsettia Bowl preview for Bleacher Report that was to be between 300-600 words...well, it's a good thing I can't follow directions because what the Bleacher Report got was a 1,600 word analysis that would give Deep Blue pause. Rather than post the preview on FFBSU and give people's mouse-scrolling-hand cramps...here is the link. If you've anything to add, please do.

Consolation prize

So the BCS machine surprised no one last night by choosing 10-2 Ohio State over the Broncos for the final at-large spot in a BCS bowl. I suppose watching the Buckeyes get run over by the Longhorns will be much more enjoyable than watching the Broncos get run over by the Longhorns and maybe there is a silver lining. The Broncos overachieved this year by most accounts with the stellar performance of Kellen Moore and dominating defense, but youth precluded them from really putting perfect games together outside of a few...maybe they just weren't ready for a BCS bowl. The team will almost certainly be ranked in the preseason polls next year and be better set up for a serious BCS run in 2009 and beyond. The first step towards that end would be to take down the pesky TCU Horned Frogs in San Diego on the 23rd of this month. The bowl represents what may be one of the top 5 matchups of the postseason, #9 and undefeated Boise State vs. #11 and 10-2 TCU. The Horned Frogs have a smothering defense and impressive team speed...the Broncos have a smothering defense and a dynamic offense. Something has got to give. Early analysis says that the Horned Frogs and Broncos may be close to a "push" on defense and the edge had to go to the Broncos on offense...setting up an exciting game in sunny San Diego in a few weeks. I will be posting lots of info as it comes out about the matchup and you better believe that there will be a bowl version of "Know Your Enemy" so take heart Bronco fans. The BCS wasn't in the cards this year, but we'll get there again...sooner than you think.

So long and thanks for all the towels

(Cue sad Incredible Hulk music) Hal Mumme has been canned at New Mexico State and towels around the state are flying at half mast. Mumme was 11-38 during his tenure at NMSU, including an awesome 1-7 WAC finish this year, getting blown out by Utah State in their finale. Maybe SMU is looking for a blowhard offensive coordinator.

Story

Duh: Kellen Moore WAC Freshman of the Year

Yes WAC, you get 3 more years of this.

The All-WAC selections were announced today and the list has a heavy blue and orange tint.

The "duh" awards:
WAC Coach of the Year—Chris Petersen
WAC Freshman of the Year—Kellen Moore

1st Team Offense:
WR Jeremy Childs
OL Andrew Woodruff

1st Team Defense:
DE Ryan Winterswyk
S Ellis Powers
DB Kyle Wilson

2nd Team Offense:
WR Austin Pettis
QB Kellen Moore
RB Ian Johnson

2nd Team Defense:
DE Mike T. Williams
S Jeron Johnson

2nd Team Specialists:
PR Kyle Wilson (2nd team?)

Colin Kaepernick received Offensive Player of the Year honors and first team QB honors...no qualms with the OPOTY award, but I think they're being awful fast and loose with the term "quarterback" when Kaepernick is involved. Here's what I mean: Colin Kaepernick threw for 2,479 yards this season, completing 54% of his passes for 19 TDs and 5 INTS. Conversely, Kellen Moore threw for 3,264 yards this season, completing 70% of his passes for 25 TDs and 9 INTs. Which was the better "quarterback"? You tell me. Kaepernick is certainly a dangerous offensive weapon and deserves the offensive accolades, but if this is how we're judging excellence at the quarterback position, Kellen Moore can look forward to two more years as 2nd team WAC QB, even though he'll likely be a national leader in TDs and efficiency. Nice.

Hard to believe, but this will be coach Pete's first Coach of the Year award...he was famously snubbed for the honor in 2006, though he led the team to a 13-0 record and snared the Bear Bryant award. Thankfully, June Jones is now gone and there is no more butt for Hal Mumme to kiss in his absence.

I think it is also worth noting that preseason WAC favorite Fresno State (who you may remember got demolished by Boise State on Friday) placed but one player on a WAC first team (OL Bobby Lepori)

All-WAC Honors
Boise State 2008 Team Awards

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

You should see it when it's empty.

Ah, rivalry week...the one week every year when we stop trying to ignore the "tribe from the North" and start trying to ignore Robb Akey. The Broncos are coming off a cake walk win against Utah State, the Vandals are coming off a surprisly tough win over Bye. Most fans, like me, know too much about Idaho and their antics on the Palouse. Needless to say, there is still 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 Vandal faithful, I will let you get to know us a little bit too, not that you haven't already drawn your own conclusions...so take notes.

Ten things Bronco fans might not know about the University of Idaho and their hellish hovel to the north

10. In 1871, brothers Asbury and Noah Lieuallen and about 20 families arrived in what is now Moscow, Idaho. The settlers were drawn in by the abundant grassland and availability of timber for building. The abundance of camas bulbs, then used as fodder for pigs, in the area led the settlers to first name the town Hog Heaven. Years later, several U of I sororities adopted that same name.

9. Besides the University of Idaho—Moscow is home to 21 other academic institutions...among them, Mr. Leon's School of Hair Design and the Moscow School of Massage. Surplus baby oil from the School of Massage is donated every year to the football team.

8. The Vandal football team started play in 1893, and went 2-0-1 in their first year with two wins over Washington State and a tie against Spokane AC. It took the Vandals until 1900 to win another game. Ahh, tradition.

7. Idaho's longest tenured coach in their history was John G. "Pinky" Griffith, who coached for 10 seasons in Moscow and went 28-22-2. Griffith left Idaho to coach at Iowa after the 1906 season but returned as Vandals coach in 1910 and took over the University of Idaho's Entomology Department. Prior to coaching, Griffith was a fullback and team captain for the Iowa Hawkeyes' football team.

6. A mule named Idaho Gem, the world's first cloned equine, was created by researchers at the University of Idaho and Utah State University. Later that same year, the school cloned Buddy Hackett to be their basketball coach.

5. The Kibbie Dome, shown here, is the smallest football venue in Division 1-A with a capacity of 16,000. The dome should be full this Saturday, but don't worry, Bronco fans, there's always a little extra room in Robb Akey's mustache.

4. The campus master plan for the University of Idaho was developed by the Olmsted Brothers, founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects and sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York's Central Park. The Olmsted Brothers radical design ideas for the campus included grass, trees, gravel, and trees.

3. Before moving to the Kibbie Dome, the Vandals' football team played their home games at Neale Stadium, an "earthen horseshoe" that was named after UI president Mervin G. Neale. The stadium was condemned in 1969 and burned down by an arsonist that same year. Why are you looking at me? I wasn't born until 1980.

2. Two famous alums of the Vandal football team are Jerry Kramer and Bill Fagerbakke. Kramer went on to fame and fortune as the Intermountain Gas spokesman after his playing career in Moscow was over and Fagerbakke went on to become a starfish. Ok, Kramer was pretty good.

1. Idaho has an all-time win percentage of only 44%. Sure they, won 12 straight against the Broncos in the 80s and 90s, but that was much more anomalous than anything they've experienced before or since. They've never won a national championship, notched an undefeated season or even made a dent in the Division 1-AA playoffs. Despite their "streak", the Broncos lead the all-time series with the Vandals 19-17-1 and it's gonna get more lopsided from here on out. Just remember all this when your revisionist Vandal co-workers try to reminisce about the "good old days".

Ten things Vandal fans might not know about the Broncos and their peaceful hamlet to the south

10. In 1978, after taking abuse from the Vandal mascot at Bronco Stadium and in tears, the Bronco mascot (who was female) was approached by Boise State wrestling coach Mike Young to pull a switcheroo on the Vandal attacker. Young donned the costume at halftime and proceeded to tackle the Vandal mascot and steal his sword. Comeuppance, I believe is what that is called.

9. Longtime radio personality and ex-"Voice of the Broncos" is actually an University of Idaho alum, as is the father of Bronco football, Lyle Smith. This is a lot like if Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine decided to fight for the Rebel Alliance after graduating from Dark Side University.

8. Boise State's second president, Eugene Chaffee (1937-1967) enlisted in the army in 1942 to fight in World War II.

7. During World War II, enrollment at Boise State dropped to 152, but by the end of the war had jumped to nearly 900. Today, enrollment is close to 20,000.

6. Aurelius "Buck" Buckner was Boise State's first African-American student athlete. Buckner attended Boise State from 1944 to 1946, and was on the football team and basketball team, where he was the high-scorer in the 1945/46 season. Bill Buckner, who also lives in Boise, is no relation.

5. Once upon a time the land on which most of Boise State's campus sits was an island. Its most famous resident was Sage Brush Ann (also known as Tarpaper Annie), who lived alone in a modest tarpaper shack. I got nothin'...this one speaks for itself.

4. Boise State is currently ranked the 40th among all universities in merchandise sales just behind Georgia Tech. Boise State is the highest ranked non-BCS school on the list of the top 75 that the CLC releases each quarter and is ranked directly ahead of Mississippi, Stanford, Colorado, Pitt, BYU, and Boston College. Here is an artist's rendering of the owner of the Blue and Orange Store.

3. Many Vandals think that Boise State ripped off their colors and mascot from the Denver Broncos...wrong. 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.

2. Lyle Smith's teams won 16 of 21 conference titles in the Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference (now the Scenic West Athletic Conference). Dominance, Lyle Smith be thy name.

1. The Broncos have won ten oops...getting ahead of myself...nine straight games against the Vandals going into this Saturday's game. The last win by the Vandals was a thrilling 36-35 win on the blue 1998 in Boise. Since that fateful date in November of '98, the Broncos have won 105 games and 7 conference championships. The Vandals have won 30 games in that span and have not been to a bowl game since the 1998 Humanitarian Bowl. The Tormey Curse or the Pokey Curse...take your pick.

Why the hate?

As a young boy, I thought the University of Idaho wasn't so bad. I grew up in Boise and liked the Broncos, but would root for the Vandals when I saw them play. I had aunts and uncles who attended the University of Idaho and a couple that actually played on their sports teams. As a naive child it seemed to me that Idaho and Boise State were separated by geography alone. Then I grew up, as we all do, and realized that much more separate Boise State and Idaho than geography. The Broncos, quite frankly, are winners...and well, the Vandals are losers...and I don't just mean in a statistical or historical way (although the stats will back up this assertion). But alas, I am still a relatively young buck and can scarcely recall "the streak", Johnelle John L. Smith, or John Friesz—so I thought it best to solicit the older Bronco fans out there to find out just how deep the hatred runs. Turns out: pretty deep. Screen names were provided to protect the innocent from Vandal drive-bys, which we've heard are known to happen.

ADBill

I am sure you are aware that first game, the DAVs* tried to duck Boise College and were forced to play us.

Prior to the game their coach said the 1st half would be more like a scrimmage and in the second half they would embarrass Boise (You guessed it, the Vandals lost).

The third game was the first one played in Moscow. That same coach Robbins, led the Vandals through the Boise locker room singing "Kiss my Ass BJC" (classy). This cost the (Vandals) the game—the Vandals were heavy favorites and the Broncos didn't think they could win, but that stunt was all that was needed to get Boise on the winning track. My source was Al Davis a Boise player and starter.

Broncobadger

The Vandals used to control the SBOE when I was a kid (in the 50's). No matter what we (BSU) or ISU for that matter tried to do to improve ourselves or grow.....the Vanholes would squash it.....add to that the never ending string of scandals and lies to come out of that cesspool up north and you will have a damn thick novel not a story. There is too much for anyone here to jot down in an email. Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. Every BSU student should really go back to the early days of the school and the state of Idaho and understand just what kind of people you are dealing with. Some of you young guys don't understand why some of us older guys hate the Vandals so much....well I will "F'ing" gar-un-tee you that it is well deserved and make no mistake they hate us.....they have always hated us, and they have tried since BSU was formed to shut us down.

I have never considered this a rivalry; even when I was a child.....I have always viewed it as some kind of twisted punishment that we have to have anything to do with those A-holes. I do not care to associate with criminals and scum, yet the state of Idaho makes us do that every time we have to come into contact with those losers.

What goes around comes around and the Vanholes are now reaping what they have sown. They could have taken the high road and been the flagship institution in this state but instead they chose the low road and they deserve every rotten thing that happens to them.

Tell us how you really feel, badger.

Flashypaws

In a nutshell...the Vandals have always percieved themselves as a superior breed. I don't know why exactly, but Idaho alums talk about U of I like it's the Harvard or Yale of the northwest. It wouldn't be so bad, but once you realize how self-centered, and self-righteous, and self-congratulatory, and self-aggrandizing, and self-absorbed, and dumb most of these guys are...well, the hate just comes natural.

It's the feeling you'd have if Richard Simmons billed himself as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. You'd wanna pick him up by the hair and slap him until he cried. They should just drop back into AA, and disappear, as far as I'm concerned.

Make no mistake, this isnt a rivalry, its a class war, and when it comes to class, BSU has it, and U of I never will.

Richard Simmons isn't one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century?

Some Broncos take exception to the 1996 game that saw the Chris Tormey-led Vandals running up the score on an in-his-final-days Pokey Allen and the Broncos. They even ran a fake punt when they were up by nearly 50 points.

Me personally? I don't like the drunken frat boys that come to the games at Bronco Stadium and try to pick fights in the student section. I don't like the book-cooking that the Vandals do with their pathetic home attendance numbers. I don't like sleeping porches or beefcake photos. I don't like Dennis Erickson, Johnelle John L. Smith, Chris Tormey, Tom Cable, Nick Holt or Robb Akey. That's right...I don't like Robb Akey—the hybrid of Alex P. Keaton's dad on Family Ties and the neighbor from Office Space. I do like Rob Spear, though. Stay gold, Rob...stay gold (and please NEVER leave Moscow).

*DAV=Dog Ass Vandals, apparently Tony Knap rallied the troops and coined this term after the Vandal locker room hijinx in 1973.

Fightin' words

"The world's most dangerous marching band"

This week's opponent, the New Mexico State Aggies, have a rich tradition of losing, Bill Gates rich. Seriously, they haven't been to a bowl game since JFK was in office. But why do the Aggies struggle so mightily on the field? Well, I put all of FFBSU's resources into analyzing the Aggies' dire situation and, in a "Eureka moment", found the culprit of their futility: the fight song. Let's break down the lyrics of their depressing anthem and see if we can get to the heart of the problem, shall we?

Aggies, Oh Aggies

Try to recite this first line without having Barry Manilow's Mandy popping into your head.

The hills send back the cry

That's called an echo...not the first thing you want to hear in a football stadium.

We're here to do or die

Those are the only two options? Must've been a lot of fatalities after losing to Idaho on Saturday.

Aggies, Oh Aggies

...you came and you gave without takin'...

We'll win this game or know the reason why

The reason why? Hal Mumme is our coach.

And when we win this game

I think the word you're looking for is "if".

We'll buy a keg of booze

Can we see your collective IDs?

And we'll drink to the Aggies

Just don't take a shot every time Hal Mumme wipes his nose on camera...very bad for the liver.

Till we wobble in our shoes

Friends don't let friends party in Las Cruces.

A-G-G-I-E-S

This part is a public service benefitting the adult literacy program.

Aggies, Aggies, go Aggies

Aggies aggies aggies...

Aggies, Oh Aggies

...well you kissed me and stopped me from shakin'...

The hills send back the cry

The hills were angry that day, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli...

We're here to do or die

The latter, if you don't mind.

Aggies, Oh Aggies

...but I sent you away, Oh Aggies...

We'll win this game or know the reason why!

Yeah!

Why, I haven't seen such an inspiring ditty since Ronnie James Dio's Holy Diver. Fix this, Aggies, and your troubles may be behind you. You may want to give recruiting, coaching, facilities, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, uniforms, and conference a close look also.

Going, going...

Titus, we hardly knew ye...

Titus Young is gone-zo (for the remainder of the year at least). This coming from Chris Petersen's mouth this afternoon as he has upgraded Young's "3 game" suspension to an indefinite one. As usual, we have little details about Young's misdeeds, and we know that no rules were broken during his suspension, but Coach Pete says that TY and the team "need time apart" and that they'd "look at things down the road". Young has been in the doghouse for much of this season...a stark contrast from last year's "golly gee" demeanor as a true frosh. We certainly can't speculate on the reasoning behind Young's uber-suspension (although we've heard rumors)...but it's hard to imagine that the team won't miss his speed and elusiveness. Not so sure they'll miss his ball security, however. We selfishly hope that we'll see TY on the blue again next season, but I don't think anyone can take that for granted. I guess the bottom line is that Titus could outrun defenders all day long on the field, but couldn't outrun the long arm of the coaching staff off of it.

"Full" STORY

Lucky number seven

Can I go back to Cal?

San Jose State was game, but the Broncos defense was stellar once again and the offense found a 165 lb. spark in Jeremy Avery and the Broncos ran their record to 7-0. The Spartans offense looked flustered all night long, but the Spartan defense kept things tight for most of the night with a pick-six, endzone fumble recovery and some very solid play from their D-line. With a 33-16 final, the Spartans scored the most points against the Bronco defense since the September 20th game at Autzen, but really can only be held to account for 10 of those points. I will give a lot of respect to the Spartans...they play hard and that defense is for real...if they can find an offense they may be very good. As it stands, however, the Broncos were the better team tonight and will probably not face a stiff test for weeks.

Quick Hits

• Austin Pettis has some sticky hands
• Jeron Johnson is a stud, but needs to dial it down a notch at times...personal fouls hurt.
• Jeremy Avery is one slick dude and tough, too.
• Dick Tomey needs some ginseng.
• Kyle Efaw should've had a TD.

Know your enemy (for this week, anyway)

Don't get used to this

Boise State heads to bizarro world tomorrow night when they tussle with "first place" WAC team San José State (political correctness dictates that I must put that little swash above the 'e'). The Broncos are coming off a defense-led beatdown of Hawaii and the Spartans are coming off a defense-led beatdown of New Mexico State. Most fans, like me, know little about San José State outside of Jeff Garcia and some recent inexplicably-close games there. 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 Spartan faithful, I will let you get to know us a little bit too...so take notes.

Ten things Bronco fans might not know about San José State

10. San José State University, founded in 1862, is the oldest public university in the state of California. Dick Tomey didn't come around until 1874.

9. Since 1982, San José State's English Department has sponsored the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest which rewards participants for penning the worst opening sentence to a fictional novel. The contest is named after Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, an English novelist who penned the famous intro "It was a dark and stormy night..." Rewarding intentional mediocrity...hmmm...sounds like an idea the University of Idaho could really get behind.

8. Krazy George Henderson (this guy) is a San José State alum and resident cheerleader. He is credited with inventing the audience wave. For this, Krazy George was recently inducted in my Guys who invented annoying things Hall of Fame, where he will be enshrined next to the inventors of the Macarena, the pan flute, and Richard Simmons.

7. The song Do You Know the Way to San José earned Dionne Warwick a Grammy award and was a top 10 hit in 1968. The follow-up single Do You Know the Way to Rancho Cucamonga was less well received.

6. San José State football has an all-time winning percentage of around 50%. They have won 16 conference championships since 1932, but have not won a title since 1991. The San José State Judo team, on the other hand has won 42 of 46 national championships in the sport.

5. San José State's one undefeated season in football came in 1939 under coach "Dud" DeGroot. They went 13-0 and recorded 8 shutouts. DeGroot was apparently quite a guy, he is the winningest coach in the history of the Washington Redskins franchise, won a Rugby gold medal in the 1924 Olympics, was Stanford's first All-American, held a doctorate, and was once one of the foremost ornithologists (he studied birds) and oologists (and their eggs) in the world. Though not documented, I think he also possessed heat vision and could recite pi to it's 1400th decimal.

4. Former Spartan football player Neil Parry suffered a compound fracture in a 2000 game against UTEP and had to have his right leg amputated below the knee. 3 years later, he returned to the field as a special teams player against Nevada. It is safe to say, no matter who or where you are: Neil Parry is tougher than you.

3. Former head football coach Fitz Hill, who had a very Tom Cable-y 14-33 record at the SJSU is now the president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, Arkansas. This appears to be in compliance with SJSU's restraining order stipulating that he stay at least 1000 miles away from the football program at all times.

2. Current Spartan head coach Dick Tomey is vice president of the American Football Coaches Association. He is expected to move to president in 2009, but only if he can hold off fresh-faced challenger Barack Obama.

1. Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia spent his collegiate career at San José State. He is the second most successful ginger kid in NCAA history behind Jared Zabransky.

Ten things San José State fans might not know about Boise State (re-runs this week for close blog followers)

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. 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 62-2 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.

Well, there you go...now we know a little about each other. Feel better?

You got Chang-ed!

Photo by Chris Butler/Idaho Statesman

Benefitting from a truly Timmy Chang-like performance from Inoke Funaki...the Broncos rolled to an easy win on the blue last night and avenged last season's loss that stripped them of the WAC title. The Broncos overcame a slow start by the offense in the first half and two fumbles that allowed the Warriors pull within 3 at halftime...the Bronco defense, as it has all season, took the team on their backs, sacking Funaki 7 times and intercepting 5 passes. Sophomore Brandyn Thompson had 3 of those INTs, none of which were "gimmes"...truly an outstanding effort by Thompson. The Broncos held the Warriors to only 7 points in the game, the 5th time this season they have accomplished that feat. Kellen Moore was 25 of 33 on the night (75%) for 256 yards and 3 TDs, with no INTs.

The Broncos now look to keep their undefeated season alive when they head to San Jose next week, a place where the Broncos have never lost, but have come darn close several times. The Spartans look to have a good squad this year and lead the WAC in defense (not scoring defense, though) and will provide a good test...no reason to think their offense can score more than 7 points though, right? More on that next week.

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.