Boise State vs. Louisiana Tech, plus Weekly Player to Watch, 6th edition

That's right, today is a very special edition of my Weekly PTW! Since for some strange ESPN-related reason, Boise State is playing a football game on Tuesday night against the mighty Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. That means my entire schedule was thrown off dating back to last Thursday when I make my picks and then Friday when I normally give you my player to watch. With that said, all it means is that you folks, as my blog readers, get an extra large heaping of Bronco Chase today! Lucky you! This post will be a mix of game preview and analysis, my Weekly PTW, and of course a prediction of the final score. So let's get started!

After two consecutive games of not getting anybody hurt due to the phantom "Weekly PTW" injury curse, I am ready to pick again. I am going with somebody on the offensive side of the ball, seeing as how LA Tech is not capable of stopping anybody. So after a few minutes of decisive pondering, I am going with a receiver for this week's PTW...Austin Pettis!!!!!


If you look at Louisiana's pass defense, they are really bad. The numbers tell me so. The Bulldogs rank 119th out of 120 teams in that category. In other words, everybody has been successful throwing against them. At the same time, they do pretty well against the run. I would expect the Broncos to force the running game, especially early, before unleashing Kellen Moore and his pack of very talented wide receivers and tight ends. That includes Mr. Pettis. Did you know that he has not scored a touchdown since September? Yep, the Oregon State game was the last time that he found himself celebrating a TD in the end zone. He is ripe for a score or two (or four). Think about it this way; Louisiana Tech brings one of the worst pass defenses in the nation into Bronco Stadium. Boise State has one of the best passing offenses in said nation. Austin Pettis has gone touchdownless for a few games now and is very hungry (and possibly angry) to score. It is perfect situation for some Moore to Pettis for 6 action. It will look a little something like this:


Pettis came to The Blue from Orange Lutheran High School in Anaheim, California. He lettered three times in football, but was also a star in basketball and track. In fact, he was named Velocity/Prep Star All-Region, first-team all-county, first-team all-league, and third-team all-state as a senior after hauling in 72 receptions for 1,079 yards and 13 touchdowns. Pettis' senior year he led his team to a state championship and in the process, garnered All-Southern Section honors (I borrowed this info from obnug.com). In other words, he was really good and has the numbers to prove it. Austin was a big recruit for the Broncos as he came out of high school ranked as a three-star athlete. He fielded offers from the Broncos, Utah State, and Utah. Good thing he came to Boise State or he would have never been able to make posters like this:


It is crazy to think that Austin is a senior. It seems like just yesterday that he showed up on The Blue wearing number 87. He contributed frequently as a freshman, racking up 139 yards and 3 TD's against Idaho back in 2007. Since then, he has done nothing but put up staggering numbers. There is a definite handicap on our offense if he is out. So let's hope the swinging gate two point conversion attempts don't break his foot again, like it did last year against Nevada. It is interesting to think about what would have happened in the Fiesta Bowl against TCU had he been able to play. His presence on the field is huge, but his production is just as important for the offense. Virginia Tech knows what he can do. Can anyone say game winning touchdown?!?!?!


This game against the Bulldogs could be momentous for Pettis as he is closing in on the Boise State record books. His name is already at the top of the list that says "most touchdowns in one season." He notched that one last year with 14. Austin needs 7 catches to break the 37-year old Boise State record for most career receptions held by Don Hutt. I think it could happen, especially if he is to go off like I am expecting him to. So, as long as he doesn't go "Wyoming" this week and get benched by Coach Pete, he might break it!


There we have it! Austin Pettis is the Weekly Player to Watch! Check him out tomorrow against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs!

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On to the game!

Tuesday, October 26 at 6 PM

3-4, (2-1 WAC)
at

6-0, (2-0 WAC)

Is it just me or does the Idaho Statesman newspaper try to build up Boise State's opponents in an effort to make a potentially lopsided game look even? They did the same thing for New Mexico State, Toledo, and San Jose State. However, this time around I think they might have a legitimate case to do it. After all, Louisiana Tech did put up 683 yards of offense against Idaho in their last game, 422 of which came through the air. Boise State's secondary has not been tested since the Virginia Tech game, and they looked bad against the Hokies. At the same time, the reason that they have not been tested is because the Broncos' pass rush is so overwhelming and ferocious that opposing quarterbacks have not had time to throw. This is setting the stage for what I think are the keys to the game. If Boise State can sack the quarterback early and at least apply pressure from then on, they will force Ross Jenkins to throw early, make mistakes, and toss some INT's. On the other hand, if Jenkins is able to get comfortable and has time in the pocket, a lot of pressure will be placed on Brandyn Thompson, George Iloka, Jeron Johnson, Jamar Taylor, and Jerrell Gavins in the secondary. Those guys will need to play well regardless, but a lack of pass rush will put undue stress on them. I think you will see Coach K. (defensive coordinator) mix up the schemes and blitzes, get creative, and force LA Tech into turning the ball over. The Bulldogs will not be able to run the ball, even with Tennessee-transfer Lennon Creer in the backfield. Boise State will not have as big of a game rushing wise, but will end up with decent numbers as they try to force it against a stiff run defense. The passing will open it up for more rushing and eventually the Bulldogs will be guessing wrong, pass or rush. That is when Moore gashes teams deep and Doug Martin breaks off for huge gains. The game may be close early, but Boise State will pull ahead and keep Kellen Moore and the rest of the starters in throughout the third quarter to make sure. Boise State will win fairly easily, wishing another WAC team a brutal farewell.
Prediction: Broncos 55, Bulldogs 17

Record before this game: 32-10
I have a feeling that I will end up with one more "W" tomorrow evening!
Let's go Broncos!

Winston Venable sounds like a British name, and he plays football really violently

There has been endless reaction to the hit that knocked James Rodgers out of the game for Oregon State last Saturday. The WAC is reviewing the hit to determine whether or not to suspend Boise State's Winston Venable for it. I was putting around the blog world and I found this little ditty from "Vanquish the Foe," a BYU fan blog. Look at number nine when this tool says: "I thought the cheap shot on Fuga was disgusting (not as disgusting as the #17 Boise player cheap shotting James Rodgers tonight - watch that tape and see #17 ignore the guy with the ball, turn away and just drill his helmet into OSU's star player - I hate Boise)" This guy is absolutely clueless! I posted a comment on his blog and we will see if I get a response. If I do, I will be sure to share it.

First of all, watch the hit. It is in this link on a video recap of the entire game. Number one, Venable is very aggressive, sometime overly aggressive. But knowing him personally (I had some classes with him at Boise State), there is nothing rude or hurtful in the guy. Being as aggressive as he is, he was just trying to make a play on the scrambling Ryan Katz. As unfortunate as the result/aftermath of the hit was, it is football. Rodgers was standing still, turned sideways from Venable as he was trying to block both Venable and Jamar Taylor. You see Rodgers dip his shoulders and head as Venable comes flying in. It was clearly helmet to helmet contact, but if both players have their heads down then who is at fault? With Rodgers standing still and Venable going 15 yards at full sprint speed, what do you expect? Rodgers is a small guy as it is and just found himself in the path of Winston Venable. Like I said here and in a previous post, I wish the best to James Rodgers and his family. I hope he recovers fully and there are no lasting effects. Unfortunately this is just part of football.

If the WAC decides to suspend Venable, they will have made a huge mistake. They will have set a precedent where 6 or 7 people from every team that plays should get suspended every week. To me it is absurd. I know I am a little biased, but plays like this happen all the time when defenders are trying to make a tackle. If Rodgers had not gotten hurt, we would not be having this discussion. Like I said, I think it was all a microcosm of a hard running, aggressive Winston Venable, an already small receiver trying to lay a block who happened to bend down to an unfortunate height and angle, and the unwanted outcome of an injured player. These things combined may get Venable suspended against New Mexico State (not that we will need him against the Aggies).

But this discussion brings up a topic that I must bring up; Winston Venable's name. It's freaking awesome! Doesn't it sounds like he should be British? In fact, the meaning of the name Winston is of English origin meaning "joy stone" (see here, on a baby name meaning website). It has to be the coolest name on Boise State's roster. He comes from an athletic family. Winston's brother Will (didn't get the cool name in the family) plays outfield for the San Diego Padres. Will also played basketball at Princeton University, so he is smart and athletic! Will and Winston's father, Max, was also a Major League Baseball outfielder for 4 teams during his 12-year career. So there you go.

Seriously, just try saying it with a British accent: Winston Venable!

Sealing the Fiesta Bowl win for the Broncos with an interception. Look how high he jumped!

The Aftermath/Reaction/Ridiculous Generalizations

Well, the Boise State Broncos came out of Washington D.C. victorious Monday night, although, it did not look good for a while. As it turned out, not only was "The Clash in the Capitol" the best game of the opening weekend of College Football, it was dubbed an instant classic by ESPN and replayed the following day on ESPNClassic. It sure was a good game. As a huge fan of the Broncos, I was living and dying from play to play. There were so many momentum swings, ebbs and flows, and great and stupid plays from both sides. I thought there was no chance for the Broncos to beat the Hokies that night when the second and third quarters played out the way they did, but they pulled it out. ESPN's Heather Cox interviewed Boise State head coach Chris Petersen just before kick off and he said that the Broncos HAD to play for all four quarters in order to win. They definitely competed for all four, but relaxed too much in the second and third, only to pick it back up in the fourth. There are many angles that I wish to cover right now and I will try and get to them all.

First of all, the uniforms. Virginia Tech's were sick! I really liked them. Boise State's were pretty good. I would like to see the Broncos wear them for all away games. But they have to wear the orange pants in the bowl game. They are a good luck charm to the Broncos.

Please refer to my previous post when I thought Boise State's experience with returning starters would prevail over a relatively young Hokie squad, especially on defense. I also stated that Boise State would score early (which they did) and tack on a couple more late (which they kind of did) and that the final score would be 35 to 17 in favor of the Broncos. However, when I made that prediction, I completely underestimated how beastly amazing Tyrod Taylor was! The plays he was able to extend and make were nothing short of super-human. The one that stands out the most was when he kept his balance through a tackle, didn't let knee, elbow, or ball touch the ground and broke off for a big gain. I have never seen anything so athletic and (pardon the term) majestic! I am convinced that the ball did touch the ground, but obviously it wasn't enough to merit a "spiked ball" which would have stopped the play and the clock. As good as Taylor was, Boise State's secondary made him look even better. It's amazing what losing one first round draft pick will do to the entire defensive back unit. His replacement Jamar Taylor will be very good, he just needs some more work and experience. Also, Winston Venable was plagued with cramps and couldn't play except for a little bit in the beginning. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and Coach Petersen have some work to do to get them back up to the level that they can and should be at. Also, Fiesta Bowl defensive Brandon Thompson made some really stupid plays that were very hard to look at. As bad as some of those plays were from Thompson, he made a fantastic stop in the last seconds on a deep pass from Tyrod Taylor that saved a huge gain and at least a field goal. Also, Jamar Taylor broke up the final pass of the game for the Hokies to seal the win for the Broncos. So call them the cardiac kids; stupid plays and then some good ones. They will need to be more consistent to have the team success that they want.

In the end, it was the experience of the Broncos that prevailed. The fast start in the first quarter and the amazing fourth quarter were what being a veteran team is all about. The second and third quarter were moments of unfocused non-execution and relaxation. The coaching staff will have to work on and fix that. But the big players came up big in crunch time and made the plays that they needed to make. All in all, it all made for a great game and a lot of fun to watch.

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer is a class act and then some! The post-game press conference was nothing but owning up to his team's mistakes and giving the Broncos credit for the win and playing well. Those press conferences are the lamest thing in the world and extremely difficult for the coaches. Think about it, you have a room full of reporters who are trying their hardest to get a rise or a incriminating remark out of the coach through asking loaded, biased, unfair, and difficult questions. The coach has to try and stay neutral and not throw his team, the opponent, or the referees under the bus. If he bad mouths the refs, a fine will be coming his way and he won't get the 50/50 calls from them in the next game. If he talks smack about the opponent, he is seen as a sore loser and doesn't give credit where credit is due. If he undercuts his own team, he loses respect. It is a fine line he must walk and Frank Beamer was great. He is a class act above and beyond what you normally see.

All in all, the game was amazing and a great way to start the season. Boise State has a long way to go before they can get to the national title game, but they have kept themselves in the conversation for the time being. Wyoming will be a stiff test on the 18th and then the Oregon State Beavers come into town. This season should be a good one!