As the Boise State Broncos get ready to make the switch to the (used to be better than the WAC) Mountain West Conference, the state of college football in the West remains in flux. MWC commissioner Craig Thompson and school representatives met in Las Vegas to make a decision on two things; if the conference will expand from 8 members to 10 and if TCU should visit The Blue for the lone conference match up between two of the nation's top non-AQ teams instead of the other way around, as was originally scheduled. Here's the catch; the Horned Frogs don't have a vote on either matter because they are leaving the conference in 2012.
It was decided that the league will stay at eight teams (sorry Utah State, San Jose State. You're welcome Idaho). Here's the deal; it doesn't mean very much. Remember last year around this time when Thompson announced that they would not be inviting Boise State and then two days later they back-peddled and extended their needy hand to the Broncos? All it signifies is that the MWC won't expand right now. Don't be surprised if that changes sometime in the next two days or next year.
The other item on the docket went the way of the Broncos. The representatives decided that TCU will visit Boise State in Boise next season. You have to feel bad for Horned Frog athletic director Chris del Conte. He was sitting there the whole time while the votes were cast and he could do absolutely nothing about it. Sucks to be him. Naturally, he was overly upset about it.
"I'm disappointed. We were told that they were going to be here at TCU and I'm disappointed for our fans, our community and I'm disappointed in the conference. We made an agreement that this was what it was going to be, and to switch it this late in the game leaves a bitter taste in your mouth."
You really can't blame him. Here is how the Mountain West explained their decision;
"The Board felt the change was in the best interest of the Mountain West Conference and would help address current and future scheduling concerns created by the new set of circumstances which stemmed from another change in membership."
In other words, any win that the Broncos get over ranked teams bolsters the Mountain West's status in their quest to gain automatic qualifying status in the BCS so let's give them the advantage over a departing TCU team. In other, other words, "TCU is kinda' screwing us so let's kinda' screw them back!"
It is of the upmost importance that an athletic conference do every thing it can to survive and strengthen itself in this unstable and constantly shifting college football world. The Mountain West is doing just that. The motives behind the schedule change decision may not be the most upright or ethical, but who can blame them?
Both del Conte and Thompson have valid points in this situation. So where does that leave us? In pretty much the same situation we were before. Call it a draw. As a Bronco fan, I am incredibly excited to have the Horned Frogs on The Blue next fall. Even with my move to Pocatello, you better believe that I will be at the game. TCU is renovating their stadium this year anyway, rendering a large portion of it useless during the football season. Bring on the Frogs and let the battle ensue. You know they will have a huge chip on their shoulder and they are going to have a better than average chance of winning, even with Boise State's incredible home winning streak on the line. Can it be football season yet, please!?!?
Showing posts with label San Jose State Spartans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Jose State Spartans. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Western Athletic Conference as Films
Today's post is going to be a lot of fun. Besides Boise State football, my other passion in life is film. I love movies and I own over 700 of them. In honor of my love for all things Bronco and my love for films, I am going to combine the two today. That's right; using the current teams in the Western Athletic Conference (I know it will change next year), I will share with you a movie that exemplifies a WAC team. I will do it for each team in the WAC, according to where they currently are in the standings. Please leave as many comments as you would like and let me know if I got one wrong or if you have a different idea for a team. Let's get started!
San Jose State Spartans = Kazaam!
The last place team in the WAC is one of the worst in the nation. For years they had Dick Tomey as their head coach. Tomey is a future hall of famer that never really did anything with his teams in San Jose. He is like Shaquille O'neal; A big name that completely bombed. Shaq never should have even thought about making a movie. "Kazaam" was such a terrible film and likewise, San Jose State has had a bunch of terrible teams. Tomey was only able to take one group to a bowl game. It's not just that. California is filled with talented football players, and the Spartans couldn't get any of them. The putrid stench coming from Northern California is only rivaled by that of Shaquille O'neal and his hideous stint as an actor. Thank goodness it only lasted for a short time! The San Jose State Spartans are the "Kazaam" of the WAC. They aren't even fun to watch.
New Mexico State Aggies = Disaster Movie
The Aggies are exactly what the name of this movie tells us. They are really bad, but they did beat San Jose State this year. The losers who keep making these "movies" (date movie, etc.) need to stop. At the same time, New Mexico State should probably stop fielding a football team. Save your money. If the Aggies go up against a good team (Boise State), they get murdered. If somehow "Disaster Movie" was to get entered in a competition with good movies, it would also get murdered. They are terrible to watch and just like the film, they leave you pissed off for having wasted your time on such a dumpster fire of a film/football team. The New Mexico State Aggies are to the WAC what "Disaster Movie" is to the film industry; a complete and utter travesty.
Utah State Aggies = Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
Let's be honest here, the first three films made back in the seventies were nothing short of fantastic. Maybe it was because too much time passed before they made the three prequels, but this movie sucked. It had so much promise before it started, just like Utah State. Many people had them picked to be in a bowl game and to be competitive, but that has not been the case. All they hype of the film and the Aggies has been wasted breath. "The Phantom Menace" has its moments of flashiness (mainly the special effects), and the Aggies have shown up for some games and have even won a few. But the successes that both have are overshadowed by their extreme and complete crappiness. Some people may like them, but they are only lying to themselves. Don't waste your time watching the train wreck of a movie nor the JV-like squad of the Utah State Aggie football team. You are the "Phantom Menace" of the Western Athletic Conference, literally and figuratively.
Idaho Vandals = Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
This one is funny for more than one reason. The obvious one involves the word "dumb." Moving on...Applying this movie to the Idaho Vandals makes perfect sense. Remember back in the day when Idaho was a good football, at one point even beating Boise State 12 years in a row? That was like "Dumb and Dumber." It was great, everybody loved them, and they both have developed extensive followings that extend into the current day. But what about the sequel? Right now, the Vandals follow up the glory days by sucking terribly and embarrassing their alumni. Don't you think Jim Carey is embarrassed by the horrible sequel to his classic film? In other words, the Vandals of today are a shell of what they used to be, and they are terrible. "Dumb and Dumberer" is a crap fest compared to its predecessor. Oh yes, the good ol' glory days when Idaho and "Dumb and Dumberer" still had their dignity. They are gone, forever. Idaho, you are to college football and the great history of your football program, what "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd" is to the "Dumb and Dumber" franchise. I cringe just thinking about it. Ewww...
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs = Vanilla Sky
After you watch "Vanilla Sky," you ask yourself "what the freak was that?" After you see the Bulldogs play, you ponder something similar. Whether it is their starting quarterback Ross Jenkins cutting of the sleeves of his jersey,
or Sonny Dykes belligerently screaming at an official over an blatantly obvious offsides call to the point of getting a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct flag, it is just a mysterious, ugly mess. "Vanilla Sky" tries to be smart, to outwit its viewers, but it fails miserably. It's like the people who wrote it tried way too hard with a crappy plot and less than desirable acting, and ended up with a steaming pile of a film. That is how the Bulldogs are. They try so hard to run a no-huddle, fast-paced, quick strike offense, but they don't have the talent or intelligence to pull it off. You are left with jumbled disorder. Sometimes they play well and score some points, just as the movie has scenes and portions that are decent, but the end does not justify the means. Both would have more success by trying less. How is this for next year's campaign slogan: "Louisiana Tech-putting "vanilla" into the WAC." I am not sad to see them not in our conference next year.
Nevada Wolfpack = 17 Again
This was actually a pretty good movie. Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be my first choice of films to watch, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Just like Nevada, "17 Again" gets the job done and entertains those who watch. But in no way would you rank either as top-tier or best in their conference/genre. Think about it; the lead role in the film is played by Zac Efron. The Wolfpack's leader is Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick. Both are preppy, handsome, pretty-boy "studs" (I use that term loosely) that are completely overrated. Which is better, being the star of "High School Musical" and parlaying that fame and success into other teen-flick roles, or being the starting quarterback for a one-dimensional middle to high-tier team in the WAC? Both are fine, but not what I want to be doing. "17 Again" and the Nevada Wolfpack, like two pees in an under-performing pod.
Fresno State Bulldogs = G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
I actually enjoyed this film. I like action and special effects, and it was fine once I looked past the cliché, lame, and unthoughtful dialogue and plot line. In fact, I remember seeing "G.I. Joe" advertised during the Super Bowl more than a year before it was released. It promised so much. Hey that sounds like Fresno State! They show so much promise each preseason and proceed to go below expectations year in and year out. But understand, they are indeed a good team with great players and a fearless coach, but they are constantly a let down, just like the film. Look at the stars in the movie; Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sienna Miller, and Brendan Fraser. That is not a complete A-list, but enough to create a sparkling action-flick worthy of high praise. But it did not live up to the hype. The Bulldogs recruit plenty of talent every year, but are underwhelming in their accomplishment. This comparison was just too perfect; "G.I. Pat Hill: The Rise of Underachieving Bulldogs."
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors = Juno
"Juno" was so wrong in so many ways. The exploitation of pregnant teenagers is only comparable to one thing; the exploitation of an alleged dangerous offense that refuses to utilize the run, therefore making it not dangerous to decent defenses. I cannot stress to you how overrated and annoying this movie was. Hawai'i is about as overrated of a team as there has been in college football this year and in the past few. "Juno" had it's moment to shine when it picked up an Academy Award for best original screenplay (how it did that is beyond me), just as the Rainbow Warriors had their time to shine in the 2007 season. They promptly threw it away (as well as any respect that non-AQ schools may have had at the time) with their (lack of) performance in the Sugar Bowl. The point is while a lot of people may like this film and see a fictitious deeper meaning in it, it's still erroneously glorified and finds itself completely off the mark when it comes to film making. Hawai'i has its fans, but it remains an overrated farce of a good team that wants you to think it's cooler than it actually is (but hey, they're from Hawai'i!). The Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors: the annoying over-hyped, exploited, and pregnant teenage girl of the Western Athletic Conference.
Boise State Broncos = Gladiator
That's right, and it's completely true! Now some of you may say "wait a minute! These movie is so far ahead of those on the list, it's not even fair!" To that I say; exactly! You get it! Congratulations! The Broncos are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the conference that it isn't fair. Hence the exit to the Mountain West! But let's think about it, "Gladiator" is deep, complex, violent, glorious, successful, and a lot of fun to watch. In the previous sentence, replace the word "Gladiator" with "the Boise State Broncos" and all of it is still true. Their offense is so complex, it confuses opposing defenses play after play. Their talent is so deep that 3rd string defensive lineman are throwing Bryant Moniz to the turf like a rag doll. Their defense plays so physical and violent that the starting quarterbacks of their opponents are scared to face them. Their glory rests in the number of wins they have had in the past few years and can be summed up in 5 words; "Two Time Fiesta Bowl Champions." That is all I need to stay about that. True gladiators are forged on the battle field and come out victorious, having destroyed their foes against all odds. Boise State is Maximus, plain and simple.
So what did you think? I had a lot of fun creating this post and the comparisons. Check back in tomorrow for my Weekend Picks and some insight. Let's go Broncos!
San Jose State Spartans = Kazaam!
The last place team in the WAC is one of the worst in the nation. For years they had Dick Tomey as their head coach. Tomey is a future hall of famer that never really did anything with his teams in San Jose. He is like Shaquille O'neal; A big name that completely bombed. Shaq never should have even thought about making a movie. "Kazaam" was such a terrible film and likewise, San Jose State has had a bunch of terrible teams. Tomey was only able to take one group to a bowl game. It's not just that. California is filled with talented football players, and the Spartans couldn't get any of them. The putrid stench coming from Northern California is only rivaled by that of Shaquille O'neal and his hideous stint as an actor. Thank goodness it only lasted for a short time! The San Jose State Spartans are the "Kazaam" of the WAC. They aren't even fun to watch.
New Mexico State Aggies = Disaster Movie
The Aggies are exactly what the name of this movie tells us. They are really bad, but they did beat San Jose State this year. The losers who keep making these "movies" (date movie, etc.) need to stop. At the same time, New Mexico State should probably stop fielding a football team. Save your money. If the Aggies go up against a good team (Boise State), they get murdered. If somehow "Disaster Movie" was to get entered in a competition with good movies, it would also get murdered. They are terrible to watch and just like the film, they leave you pissed off for having wasted your time on such a dumpster fire of a film/football team. The New Mexico State Aggies are to the WAC what "Disaster Movie" is to the film industry; a complete and utter travesty.
Utah State Aggies = Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
Let's be honest here, the first three films made back in the seventies were nothing short of fantastic. Maybe it was because too much time passed before they made the three prequels, but this movie sucked. It had so much promise before it started, just like Utah State. Many people had them picked to be in a bowl game and to be competitive, but that has not been the case. All they hype of the film and the Aggies has been wasted breath. "The Phantom Menace" has its moments of flashiness (mainly the special effects), and the Aggies have shown up for some games and have even won a few. But the successes that both have are overshadowed by their extreme and complete crappiness. Some people may like them, but they are only lying to themselves. Don't waste your time watching the train wreck of a movie nor the JV-like squad of the Utah State Aggie football team. You are the "Phantom Menace" of the Western Athletic Conference, literally and figuratively.
Idaho Vandals = Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
This one is funny for more than one reason. The obvious one involves the word "dumb." Moving on...Applying this movie to the Idaho Vandals makes perfect sense. Remember back in the day when Idaho was a good football, at one point even beating Boise State 12 years in a row? That was like "Dumb and Dumber." It was great, everybody loved them, and they both have developed extensive followings that extend into the current day. But what about the sequel? Right now, the Vandals follow up the glory days by sucking terribly and embarrassing their alumni. Don't you think Jim Carey is embarrassed by the horrible sequel to his classic film? In other words, the Vandals of today are a shell of what they used to be, and they are terrible. "Dumb and Dumberer" is a crap fest compared to its predecessor. Oh yes, the good ol' glory days when Idaho and "Dumb and Dumberer" still had their dignity. They are gone, forever. Idaho, you are to college football and the great history of your football program, what "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd" is to the "Dumb and Dumber" franchise. I cringe just thinking about it. Ewww...
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs = Vanilla Sky
After you watch "Vanilla Sky," you ask yourself "what the freak was that?" After you see the Bulldogs play, you ponder something similar. Whether it is their starting quarterback Ross Jenkins cutting of the sleeves of his jersey,
or Sonny Dykes belligerently screaming at an official over an blatantly obvious offsides call to the point of getting a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct flag, it is just a mysterious, ugly mess. "Vanilla Sky" tries to be smart, to outwit its viewers, but it fails miserably. It's like the people who wrote it tried way too hard with a crappy plot and less than desirable acting, and ended up with a steaming pile of a film. That is how the Bulldogs are. They try so hard to run a no-huddle, fast-paced, quick strike offense, but they don't have the talent or intelligence to pull it off. You are left with jumbled disorder. Sometimes they play well and score some points, just as the movie has scenes and portions that are decent, but the end does not justify the means. Both would have more success by trying less. How is this for next year's campaign slogan: "Louisiana Tech-putting "vanilla" into the WAC." I am not sad to see them not in our conference next year.
Nevada Wolfpack = 17 Again
This was actually a pretty good movie. Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be my first choice of films to watch, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Just like Nevada, "17 Again" gets the job done and entertains those who watch. But in no way would you rank either as top-tier or best in their conference/genre. Think about it; the lead role in the film is played by Zac Efron. The Wolfpack's leader is Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick. Both are preppy, handsome, pretty-boy "studs" (I use that term loosely) that are completely overrated. Which is better, being the star of "High School Musical" and parlaying that fame and success into other teen-flick roles, or being the starting quarterback for a one-dimensional middle to high-tier team in the WAC? Both are fine, but not what I want to be doing. "17 Again" and the Nevada Wolfpack, like two pees in an under-performing pod.
Fresno State Bulldogs = G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
I actually enjoyed this film. I like action and special effects, and it was fine once I looked past the cliché, lame, and unthoughtful dialogue and plot line. In fact, I remember seeing "G.I. Joe" advertised during the Super Bowl more than a year before it was released. It promised so much. Hey that sounds like Fresno State! They show so much promise each preseason and proceed to go below expectations year in and year out. But understand, they are indeed a good team with great players and a fearless coach, but they are constantly a let down, just like the film. Look at the stars in the movie; Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sienna Miller, and Brendan Fraser. That is not a complete A-list, but enough to create a sparkling action-flick worthy of high praise. But it did not live up to the hype. The Bulldogs recruit plenty of talent every year, but are underwhelming in their accomplishment. This comparison was just too perfect; "G.I. Pat Hill: The Rise of Underachieving Bulldogs."
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors = Juno
"Juno" was so wrong in so many ways. The exploitation of pregnant teenagers is only comparable to one thing; the exploitation of an alleged dangerous offense that refuses to utilize the run, therefore making it not dangerous to decent defenses. I cannot stress to you how overrated and annoying this movie was. Hawai'i is about as overrated of a team as there has been in college football this year and in the past few. "Juno" had it's moment to shine when it picked up an Academy Award for best original screenplay (how it did that is beyond me), just as the Rainbow Warriors had their time to shine in the 2007 season. They promptly threw it away (as well as any respect that non-AQ schools may have had at the time) with their (lack of) performance in the Sugar Bowl. The point is while a lot of people may like this film and see a fictitious deeper meaning in it, it's still erroneously glorified and finds itself completely off the mark when it comes to film making. Hawai'i has its fans, but it remains an overrated farce of a good team that wants you to think it's cooler than it actually is (but hey, they're from Hawai'i!). The Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors: the annoying over-hyped, exploited, and pregnant teenage girl of the Western Athletic Conference.
Boise State Broncos = Gladiator
That's right, and it's completely true! Now some of you may say "wait a minute! These movie is so far ahead of those on the list, it's not even fair!" To that I say; exactly! You get it! Congratulations! The Broncos are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the conference that it isn't fair. Hence the exit to the Mountain West! But let's think about it, "Gladiator" is deep, complex, violent, glorious, successful, and a lot of fun to watch. In the previous sentence, replace the word "Gladiator" with "the Boise State Broncos" and all of it is still true. Their offense is so complex, it confuses opposing defenses play after play. Their talent is so deep that 3rd string defensive lineman are throwing Bryant Moniz to the turf like a rag doll. Their defense plays so physical and violent that the starting quarterbacks of their opponents are scared to face them. Their glory rests in the number of wins they have had in the past few years and can be summed up in 5 words; "Two Time Fiesta Bowl Champions." That is all I need to stay about that. True gladiators are forged on the battle field and come out victorious, having destroyed their foes against all odds. Boise State is Maximus, plain and simple.
So what did you think? I had a lot of fun creating this post and the comparisons. Check back in tomorrow for my Weekend Picks and some insight. Let's go Broncos!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Broncos Smoke San Jose State on the Road
The Boise State Broncos yet again took care of business on the road against a WAC opponent. A 48-0 beat down of the San Jose State Spartans was all part of a day that should bode well overall for the 3rd ranked team in the land. The Spartans were completely over-matched and could barely muster anything close to good football. Granted, they were missing 9 starters due to injury (and one more ended up with crutches on the sideline during the game; Running back Lamon Muldrow). We have witnessed a huge reason why Boise State is bolting from the WAC to the Mountain West. Hopefully there is better competition there that will boost their strength of schedule. Either way, this was such a dominating performance for the boys in Blue. Here are some stats to get us started:
Yardage:
......Broncos......Spartans
Rushing-213..........-12
Passing-322..........92
..Total-535..........80
First Downs:
......Broncos......Spartans
........28............6
Average Gain Per Play:
......Broncos......Spartans
........7.5..........1.5
Number of Sacks on Opposing Quarterback:
......Broncos......Spartans
.........4............0
Third Down Efficiency:
..........Broncos............Spartans
.......55%(6 of 11)........13%(2 of 15)
Penalties:
......Broncos......Spartans
.......5-51..........4-26
As you can easily see, San Jose State was more than over matched in every aspect of the game. Again I am amazed at how Coach Petersen is able to prepare his players mentally for every game, regardless of the opponent. The total yardage allowed by the Broncos' defense was the lowest amount allowed since 1972. It is of worth noting that this is the second time this year that Boise State has held an opponent to negative rushing yardage (Wyoming). I would like to point out that the Broncos' third down conversion percent is getting better. 55% is still not great, but it is alright. Remember, the starters did not even play in the second half and a lot of the plays were rushing attempts, which skews the third down conversion numbers a little bit. Also, way to cut down on penalties Boise State! This was the first game where they had such a low number of penalties and it is really good to see that. Let's hope they can continue that.
What We Learned:
The Spartans have a long way to go. Like I said, they are victims of the injury bug this year, but it is obvious that the talent level at the school is no even close to what it has been, could be, and probably should be. The university is in northern California where this are plenty of great players to recruit. Boise State gets quite a few from that area, by the way. The commentators of the game said that Coach Mike MacIntyre has a notebook of some 200-odd pages detailing his plan to get the program competitive again. I think part of it has to be not scheduling so many top 25 opponents in one season. Let's see if MacIntyre is around long enough to carry out his plan.
Bronco Nation travels! There were about 5,000 Bronco fans out of the 20,000+ people in Spartan Stadium Saturday night. You will see great numbers of them just about everywhere that they play. This game was special, however. As I mentioned, the Broncos get a lot of players from northern California, and plenty of friends and family members of said players were in attendance. Doug Martin had the biggest contingent. They had signs and posters as well. This is great for the team and their morale; to see their own no matter where they are playing.
Kellen Moore did not even play the second half. I really wanted him to. He finished the night going 14 for 16 for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns (and no interceptions, again!). As I mentioned last week and probably will after every game from now on, imagine his numbers if he was to play all four quarters! It would be a mind grenade-it would blow your mind all over the room. The stats would be eye-popping. Alas, it won't happen. Coach Pete and for that matter Kellen himself are saving the quarterback for big games. By they way, Moore passed Bart Hendricks for the most completions ever by a Boise State quarterback. He's only half way through his junior year. Yeah, no one will ever be taking that record from Kellen, guaranteed!
Titus Young is special. He can outrun anybody on any team. That is all there is to it. He seems to go about 3/4 speed and then turn it on as soon as Moore launches the deep pass. Young had a 43 yard touchdown catch. It was a beautiful throw from Kellen right into his bread basket without breaking stride. You cannot defend that. Titus is a great football player. Best of all, he isn't getting excessive celebration penalties this year!
Areas of Concern:
Other than the third down conversion percentage that I mentioned above, there is nothing else. The performance was that outstanding last night!
Favorite Play:
Just like last game, I had quite a few to choose from. However, I am going with the Aaron Tevis pick-six. It was such a beautiful smart read by Tevis and an even better catch by him. The one handed leaping interception was awesome! Plus he rumbled down the sideline and got into the end zone to cap it all off. House call!
Thoughts and Tidbits:
Cornerback Jamar Taylor was suspended for the game for an unspecified violation of teams rules. He did not make the trip to San Jose. Coach Pete doesn't put up with crap, if you haven't noticed yet. The Broncos lead the nation in total defense (210.2), rushing defense (59.3), pass efficiency (188.11) and sacks allowed (0.17). Moore is No. 1 in pass efficiency (190.35). Chris Potter, who was the third choice as the punt returner, is eighth in the nation with a 16.8-yard average. In other words, the Broncos are really freaking good!
Perception:
Oh boy! There is a lot to talk about here. The Broncos did what they had to do and win in a dominating way. That in itself will not do much to change the national view of Boise State. What took place in other games on Saturday will undoubtedly affect the Broncos and their ranking and bowl destination. Number one ranked Ohio State lost on the road to Wisconsin. It was actually a fairly dominating performance from the Badgers. Also, unranked Texas beat undefeated and 5th ranked Nebraska on the road. I think Nebraska's chances of a National Championship are over, but the Buckeyes still have time to move back up in the polls. Still, their loss appears to have removed another roadblock out of the Broncos' path. I mentioned last week that in the projected BCS standings to be released today, that Boise State should get the nod to be number one. However, according to this story, Oklahoma somehow has a shot at getting it. I have no idea how, but it is just another example of biased and scared voters trying to keep Boise State away from the precious BCS Championship that they have selfishly created for the "big boys." Still, Boise State is looking good and if a few more teams lose for the first time and some for a second time, there is no way to keep them out. Some of that mass chaos that I have been talking about has taken place. Let's hope for the rest! Virginia Tech also won again, their 5th straight. They crushed Wake Forest. The Hokies might not end up in the top 25 quite yet, but it will happen soon.
That was the good new. The bad news comes in two parts. After beating the 9th ranked Arizona Wildcats on the road last week, the Oregon State Beavers fell at Washington in double overtime. They went for the two point conversion to win but the pass was batted away to preserve the Huskies' victory. The Beavers will fall out of the top 25 again. Also, Hawai'i beat Nevada on the islands late Saturday night, also knocking the Wolfpack out of the rankings. Nevada was supposed to be the showdown between two undefeated teams for the WAC championship. It would have boosted the Broncos' strength of schedule greatly. But now, it is looking like the home game against the Rainbow Warriors on November 6 could be the defacto WAC championship game. I told you Hawai'i was looking really good! Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick had a really bad game. Still, I think the pros outweigh the cons from Saturday and Boise State should find itself just fine when the BCS Ranking come out today. We will see how long it lasts and who else loses as the weeks go by.
Photos:
Thanks again idahostatesman.com for the great photos of the game. Enjoy, fans of Bronco Chase!
Check back in tomorrow for my WAC Weekend Recap and some more takes on Boise State's status.
Yardage:
......Broncos......Spartans
Rushing-213..........-12
Passing-322..........92
..Total-535..........80
First Downs:
......Broncos......Spartans
........28............6
Average Gain Per Play:
......Broncos......Spartans
........7.5..........1.5
Number of Sacks on Opposing Quarterback:
......Broncos......Spartans
.........4............0
Third Down Efficiency:
..........Broncos............Spartans
.......55%(6 of 11)........13%(2 of 15)
Penalties:
......Broncos......Spartans
.......5-51..........4-26
As you can easily see, San Jose State was more than over matched in every aspect of the game. Again I am amazed at how Coach Petersen is able to prepare his players mentally for every game, regardless of the opponent. The total yardage allowed by the Broncos' defense was the lowest amount allowed since 1972. It is of worth noting that this is the second time this year that Boise State has held an opponent to negative rushing yardage (Wyoming). I would like to point out that the Broncos' third down conversion percent is getting better. 55% is still not great, but it is alright. Remember, the starters did not even play in the second half and a lot of the plays were rushing attempts, which skews the third down conversion numbers a little bit. Also, way to cut down on penalties Boise State! This was the first game where they had such a low number of penalties and it is really good to see that. Let's hope they can continue that.
What We Learned:
The Spartans have a long way to go. Like I said, they are victims of the injury bug this year, but it is obvious that the talent level at the school is no even close to what it has been, could be, and probably should be. The university is in northern California where this are plenty of great players to recruit. Boise State gets quite a few from that area, by the way. The commentators of the game said that Coach Mike MacIntyre has a notebook of some 200-odd pages detailing his plan to get the program competitive again. I think part of it has to be not scheduling so many top 25 opponents in one season. Let's see if MacIntyre is around long enough to carry out his plan.
Bronco Nation travels! There were about 5,000 Bronco fans out of the 20,000+ people in Spartan Stadium Saturday night. You will see great numbers of them just about everywhere that they play. This game was special, however. As I mentioned, the Broncos get a lot of players from northern California, and plenty of friends and family members of said players were in attendance. Doug Martin had the biggest contingent. They had signs and posters as well. This is great for the team and their morale; to see their own no matter where they are playing.
Kellen Moore did not even play the second half. I really wanted him to. He finished the night going 14 for 16 for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns (and no interceptions, again!). As I mentioned last week and probably will after every game from now on, imagine his numbers if he was to play all four quarters! It would be a mind grenade-it would blow your mind all over the room. The stats would be eye-popping. Alas, it won't happen. Coach Pete and for that matter Kellen himself are saving the quarterback for big games. By they way, Moore passed Bart Hendricks for the most completions ever by a Boise State quarterback. He's only half way through his junior year. Yeah, no one will ever be taking that record from Kellen, guaranteed!
Titus Young is special. He can outrun anybody on any team. That is all there is to it. He seems to go about 3/4 speed and then turn it on as soon as Moore launches the deep pass. Young had a 43 yard touchdown catch. It was a beautiful throw from Kellen right into his bread basket without breaking stride. You cannot defend that. Titus is a great football player. Best of all, he isn't getting excessive celebration penalties this year!
Areas of Concern:
Other than the third down conversion percentage that I mentioned above, there is nothing else. The performance was that outstanding last night!
Favorite Play:
Just like last game, I had quite a few to choose from. However, I am going with the Aaron Tevis pick-six. It was such a beautiful smart read by Tevis and an even better catch by him. The one handed leaping interception was awesome! Plus he rumbled down the sideline and got into the end zone to cap it all off. House call!
Thoughts and Tidbits:
Cornerback Jamar Taylor was suspended for the game for an unspecified violation of teams rules. He did not make the trip to San Jose. Coach Pete doesn't put up with crap, if you haven't noticed yet. The Broncos lead the nation in total defense (210.2), rushing defense (59.3), pass efficiency (188.11) and sacks allowed (0.17). Moore is No. 1 in pass efficiency (190.35). Chris Potter, who was the third choice as the punt returner, is eighth in the nation with a 16.8-yard average. In other words, the Broncos are really freaking good!
Perception:
Oh boy! There is a lot to talk about here. The Broncos did what they had to do and win in a dominating way. That in itself will not do much to change the national view of Boise State. What took place in other games on Saturday will undoubtedly affect the Broncos and their ranking and bowl destination. Number one ranked Ohio State lost on the road to Wisconsin. It was actually a fairly dominating performance from the Badgers. Also, unranked Texas beat undefeated and 5th ranked Nebraska on the road. I think Nebraska's chances of a National Championship are over, but the Buckeyes still have time to move back up in the polls. Still, their loss appears to have removed another roadblock out of the Broncos' path. I mentioned last week that in the projected BCS standings to be released today, that Boise State should get the nod to be number one. However, according to this story, Oklahoma somehow has a shot at getting it. I have no idea how, but it is just another example of biased and scared voters trying to keep Boise State away from the precious BCS Championship that they have selfishly created for the "big boys." Still, Boise State is looking good and if a few more teams lose for the first time and some for a second time, there is no way to keep them out. Some of that mass chaos that I have been talking about has taken place. Let's hope for the rest! Virginia Tech also won again, their 5th straight. They crushed Wake Forest. The Hokies might not end up in the top 25 quite yet, but it will happen soon.
That was the good new. The bad news comes in two parts. After beating the 9th ranked Arizona Wildcats on the road last week, the Oregon State Beavers fell at Washington in double overtime. They went for the two point conversion to win but the pass was batted away to preserve the Huskies' victory. The Beavers will fall out of the top 25 again. Also, Hawai'i beat Nevada on the islands late Saturday night, also knocking the Wolfpack out of the rankings. Nevada was supposed to be the showdown between two undefeated teams for the WAC championship. It would have boosted the Broncos' strength of schedule greatly. But now, it is looking like the home game against the Rainbow Warriors on November 6 could be the defacto WAC championship game. I told you Hawai'i was looking really good! Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick had a really bad game. Still, I think the pros outweigh the cons from Saturday and Boise State should find itself just fine when the BCS Ranking come out today. We will see how long it lasts and who else loses as the weeks go by.
Photos:
Thanks again idahostatesman.com for the great photos of the game. Enjoy, fans of Bronco Chase!
Check back in tomorrow for my WAC Weekend Recap and some more takes on Boise State's status.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Weekly Player to Watch, 5th Edition
There is no question that I am feeling better about my PTW picks. I managed to choose someone last week that not only contributed in someway, but also avoided being injured. It would appear that the PTW injury demon has been exercised. That said, I am still hoping that nothing bad, ugly, evil, or harmful happens to the individual that I am picking this week. Let’s get to it and hope that we make it two Bronco games in a row with a productive, healthy PTW! This week’s is…Jeron Johnson!
I was looking through some of San Jose’s stats and I realized that I could have gone with just about anybody (excluding offensive lineman. They don’t really touch the ball much…) and I would have felt good about it. Take a look for yourselves courtesy of our fine friends at espn.com. The Spartans rank dead freaking last in scoring offense and at the very back end in passing yards, rushing yards, and points allowed. If you look at this page here, quarterback Jordan La Secla has thrown only two touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. That is a recipe for disaster, and of course some picks from the Boise State secondary. With that in mind, I chose Johnson because of his athleticism, skill, toughness, and the fact that he once knocked Idaho State quarterback Russell Hill senseless. Jeron is a scary man. Don’t believe me? Look at this:
It is of no surprise to hear that Jeron Johnson is straight outta’ Compton! The kid was able to get out of the famous-in-a-bad-way Southern California town and make his way to Boise to play football for a really good football team. He started all four years at Dominguez High School and racked up a staggering 266 tackles, along with a bunch of INT’s and fumble recoveries. As a junior and senior he was named the San Gabriel Valley defensive MVP. Surprisingly, Johnson was only a two-star recruit and looked at offers from Boise State, Utah, and Utah State. Now as a senior, his aggressive and violent demeanor on the field has led to some ferocious hits, but also some personal foul penalties and even an ejection at Oregon back in 2008. At the same time, he has amassed 7 interceptions in his college career, including this one against Wyoming a few weeks ago.
I think my favorite part about picking Mr. Johnson as my PTW is that there are a lot of ways that he can impact the game and the team. Beyond the interceptions and fumble recoveries, he has led the Broncos in total tackles for the last couple of years and that should continue that trend for his senior year. Jeron will be knocking down quite a few Spartans on Saturday night. That I can guarantee. Also, I really hope to see a snot bubbler or two in Spartan Stadium with Johnson doing the delivering. As a man with many nicknames, I think that "Hitman" is the most appropriate. Although, his Facebook name is Jeron "Showoff" Johnson, so that works too, I guess. In a defense where the one weakness this season has seemed to be the secondary, it is extremely important to have a presence like Jeron lurking around. The problem has not been a lack of talent, there was just a huge void left when Kyle Wilson took his skill and his dreadlocks to the New York Jets. I think that as the season progresses, the corners will tighten up and Jeron will be able to go back to his roaming, head-hunting self and knock some fools out. Johnson is indeed one of the leaders on defense and this is beginning to show. He has matured greatly since his days of getting kicked out of the game at Autzen Stadium. A lot is expected from Jeron Johnson, and he is delivering. What else would you expect from someone who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated?!
The fifth edition of Bronco Chase's Weekly Player to Watch is in the books! Jeron Johnson should have a big game and hopefully a really hard hit (or two)! Take a look at this, just because it's sick!
I will be posting my review of the game on Sunday and the WAC Weekend Recap on Monday. Be sure to check back in and get my take on everything that goes down in college football!
I was looking through some of San Jose’s stats and I realized that I could have gone with just about anybody (excluding offensive lineman. They don’t really touch the ball much…) and I would have felt good about it. Take a look for yourselves courtesy of our fine friends at espn.com. The Spartans rank dead freaking last in scoring offense and at the very back end in passing yards, rushing yards, and points allowed. If you look at this page here, quarterback Jordan La Secla has thrown only two touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. That is a recipe for disaster, and of course some picks from the Boise State secondary. With that in mind, I chose Johnson because of his athleticism, skill, toughness, and the fact that he once knocked Idaho State quarterback Russell Hill senseless. Jeron is a scary man. Don’t believe me? Look at this:
It is of no surprise to hear that Jeron Johnson is straight outta’ Compton! The kid was able to get out of the famous-in-a-bad-way Southern California town and make his way to Boise to play football for a really good football team. He started all four years at Dominguez High School and racked up a staggering 266 tackles, along with a bunch of INT’s and fumble recoveries. As a junior and senior he was named the San Gabriel Valley defensive MVP. Surprisingly, Johnson was only a two-star recruit and looked at offers from Boise State, Utah, and Utah State. Now as a senior, his aggressive and violent demeanor on the field has led to some ferocious hits, but also some personal foul penalties and even an ejection at Oregon back in 2008. At the same time, he has amassed 7 interceptions in his college career, including this one against Wyoming a few weeks ago.
I think my favorite part about picking Mr. Johnson as my PTW is that there are a lot of ways that he can impact the game and the team. Beyond the interceptions and fumble recoveries, he has led the Broncos in total tackles for the last couple of years and that should continue that trend for his senior year. Jeron will be knocking down quite a few Spartans on Saturday night. That I can guarantee. Also, I really hope to see a snot bubbler or two in Spartan Stadium with Johnson doing the delivering. As a man with many nicknames, I think that "Hitman" is the most appropriate. Although, his Facebook name is Jeron "Showoff" Johnson, so that works too, I guess. In a defense where the one weakness this season has seemed to be the secondary, it is extremely important to have a presence like Jeron lurking around. The problem has not been a lack of talent, there was just a huge void left when Kyle Wilson took his skill and his dreadlocks to the New York Jets. I think that as the season progresses, the corners will tighten up and Jeron will be able to go back to his roaming, head-hunting self and knock some fools out. Johnson is indeed one of the leaders on defense and this is beginning to show. He has matured greatly since his days of getting kicked out of the game at Autzen Stadium. A lot is expected from Jeron Johnson, and he is delivering. What else would you expect from someone who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated?!
The fifth edition of Bronco Chase's Weekly Player to Watch is in the books! Jeron Johnson should have a big game and hopefully a really hard hit (or two)! Take a look at this, just because it's sick!
I will be posting my review of the game on Sunday and the WAC Weekend Recap on Monday. Be sure to check back in and get my take on everything that goes down in college football!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Weekend Picks, 4th Edition (7th Week of the Season)
We are now looking at nothing besides WAC conference games and therefore my total number of contests to pick weekly is very low. Therefore, in order to have a larger post (and possibly to pad my stats by giving myself a better chance to get more right), I am going to choose some other match ups across the country and pick them as well. The game of the week has to be Nevada at Hawai’i. My decisions on other games will be based on what I think are interesting games and maybe teams that I like. Either way, there are some contests from which I must choose winners, so let’s get going!
Saturday, October 16 at 2 PM.
3-2 (0-0 WAC)
at
2-4 (1-1 WAC)
The Vandals are coming off of a bye week and will be refreshed, healthy, and excited to get back in action. At 3-2 and with bowl aspirations, they cannot afford to throw away any games that they are supposed to win. This week is one of those games. By all means Idaho has the better team, better players, and has been more consistent. They have somewhat struggled away from the comfy confines of the Kibbie Dome. However, they exercised their road demons against Western Michigan in their last game. Quarterback Nathan Enderle needs to stop throwing the ball to the other team in order for the Vandals to maintain success. On the other side of the field, the Bulldogs are coming off of an overwhelming upset of the Utah State Aggies. Their stats seem to be getting better as they have settled on Ross Jenkins handling the ball. But the big story is running back Lennon Creer tearing up the Aggies defense. Unfortunately for Louisiana Tech, Idaho is more consistent and a better squad than Utah State. They should pick up their second consecutive road victory of the season.
Prediction: Vandals 38, Bulldogs 21
Saturday, October 16 at 8:30 PM
1-4 (0-1 WAC)
at
3-2 (1-1 WAC)
The Aggies are riding high after finally winning a game this year. It was even sweeter as they triumphed over in-state rival New Mexico. Coach DeWayne Walker inserted freshman Andrew Manley at quarterback to spark his team to life. It worked as Manley lead his squad down the field for a game winning drive that ended in a field goal. The defense is still bad, but so is that of the Lobos. However, Fresno State is not New Mexico. Plus the Bulldogs are ready to go Hulk on their next opponent after getting smoked by Hawai’i at home last weekend. The Bulldogs have gotten away from what has traditionally been their identity; the running game. The offense has been Ryan Colburn pass-happy. I think the issue is that they don’t have a physical Ryan Mathews-like back to run through the middle. Expect Pat Hill to balance out the offense with a few more rushes against a poor Aggie defensive front. At home and with a lot to prove, Fresno State should win this game pretty easily.
Prediction: Bulldogs 42, Aggies 17
Saturday, October 16 at 9:30 PM
6-0 (1-0 WAC)
at
4-2 (2-0 WAC)
All of the sudden this one appears to be much more of a contest than what we expected at the beginning of the season. Nevada had a poor performance at home against San Jose State last weekend and will need to be a lot sharper if they want to take this one. I think they will be. Hawai’i has a poor defense and “Bird Leg” Kaepernick will be able to expose it using the zone read. Vai Taua will have another big game. As poor as the Rainbow Warrior’s secondary is, there will be some passes flying through the humid island air on Saturday night. At first thought, this game looks like a shoot out. In many ways it will be; there will be plenty of points scored. But Nevada has an OK defense this year and should be able to at least slow down QB Bryant Moniz and his group of outstanding receivers. A few turnovers one way or the other could be the difference in this contest. I think Nevada has enough defensive pride to not let there season be spoiled this early.
Prediction: Wolfpack 45, Rainbow Warriors 35
Saturday, October 16 at 6 PM
The moment of truth!
5-0 (1-0 WAC)
at
1-5 (0-1 WAC)
Historically San Jose has been an extremely tough place for the Broncos to play. Whether it’s Ian Johnson puncturing a lung or a tougher than normal Spartan defense forcing some Kellen Moore turnovers, San Jose State has been able to give Boise State all that it could handle. Remember the first Fiesta Bowl year when it took a late touchdown, an amazing catch on a two-point conversion, and a field goal as time expired for the Broncos to leave with the W? That will not be the case this year. This is a different Spartan team and a different Bronco team. They have gone in opposite directions. Coach Mike MacIntyre is in his first year as head coach and it has been rough. The Spartans have been decimated by injuries and rank dead freaking last in the nation in points scored per game. They average 10.3 a game. That is not enough to beat anybody. Quarterback Jordan LaSecla has played poorly and it is possible that MacIntyre may start looking for something different at that spot. At the same time the defense gives up almost 32 in each contest. Kellen Moore and his offensive line are unstoppable. They have only given up one sack and are reading and picking up blitzes perfectly. Plus Moore has gotten really proficient at disguising plays and who actually has the ball. As new wrinkles are added weekly (i.e. the “Wild Avery” that netted three touchdowns last week), the Boise State offense is nearly impossible to stop. On the other side of the ball, I contend that there is not a better starting front four in the nation than Baker, Winterswyk, McClellin, and Winn. They are ferocious and are racking up sacks and tackles for loss week in and week out. The one weakness of the defense has been the secondary. Kyle Wilson played a huge role that has not been completely filled yet. Still, they will get better as the season speeds ahead. Basically what I am saying is that San Jose State stands absolutely no chance of beating the third ranked Broncos. This will be a different game than it has been at Spartan Stadium in years past. It will get ugly fast and crescendo into a lopsided score-fest in favor of Boise State only paralleled by the events of two weeks ago in Las Cruces. It may even eclipse that. There is just too much fire power for the boys from Boise and not enough talent, wit, smarts, desire, or attitude to counter. The Broncos could play the worst game of their lives and it wouldn’t matter. I would be surprised if Boise State is not ahead by at least 21 points after the first quarter. It’s too bad San Jose State is having a down year; the WAC desperately needs quality competition. It won’t get it from the Spartans.
Prediction: Broncos 55, Spartans 7
Bonus Picks:
Thursday, October 14 at 5:30 PM
4-1 (1-1 Big 12)
at
2-3 (0-1 Big 12)
The Wildcats are coming off of a disappointing loss at home to Nebraska. Not only did they lose, they barely fielded a competitive team out there, getting pummeled 48-13. It was surprising because it counted for their first loss of the season. For the Kansas State offense, they don’t pass the ball very well with Carson Coffman at quarterback. Running back Daniel Thomas is the bulk of their offense, having scored 6 touchdowns already. Kansas has appeared in my weekend picks before when they smoked New Mexico State 42-16. But the Jayhawks have been very up and down this year. Baylor owned them last weekend in Waco, but yet they beat a ranked Georgia Tech team early on in the season. There are problems all around. They can’t pass, run, or defend very well. Even though this game is at home, I don’t think Kansas has what it takes to pull off the upset over an angry Kansas State squad.
Prediction: Wildcats 28, Jayhawks 20
Saturday, October 16 at 1:30 PM
4-1 (1-1 SEC)
at
6-0 (3-0 SEC)
Arkansas comes into this game having only lost once to the former number one team in the nation Alabama. They threw the game away with some ugly late interceptions. Still, quarterback Ryan Mallett is one of the top players in the nation and can do some damage with a group of great wide receivers. The offensive fault is their run game, which has not been very well thus far. Defensively, they rank 13th in the nation only giving up 15 points a game. They will have to be at their very best to win this contest. Auburn’s quarterback Cam Newton is well on his way to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. He probably won’t win it, but he will have earned it by his great play this season. His offense scores almost 37 points a game and is relentless. However, the Tigers’ defense has not been on par. Giving up 22 points a game will catch up to you eventually in the tough SEC. I think that this is the game that it happens. Still, why do I get the feeling that I am guessing this one totally wrong? Let's hope my upset special mojo is still alive!
Upset Special!
Prediction: Razorbacks 24, Tigers 21
Record coming into this weekend: 22-7
Make sure you come back tomorrow and catch my player to watch for Boise State’s game against the San Jose State Spartans!
Saturday, October 16 at 2 PM.
3-2 (0-0 WAC)
at
2-4 (1-1 WAC)
The Vandals are coming off of a bye week and will be refreshed, healthy, and excited to get back in action. At 3-2 and with bowl aspirations, they cannot afford to throw away any games that they are supposed to win. This week is one of those games. By all means Idaho has the better team, better players, and has been more consistent. They have somewhat struggled away from the comfy confines of the Kibbie Dome. However, they exercised their road demons against Western Michigan in their last game. Quarterback Nathan Enderle needs to stop throwing the ball to the other team in order for the Vandals to maintain success. On the other side of the field, the Bulldogs are coming off of an overwhelming upset of the Utah State Aggies. Their stats seem to be getting better as they have settled on Ross Jenkins handling the ball. But the big story is running back Lennon Creer tearing up the Aggies defense. Unfortunately for Louisiana Tech, Idaho is more consistent and a better squad than Utah State. They should pick up their second consecutive road victory of the season.
Prediction: Vandals 38, Bulldogs 21
Saturday, October 16 at 8:30 PM
1-4 (0-1 WAC)
at
3-2 (1-1 WAC)
The Aggies are riding high after finally winning a game this year. It was even sweeter as they triumphed over in-state rival New Mexico. Coach DeWayne Walker inserted freshman Andrew Manley at quarterback to spark his team to life. It worked as Manley lead his squad down the field for a game winning drive that ended in a field goal. The defense is still bad, but so is that of the Lobos. However, Fresno State is not New Mexico. Plus the Bulldogs are ready to go Hulk on their next opponent after getting smoked by Hawai’i at home last weekend. The Bulldogs have gotten away from what has traditionally been their identity; the running game. The offense has been Ryan Colburn pass-happy. I think the issue is that they don’t have a physical Ryan Mathews-like back to run through the middle. Expect Pat Hill to balance out the offense with a few more rushes against a poor Aggie defensive front. At home and with a lot to prove, Fresno State should win this game pretty easily.
Prediction: Bulldogs 42, Aggies 17
Saturday, October 16 at 9:30 PM
6-0 (1-0 WAC)
at
4-2 (2-0 WAC)
All of the sudden this one appears to be much more of a contest than what we expected at the beginning of the season. Nevada had a poor performance at home against San Jose State last weekend and will need to be a lot sharper if they want to take this one. I think they will be. Hawai’i has a poor defense and “Bird Leg” Kaepernick will be able to expose it using the zone read. Vai Taua will have another big game. As poor as the Rainbow Warrior’s secondary is, there will be some passes flying through the humid island air on Saturday night. At first thought, this game looks like a shoot out. In many ways it will be; there will be plenty of points scored. But Nevada has an OK defense this year and should be able to at least slow down QB Bryant Moniz and his group of outstanding receivers. A few turnovers one way or the other could be the difference in this contest. I think Nevada has enough defensive pride to not let there season be spoiled this early.
Prediction: Wolfpack 45, Rainbow Warriors 35
Saturday, October 16 at 6 PM
The moment of truth!
5-0 (1-0 WAC)
at
1-5 (0-1 WAC)
Historically San Jose has been an extremely tough place for the Broncos to play. Whether it’s Ian Johnson puncturing a lung or a tougher than normal Spartan defense forcing some Kellen Moore turnovers, San Jose State has been able to give Boise State all that it could handle. Remember the first Fiesta Bowl year when it took a late touchdown, an amazing catch on a two-point conversion, and a field goal as time expired for the Broncos to leave with the W? That will not be the case this year. This is a different Spartan team and a different Bronco team. They have gone in opposite directions. Coach Mike MacIntyre is in his first year as head coach and it has been rough. The Spartans have been decimated by injuries and rank dead freaking last in the nation in points scored per game. They average 10.3 a game. That is not enough to beat anybody. Quarterback Jordan LaSecla has played poorly and it is possible that MacIntyre may start looking for something different at that spot. At the same time the defense gives up almost 32 in each contest. Kellen Moore and his offensive line are unstoppable. They have only given up one sack and are reading and picking up blitzes perfectly. Plus Moore has gotten really proficient at disguising plays and who actually has the ball. As new wrinkles are added weekly (i.e. the “Wild Avery” that netted three touchdowns last week), the Boise State offense is nearly impossible to stop. On the other side of the ball, I contend that there is not a better starting front four in the nation than Baker, Winterswyk, McClellin, and Winn. They are ferocious and are racking up sacks and tackles for loss week in and week out. The one weakness of the defense has been the secondary. Kyle Wilson played a huge role that has not been completely filled yet. Still, they will get better as the season speeds ahead. Basically what I am saying is that San Jose State stands absolutely no chance of beating the third ranked Broncos. This will be a different game than it has been at Spartan Stadium in years past. It will get ugly fast and crescendo into a lopsided score-fest in favor of Boise State only paralleled by the events of two weeks ago in Las Cruces. It may even eclipse that. There is just too much fire power for the boys from Boise and not enough talent, wit, smarts, desire, or attitude to counter. The Broncos could play the worst game of their lives and it wouldn’t matter. I would be surprised if Boise State is not ahead by at least 21 points after the first quarter. It’s too bad San Jose State is having a down year; the WAC desperately needs quality competition. It won’t get it from the Spartans.
Prediction: Broncos 55, Spartans 7
Bonus Picks:
Thursday, October 14 at 5:30 PM
4-1 (1-1 Big 12)
at
2-3 (0-1 Big 12)
The Wildcats are coming off of a disappointing loss at home to Nebraska. Not only did they lose, they barely fielded a competitive team out there, getting pummeled 48-13. It was surprising because it counted for their first loss of the season. For the Kansas State offense, they don’t pass the ball very well with Carson Coffman at quarterback. Running back Daniel Thomas is the bulk of their offense, having scored 6 touchdowns already. Kansas has appeared in my weekend picks before when they smoked New Mexico State 42-16. But the Jayhawks have been very up and down this year. Baylor owned them last weekend in Waco, but yet they beat a ranked Georgia Tech team early on in the season. There are problems all around. They can’t pass, run, or defend very well. Even though this game is at home, I don’t think Kansas has what it takes to pull off the upset over an angry Kansas State squad.
Prediction: Wildcats 28, Jayhawks 20
Saturday, October 16 at 1:30 PM
4-1 (1-1 SEC)
at
6-0 (3-0 SEC)
Arkansas comes into this game having only lost once to the former number one team in the nation Alabama. They threw the game away with some ugly late interceptions. Still, quarterback Ryan Mallett is one of the top players in the nation and can do some damage with a group of great wide receivers. The offensive fault is their run game, which has not been very well thus far. Defensively, they rank 13th in the nation only giving up 15 points a game. They will have to be at their very best to win this contest. Auburn’s quarterback Cam Newton is well on his way to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. He probably won’t win it, but he will have earned it by his great play this season. His offense scores almost 37 points a game and is relentless. However, the Tigers’ defense has not been on par. Giving up 22 points a game will catch up to you eventually in the tough SEC. I think that this is the game that it happens. Still, why do I get the feeling that I am guessing this one totally wrong? Let's hope my upset special mojo is still alive!
Upset Special!
Prediction: Razorbacks 24, Tigers 21
Record coming into this weekend: 22-7
Make sure you come back tomorrow and catch my player to watch for Boise State’s game against the San Jose State Spartans!
Monday, October 11, 2010
WAC Weekend Recap, Week 6
There were some good games to watch this weekend in the WAC. Also, I have successfully picked the upset special two weeks in a row. Although, I will admit that this week's decision of choosing South Carolina over Alabama was due to purely selfish reasons. If Alabama loses then Boise State moves back up in the polls. Ask and ye shall receive baby! Let's get started with reviewing this weekend's action.
Utah State Aggies at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
My prediction was Aggies win 28 to 24
Final score: Bulldogs 24, Aggies 6
Alright, fine Utah State! I give up! You guys are killing me! Two weeks in a row I have picked the opposite of what went down on the field. Enough with the Jekyll and Hyde garbage. Will you just play consistent please? You would make my life a lot easier. After owning the BYU Cougars at home in week 5, Utah State laid a complete egg on the road at Louisiana Tech. This game wasn't even close. 197 yards of total offense, 5 of 15 on third down conversions, and only 13 first downs is not going to get it done Aggies. LA Tech isn't even that good. Sigh...They did, however, look like the better team as QB Ross Jenkins threw for 149 yards and a score. Even more impressive was the running gain. LA Tech amassed 278 yards on the ground, led by Lennon Creer who gained 120 himself. Next week the Bulldogs host the Idaho Vandals and the Aggies have the week off (Good, it will give them time to think about what they are doing to me!).
New Mexico Lobos at New Mexico State Aggies
My prediction was Aggies win 24 to 17
Final score: Aggies 16, Lobos 14
In what must of been a complete waste of time to even consider watching, the New Mexico State Aggies claimed their first victory of the season. Both these teams are so bad and now have a combined record of 1-10. The Lobos actually outgained the Aggies in total yardage 274 to 206, but it was their 5 turnovers that did them in, one of which was a fumble recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. It makes sense that the offenses wouldn't be able to get it done. The winning score was a late 22 yard field goal by New Mexico State's Tyler Stampler with 1:56 left on the clock. I'm sure Stampler was mauled and dogpiled on by his teammates in celebration. At the same time, the citizens of Las Cruces peed themselves out of sheer excitement and surprise and then proceeded to drink themselves silly throughout the victorious night. The Lobos will host San Diego State in two weeks. In the meantime, they will lick their wounds and not go into public for fear of being tarred and feathered. The Aggies travel to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs next weekend.
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors at Fresno State Bulldogs
My prediction was Bulldogs win 45 to 38
Final score: Rainbow Warriors 49, Bulldogs 27
What the heck happened? Suddenly Hawai'i is hearkening back to the days of Timmy Chang or Colt Brennan. They outgained and outplayed the Bulldogs in every aspect of the game. Bryant Moniz threw for only 376 yards this time, a step down from his 532 against Louisiana Tech last week. The Rainbow Warriors did only amass 96 yards rushing, and I don't even know how or why they got that many. Just throw the ball, that's all you're good at anyway. The Bulldog secondary could not control Greg Salas and his friends at wide receiver. 3 turnovers were too much for Fresno State to overcome, even with QB Ryan Colburn throwing for 258 yards. He accounted for the 3 turnovers, all of them interceptions. It seems like it was an off night for Fresno, and it was a bad moment to have one of those. At the same time, Hawai'i is turning into a pretty scary team. Boise State better have their secondary in tip-top form when the Rainbow Warriors come into town. Next week, Hawai'i will host a dangerous Nevada Wolfpack squad and Fresno State will look to rebound at home against the New Mexico State Aggies.
San Jose State Spartans at Nevada Wolfpack
My prediction was the Wolfpack wins 52 to 14
Final score: Wolfpack 35, Spartans 13
Nevada mailed this one in for sure. There is absolutely no way they shouldn't have dropped at least 50 on a really bad San Jose State team. This game was really close at halftime at 21-13. Somehow San Jose State was able to gain 372 yards total, 194 through the air and 178 rushing. They did have 3 turnovers, however, 2 interceptions and 1 lost fumble. The Spartans did not play particularly well, but were able to keep the game close throughout. Nevada running back Vai Taua was a beast (like always)! He rushed for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. Just another typical night for Mr. Taua. The Wolfpack is much better than they played Saturday night. It seems like they took the night off. They will need to regroup and play much better next week at Hawai'i in order to avoid a devastating loss. Do not expect Nevada to play this poorly when Boise State goes into Reno in November. For their next game, the San Jose State Spartans host the Broncos on Saturday in northern California. Can anyone say slaughter!?
Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks
UPSET SPECIAL FULFILLED!!!!
My prediction was Gamecocks win 21 to 17
Final score: Gamecocks 35, Crimson Tide 21
Bronco Chase's upset special strikes again! Two weeks in a row now as a matter of fact. I did, however, underestimate how good of a team South Carolina was. They dominated in many ways and were able to control the game from the beginning. In fact, coming into this contest, the most points that Alabama had given up this season was 20. It is now 35. Embattled Gamecock quarterback Stephen Garcia had a great night and threw for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns. Like I said, my reasons for picking this upset was so that Boise State could move back up in the polls. Well they did and the Crimson Tide fell back to 8th. Next week Alabama hosts Ole' Miss and South Carolina travels to take on the Kentucky Wildcats. I would be scared if I were Ole' Miss. Alabama has a lot of anger to take out.
Previous week's total: 18-5
This week (including Boise State's win over Toledo):4-2
Overall: 22-7
The Broncos have moved back up to number 3 in the nation in both the AP poll and the USA Today poll (see it for yourself here on espn.com). They received 8 first place votes in the AP and even better, 1 in the USA Today. This marks the first time that Boise State has gotten a first place vote from USA Today. Yeah baby! Even more exciting, the BCS rankings come out next Sunday and as of yesterday, it is projected that Boise State will be number 1! That is awesome, but do not expect it to last. I think that as the weeks go by and the Broncos continue to play the weakest part of their schedule, their point total that is spit out by the BCS computers will get lower and they will get passed by other schools. As long as they continue to win, they should be number 3 or 4 by season's end. But if combinations of teams like Oregon, Ohio State, TCU, Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, and/or Nebraska lose, Boise State will be looking really good and should retain the 1st or 2nd ranking. I still remain convinced that chaos needs to happen in the BCS conferences and the "right" teams need to lose in order for them to get into the National Championship game. With that said, being ranked number 1 to start it out will help a lot as they work towards their final goal of a at least a BCS Bowl game.
Keep checking back in to see what else Bronco Chase has to share! There is always something that strikes me as interesting and I always blog about it.
This is a pretty cool drawing of Bronco Stadium. Enjoy!
Utah State Aggies at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
My prediction was Aggies win 28 to 24
Final score: Bulldogs 24, Aggies 6
Alright, fine Utah State! I give up! You guys are killing me! Two weeks in a row I have picked the opposite of what went down on the field. Enough with the Jekyll and Hyde garbage. Will you just play consistent please? You would make my life a lot easier. After owning the BYU Cougars at home in week 5, Utah State laid a complete egg on the road at Louisiana Tech. This game wasn't even close. 197 yards of total offense, 5 of 15 on third down conversions, and only 13 first downs is not going to get it done Aggies. LA Tech isn't even that good. Sigh...They did, however, look like the better team as QB Ross Jenkins threw for 149 yards and a score. Even more impressive was the running gain. LA Tech amassed 278 yards on the ground, led by Lennon Creer who gained 120 himself. Next week the Bulldogs host the Idaho Vandals and the Aggies have the week off (Good, it will give them time to think about what they are doing to me!).
New Mexico Lobos at New Mexico State Aggies
My prediction was Aggies win 24 to 17
Final score: Aggies 16, Lobos 14
In what must of been a complete waste of time to even consider watching, the New Mexico State Aggies claimed their first victory of the season. Both these teams are so bad and now have a combined record of 1-10. The Lobos actually outgained the Aggies in total yardage 274 to 206, but it was their 5 turnovers that did them in, one of which was a fumble recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. It makes sense that the offenses wouldn't be able to get it done. The winning score was a late 22 yard field goal by New Mexico State's Tyler Stampler with 1:56 left on the clock. I'm sure Stampler was mauled and dogpiled on by his teammates in celebration. At the same time, the citizens of Las Cruces peed themselves out of sheer excitement and surprise and then proceeded to drink themselves silly throughout the victorious night. The Lobos will host San Diego State in two weeks. In the meantime, they will lick their wounds and not go into public for fear of being tarred and feathered. The Aggies travel to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs next weekend.
Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors at Fresno State Bulldogs
My prediction was Bulldogs win 45 to 38
Final score: Rainbow Warriors 49, Bulldogs 27
What the heck happened? Suddenly Hawai'i is hearkening back to the days of Timmy Chang or Colt Brennan. They outgained and outplayed the Bulldogs in every aspect of the game. Bryant Moniz threw for only 376 yards this time, a step down from his 532 against Louisiana Tech last week. The Rainbow Warriors did only amass 96 yards rushing, and I don't even know how or why they got that many. Just throw the ball, that's all you're good at anyway. The Bulldog secondary could not control Greg Salas and his friends at wide receiver. 3 turnovers were too much for Fresno State to overcome, even with QB Ryan Colburn throwing for 258 yards. He accounted for the 3 turnovers, all of them interceptions. It seems like it was an off night for Fresno, and it was a bad moment to have one of those. At the same time, Hawai'i is turning into a pretty scary team. Boise State better have their secondary in tip-top form when the Rainbow Warriors come into town. Next week, Hawai'i will host a dangerous Nevada Wolfpack squad and Fresno State will look to rebound at home against the New Mexico State Aggies.
San Jose State Spartans at Nevada Wolfpack
My prediction was the Wolfpack wins 52 to 14
Final score: Wolfpack 35, Spartans 13
Nevada mailed this one in for sure. There is absolutely no way they shouldn't have dropped at least 50 on a really bad San Jose State team. This game was really close at halftime at 21-13. Somehow San Jose State was able to gain 372 yards total, 194 through the air and 178 rushing. They did have 3 turnovers, however, 2 interceptions and 1 lost fumble. The Spartans did not play particularly well, but were able to keep the game close throughout. Nevada running back Vai Taua was a beast (like always)! He rushed for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns. Just another typical night for Mr. Taua. The Wolfpack is much better than they played Saturday night. It seems like they took the night off. They will need to regroup and play much better next week at Hawai'i in order to avoid a devastating loss. Do not expect Nevada to play this poorly when Boise State goes into Reno in November. For their next game, the San Jose State Spartans host the Broncos on Saturday in northern California. Can anyone say slaughter!?
Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks
UPSET SPECIAL FULFILLED!!!!
My prediction was Gamecocks win 21 to 17
Final score: Gamecocks 35, Crimson Tide 21
Bronco Chase's upset special strikes again! Two weeks in a row now as a matter of fact. I did, however, underestimate how good of a team South Carolina was. They dominated in many ways and were able to control the game from the beginning. In fact, coming into this contest, the most points that Alabama had given up this season was 20. It is now 35. Embattled Gamecock quarterback Stephen Garcia had a great night and threw for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns. Like I said, my reasons for picking this upset was so that Boise State could move back up in the polls. Well they did and the Crimson Tide fell back to 8th. Next week Alabama hosts Ole' Miss and South Carolina travels to take on the Kentucky Wildcats. I would be scared if I were Ole' Miss. Alabama has a lot of anger to take out.
Previous week's total: 18-5
This week (including Boise State's win over Toledo):4-2
Overall: 22-7
The Broncos have moved back up to number 3 in the nation in both the AP poll and the USA Today poll (see it for yourself here on espn.com). They received 8 first place votes in the AP and even better, 1 in the USA Today. This marks the first time that Boise State has gotten a first place vote from USA Today. Yeah baby! Even more exciting, the BCS rankings come out next Sunday and as of yesterday, it is projected that Boise State will be number 1! That is awesome, but do not expect it to last. I think that as the weeks go by and the Broncos continue to play the weakest part of their schedule, their point total that is spit out by the BCS computers will get lower and they will get passed by other schools. As long as they continue to win, they should be number 3 or 4 by season's end. But if combinations of teams like Oregon, Ohio State, TCU, Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, and/or Nebraska lose, Boise State will be looking really good and should retain the 1st or 2nd ranking. I still remain convinced that chaos needs to happen in the BCS conferences and the "right" teams need to lose in order for them to get into the National Championship game. With that said, being ranked number 1 to start it out will help a lot as they work towards their final goal of a at least a BCS Bowl game.
Keep checking back in to see what else Bronco Chase has to share! There is always something that strikes me as interesting and I always blog about it.
This is a pretty cool drawing of Bronco Stadium. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Weekend Picks, 4th Edition (6th Weekend of the Season)
Here we go again! I definitely think that this weekend has some better games and match ups than last week had. The most exciting of which should be Hawai'i at Fresno State. The most intriguing will be Utah State at Louisiana Tech. On the other side of things, New Mexico plays at New Mexico State in what will for sure be a complete snooze fest of teams that refuse to play anything close to competitive football. The best part of the weekend, in my humble opinion, is that Idaho has a bye. So I don't have to look at their ugly golden "I" logo as I upload it into the post. Anyway, let's get to it and see what we have on the docket!
Saturday, October 9 at 2 PM
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The Aggies took it to an underwhelming BYU team last weekend and dominated every aspect of the game. This is what we expected from Utah State from the beginning. Diondre Borel looks like he is hitting his stride just in time to start conference play. Utah State's offensive and defensive numbers are still middle of the pack nationally, but they seem to be picking up momentum and could push for some upper-tier stats come season end. On the other hand, Louisiana Tech is even worse when it comes to offensive and defensive output, and without question are having a down year. It looks like the Bulldogs have settled with Colby Cameron as their starting quarterback (for now) and he is way behind the yardage pace compared to most quarterbacks nationally. On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs cannot stop anybody. In fact they are saved from being in last place in the WAC thanks to an even worse New Mexico State team. However, LA Tech does play tough at home. I hate picking Utah State to lose because of the performance they put on last Friday...Nope. Sorry, I can't do it.
Prediction: Aggies 28, Bulldogs 24
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
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It is an understatement to say that the status of Division-1 football in the state of New Mexico is nothing short of sliver-under-the-nail-because-of-scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel-so-hard horrible. The Lobos are 0-5 and the Aggies are 0-4. The difference is New Mexico can actually score some points every now and then. Last week they lost at home to UTEP 38 to 20. Then again, they rank almost dead last in every offensive and defensive category. QB Tarean Austin plays as ugly as his name is. The Aggies are no better as far as stats and numbers go, but they are giving up less points per game (46 to 52.6). My head is spinning just thinking about how bad I want to avoid watching this contest! Tanner Rust will be the starting QB due to a Matt Christian shoulder injury he sustained against Boise State last week. New Mexico State is favored by 3 points, and I have no idea how they decided that or who to choose as the winner. I think I will go with the home team as the WAC takes another decisive victory over the Mountain West (laughs out loud as he types)!
Prediction: Aggies 24, Lobos 17
Saturday, October 9 at 10 PM
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Fresno State comes off a disappointing win over FBS neighbor Cal Poly. They still got the "W," but it was not as dominating as it should have been. We'll call it a hangover from the physically tough loss at Ole' Miss the weekend before. Looking at their numbers this year, I can't help but think of how the Bulldogs are constantly winning, putting up great stats, and always making it close to the top of the college football world, but they can't quite push themselves up. Maybe the move to the Mountain West will help. At the same time the Rainbow Warriors blow my mind. They put up gaudy offensive numbers year in and year out, but with the exception of the 2007 season, cannot do diddly squat on defense. Pizza delivery boy turned quarterback Bryant Moniz threw for 532 yards and 4 touchdowns last week, which is good, but it was especially important because the defense gave up 21 points to a crappy Louisiana Tech offensive unit. Mind sufficiently blown. It will not be as easy for Moniz this week against a respectable Bulldog secondary. Fresno State is favored by 11.5 in this one. It should be a little bit closer than that.
Prediction: Bulldogs 45, Rainbow Warriors 38
Saturday, October 9 at 8:30 PM
at
"Like a lamb to the slaughter..." That is how the Spartans have to be feeling right now. After blowing a 13-0 lead at halftime last week at home to FBS mainstay UC Davis and losing 14-13, they have to be completely demoralized. As they travel to Reno, their eyes must be wide and filled with the poisonous dread of their impending doom. Remember the good ol' days when San Jose State was a pretty formidable opponent, especially at home? That was back when Dick Tomey was the head coach and not making peoples' ears bleed from having to listen to him on the WAC Sports Network. They rank dead last in points scored per game at 9.8. The Wolfpack are rolling as QB Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick is thrust into national recognition. There is even a story on him on si.com. It's actually pretty cool. Check it out. Anyway, this will be nothing short of a bloodbath. Enough said.
Prediction: Wolfpack 52, Spartans 14
The moment you have all been patiently been waiting for!!!!!
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
at
I must admit that I do not know very much about Toledo. Boise State doesn't either as this will be the first meeting between the two schools. They don't even really recruit the same kids. Here is what I have gathered about the Rockets; they are 3-0 on the road, but 0-2 at home. Their most impressive win was at Purdue, a Big 10 team (winning on the road against a BCS school is a difficult thing to do, regardless of how bad said BCS is perceived to be. Ask Fresno State how the Ole' Miss game went for them). However, last week they lost 20-15 to Wyoming at home. They have a freak athlete at wide receiver named Eric Page, who was a freshman All-American last season and is on pace to score a lot of touchdowns this year. They also have a tackling machine at linebacker named Archie Donald. Actually, he also has 2 interceptions to go along with the 52 tackles that he has amounted so far. Their mascot is the Rockets. That is it. According to si.com, they score an average of 21 points a game and give up 23.6. I can say that the Toledo rockets are not the New Mew Mexico State Aggies. What I mean is they will put up a fight a lot more than NMSU did. QB Austin Dantin had been the starter but was benched last week against Wyoming for freshman Terrance Owens. Either way expect the Rockets to find ways to get the ball into the hands of play maker Eric Page. The Broncos will not be able to rush the ball as easily as last week with Donald lurking behind the defensive line. Like normal, expect them to set up the run with the pass, run it a bunch, and then go deep off of some play action looks. They will however, find their wide receivers open plenty of times in Toledo's 103rd ranked pass defense. Boise State will need to force some turnovers and capitalize off of them in order to win in the way that they are expected to. I am looking for/hoping that interceptions become plentiful for the Broncos. As long as Coach Pete continues to prepare himself and his players the same way he always does, this should be a convincing victory for Boise State.
Prediction: Broncos 45, Rockets 12
Overall record: 18-5
Bonus pick:
Saturday, October 9 at 1:30 PM
at
I won't say much other than this is a trap game for Alabama. After a physical contest against Florida last week, the Crimson Tide is at its most vulnerable and has to travel to Columbia to take on a ranked Gamecock squad. I know that Alabama looks unbeatable, but the SEC is tough week in and week out. I do not think that they will play as well as they have been so far this season, and South Carolina will hope to take advantage of that. If the Gamecocks play the game of their lives, capitalize off of Crimson Tide mistakes, and don't make any of their own, they can win this game. I feel like I'm going out on a limb here a little bit, but the circumstances are right for the top ranked team to take a dive.
Upset Special!
Prediction: Gamecocks 21, Crimson Tide 17
That is it for this week! Make sure you come back tomorrow and see who I choose as my Weekly Player to Watch!
Saturday, October 9 at 2 PM
at
The Aggies took it to an underwhelming BYU team last weekend and dominated every aspect of the game. This is what we expected from Utah State from the beginning. Diondre Borel looks like he is hitting his stride just in time to start conference play. Utah State's offensive and defensive numbers are still middle of the pack nationally, but they seem to be picking up momentum and could push for some upper-tier stats come season end. On the other hand, Louisiana Tech is even worse when it comes to offensive and defensive output, and without question are having a down year. It looks like the Bulldogs have settled with Colby Cameron as their starting quarterback (for now) and he is way behind the yardage pace compared to most quarterbacks nationally. On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs cannot stop anybody. In fact they are saved from being in last place in the WAC thanks to an even worse New Mexico State team. However, LA Tech does play tough at home. I hate picking Utah State to lose because of the performance they put on last Friday...Nope. Sorry, I can't do it.
Prediction: Aggies 28, Bulldogs 24
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
at
It is an understatement to say that the status of Division-1 football in the state of New Mexico is nothing short of sliver-under-the-nail-because-of-scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel-so-hard horrible. The Lobos are 0-5 and the Aggies are 0-4. The difference is New Mexico can actually score some points every now and then. Last week they lost at home to UTEP 38 to 20. Then again, they rank almost dead last in every offensive and defensive category. QB Tarean Austin plays as ugly as his name is. The Aggies are no better as far as stats and numbers go, but they are giving up less points per game (46 to 52.6). My head is spinning just thinking about how bad I want to avoid watching this contest! Tanner Rust will be the starting QB due to a Matt Christian shoulder injury he sustained against Boise State last week. New Mexico State is favored by 3 points, and I have no idea how they decided that or who to choose as the winner. I think I will go with the home team as the WAC takes another decisive victory over the Mountain West (laughs out loud as he types)!
Prediction: Aggies 24, Lobos 17
Saturday, October 9 at 10 PM
at
Fresno State comes off a disappointing win over FBS neighbor Cal Poly. They still got the "W," but it was not as dominating as it should have been. We'll call it a hangover from the physically tough loss at Ole' Miss the weekend before. Looking at their numbers this year, I can't help but think of how the Bulldogs are constantly winning, putting up great stats, and always making it close to the top of the college football world, but they can't quite push themselves up. Maybe the move to the Mountain West will help. At the same time the Rainbow Warriors blow my mind. They put up gaudy offensive numbers year in and year out, but with the exception of the 2007 season, cannot do diddly squat on defense. Pizza delivery boy turned quarterback Bryant Moniz threw for 532 yards and 4 touchdowns last week, which is good, but it was especially important because the defense gave up 21 points to a crappy Louisiana Tech offensive unit. Mind sufficiently blown. It will not be as easy for Moniz this week against a respectable Bulldog secondary. Fresno State is favored by 11.5 in this one. It should be a little bit closer than that.
Prediction: Bulldogs 45, Rainbow Warriors 38
Saturday, October 9 at 8:30 PM
at
"Like a lamb to the slaughter..." That is how the Spartans have to be feeling right now. After blowing a 13-0 lead at halftime last week at home to FBS mainstay UC Davis and losing 14-13, they have to be completely demoralized. As they travel to Reno, their eyes must be wide and filled with the poisonous dread of their impending doom. Remember the good ol' days when San Jose State was a pretty formidable opponent, especially at home? That was back when Dick Tomey was the head coach and not making peoples' ears bleed from having to listen to him on the WAC Sports Network. They rank dead last in points scored per game at 9.8. The Wolfpack are rolling as QB Colin "Bird Leg" Kaepernick is thrust into national recognition. There is even a story on him on si.com. It's actually pretty cool. Check it out. Anyway, this will be nothing short of a bloodbath. Enough said.
Prediction: Wolfpack 52, Spartans 14
The moment you have all been patiently been waiting for!!!!!
Saturday, October 9 at 6 PM
at
I must admit that I do not know very much about Toledo. Boise State doesn't either as this will be the first meeting between the two schools. They don't even really recruit the same kids. Here is what I have gathered about the Rockets; they are 3-0 on the road, but 0-2 at home. Their most impressive win was at Purdue, a Big 10 team (winning on the road against a BCS school is a difficult thing to do, regardless of how bad said BCS is perceived to be. Ask Fresno State how the Ole' Miss game went for them). However, last week they lost 20-15 to Wyoming at home. They have a freak athlete at wide receiver named Eric Page, who was a freshman All-American last season and is on pace to score a lot of touchdowns this year. They also have a tackling machine at linebacker named Archie Donald. Actually, he also has 2 interceptions to go along with the 52 tackles that he has amounted so far. Their mascot is the Rockets. That is it. According to si.com, they score an average of 21 points a game and give up 23.6. I can say that the Toledo rockets are not the New Mew Mexico State Aggies. What I mean is they will put up a fight a lot more than NMSU did. QB Austin Dantin had been the starter but was benched last week against Wyoming for freshman Terrance Owens. Either way expect the Rockets to find ways to get the ball into the hands of play maker Eric Page. The Broncos will not be able to rush the ball as easily as last week with Donald lurking behind the defensive line. Like normal, expect them to set up the run with the pass, run it a bunch, and then go deep off of some play action looks. They will however, find their wide receivers open plenty of times in Toledo's 103rd ranked pass defense. Boise State will need to force some turnovers and capitalize off of them in order to win in the way that they are expected to. I am looking for/hoping that interceptions become plentiful for the Broncos. As long as Coach Pete continues to prepare himself and his players the same way he always does, this should be a convincing victory for Boise State.
Prediction: Broncos 45, Rockets 12
Overall record: 18-5
Bonus pick:
Saturday, October 9 at 1:30 PM
at
I won't say much other than this is a trap game for Alabama. After a physical contest against Florida last week, the Crimson Tide is at its most vulnerable and has to travel to Columbia to take on a ranked Gamecock squad. I know that Alabama looks unbeatable, but the SEC is tough week in and week out. I do not think that they will play as well as they have been so far this season, and South Carolina will hope to take advantage of that. If the Gamecocks play the game of their lives, capitalize off of Crimson Tide mistakes, and don't make any of their own, they can win this game. I feel like I'm going out on a limb here a little bit, but the circumstances are right for the top ranked team to take a dive.
Upset Special!
Prediction: Gamecocks 21, Crimson Tide 17
That is it for this week! Make sure you come back tomorrow and see who I choose as my Weekly Player to Watch!
Monday, October 4, 2010
WAC Weekend Recap, Week 5
Despite there not being any marquee or terribly exciting match ups over the weekend in the Western Athletic Conference, it was still a great Saturday of football in other areas of the country. The Oregon vs. Stanford competition was a lot of fun to watch. Did anybody catch the helmet to helmet hit in that game that knocked one of Stanford's best receivers out of the game? There is zero talk going on about that, but I will have a post and some commentary on it tomorrow. Anyway, let's get started on recapping the WAC football action!
BYU Cougars at Utah State Aggies
My prediction was Cougars win 28 to 21
Final score: Aggies 31, Cougars 16
Boy was I wrong on this one. It seems that the Cougars are very schizophrenic on defense. They played pretty well on the road against Florida State, but then laid a complete egg up in Logan. Because of that and after a 1-4 start, BYU has fired their defensive coordinator. I'm not sure how much that is going to help, but we will see. I wonder if ESPN is looking at the fine print of the contract they signed to broadcast all of BYU's home games as an independent. It sure does not look good in Provo this year. Lots of dropped passes, and plenty of bad defense equals the first losing season in a long time. On the other side, Utah State is playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well. They played very well and got the win at home. Diondre Borel continues to play well and will be another duel threat for the WAC to contend with. Call him Colin Keapernick's mini-me. Next week the Aggies travel to Louisiana Tech to take on the Bulldogs.
Idaho Vandals at Western Michigan Broncos
My prediction was Broncos win 35 to 32
Final score: Vandals 33, Broncos 13
This is another one that I picked wrong. Idaho had not played well on the road at all, but they pulled it together and left Kalamazoo with the win, although it was close and very much in doubt up until late in the game. The main problem for Western Michigan was they couldn't run the ball at all. That made them one-dimensional and QB Alex Carder had to try and do it all on his own. It did not work. There were plenty of turnovers by the Broncos, and a couple came late in the game that led to Idaho scoring and putting it out of reach. The Vandals were plagued by their own turnovers as quarterback Nathan Enderle continued to throw the ball to the other team. He now has 9 interceptions to only 10 touchdowns. But the Vandal defense came alive, forced some turnovers and a lot of bad plays, and held the Broncos to 13 points. Idaho is now 3-2 and has some games in the future that they should be favored in. They are looking to get bowl eligible and will continue that quest after a bye week at Louisiana Tech on October 16.
UC Davis Aggies at San Jose Spartans
My prediction was Aggies win in an upset special 21 to 18
Final score: Aggies 14, Spartans 13
I kind of felt like I was going out on a limb picking this game as my upset special. I nailed it, I guess! It didn't look good for a while as San Jose State was up 13-0 at the half. But QB Randy Wright rallied his UC Davis squad and they came out on fire in the second half! The numbers were not very good for either squad, but Wright did throw a touchdown pass and gain 223 yards through the air. That was the difference. Wright threw a TD and Spartan QB Jordan La Secla threw an interception. The Spartans continue to play completely underwhelming and are actually a late touchdown score away from being 0-4. Needless to say, San Jose State has a long season ahead of them in which I don't see them winning any more games. Well, maybe one if they get lucky.
Cal Poly Mustangs at Fresno State Bulldogs
My prediction was Bulldogs win 42 to 17
Final score: Bulldogs 38, Mustangs 17
Dang I was nearly perfect getting this one right! The Bulldogs were very dominant in every category. The held the Mustangs to only 18 yards passing. That is unheard of. However, they did give up 203 on the ground. That is a concern for coach Pat Hill, as well as the 3 turnovers they had while forcing 0 to Cal Poly. I don't know very much about the Mustangs other than they run the ball a lot and can't pass worth crap. Fresno was supposed to win this game and they did. Now they welcome the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors and hope to continue building on their 3-1 record.
Nevada Wolfpack at UNLV Runnin' Rebels
My prediction was Wolfpack win 45 to 20
Final score: Wolfpack 44, Runnin' Rebels 26
UNLV scored more points than I think they should have. I am not sure if that means that Nevada is the same ol' defense that can't stop anybody, or if UNLV's offense has improved greatly since getting smoked at Idaho. The answer is yes, plus they were playing at home. They were able to force 3 turnovers from the Wolfpack, but could only muster 294 yards of offense, 214 of which came through the air, which is definitely Nevada's weakness. On the other hand, the Wolfpack did what it normally does, eating up yardage on the ground at 374 total for the game. Running back Vai Taua had a huge game going for 188 yards on 19 carries. "Bird Leg" Kaepernick still can't throw the ball very ball, but did go 13 for 17 for 124 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The match up in Reno against Boise State is looking very exciting as each week goes by. Nevada has moved up a little bit in the polls and will host the terrible San Jose State Spartans next week.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors
My prediction was Rainbow Warriors win 41 to 24
Final score: Rainbow Warriors 41, Bulldogs 21
Holy freak I am good at guessing the final scores! This game went exactly as I thought it was going to. The Bulldogs cannot play defense at all, especially on the road. They have serious problems finding out who is going to play quarterback long term, but Ross Jenkins did go 19 for 26, 215 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The ground game was decent, but not good enough. On the other hand, Hawai'i quarterback Bryant Moniz threw 4 touchdowns and went 42 for 58. What is absolutely amazing is that he threw for 532 yards! LA Tech does suck! I can guess what Boise State will be doing when the Bulldogs come into Bronco Stadium on October 26, lots of Titus Young and Austin Pettis. Next week Hawai'i goes to Fresno and Louisiana Tech heads back home to host Utah State.
Previous weeks' total: 14-3
This week (including Boise State's win): 4-2
Overall: 18-5
With Oregon jumping Boise State in both polls this week, it makes me think of the lower-tier teams in the WAC. San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State are serious eye sores for the rest of the country to look at. San Jose State losing at home to an FCS school is not good. In no way do the rest of the Broncos' opponents help them with their strength of schedule, except for Nevada and maybe Fresno State. All there is to do is continue to win and hope for two undefeated teams in Reno on November 26th. My guess is Oregon loses at least once either to USC, Arizona, or Oregon State. There is no need or reason to freak out right now and complain that the Broncos lost position in the polls. It was bound to happen knowing how many low caliber teams were on Boise State's schedule. Still, I didn't think it would happen this early. After all, Boise State has beaten two ranked teams to Oregon's one thus far. Regardless, the Broncos are in good position to get into a BCS Bowl. As I have been promoting from the beginning, a lot of chaos would need to go down for them to make it to the national championship game. Being ranked 3rd or 4th does not really matter at this point. Boise State fans, just keep cheering on the Broncos and the Wolfpack and everything will work out fine! Let's go Boise State (and Erin Andrews)!
BYU Cougars at Utah State Aggies
My prediction was Cougars win 28 to 21
Final score: Aggies 31, Cougars 16
Boy was I wrong on this one. It seems that the Cougars are very schizophrenic on defense. They played pretty well on the road against Florida State, but then laid a complete egg up in Logan. Because of that and after a 1-4 start, BYU has fired their defensive coordinator. I'm not sure how much that is going to help, but we will see. I wonder if ESPN is looking at the fine print of the contract they signed to broadcast all of BYU's home games as an independent. It sure does not look good in Provo this year. Lots of dropped passes, and plenty of bad defense equals the first losing season in a long time. On the other side, Utah State is playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well. They played very well and got the win at home. Diondre Borel continues to play well and will be another duel threat for the WAC to contend with. Call him Colin Keapernick's mini-me. Next week the Aggies travel to Louisiana Tech to take on the Bulldogs.
Idaho Vandals at Western Michigan Broncos
My prediction was Broncos win 35 to 32
Final score: Vandals 33, Broncos 13
This is another one that I picked wrong. Idaho had not played well on the road at all, but they pulled it together and left Kalamazoo with the win, although it was close and very much in doubt up until late in the game. The main problem for Western Michigan was they couldn't run the ball at all. That made them one-dimensional and QB Alex Carder had to try and do it all on his own. It did not work. There were plenty of turnovers by the Broncos, and a couple came late in the game that led to Idaho scoring and putting it out of reach. The Vandals were plagued by their own turnovers as quarterback Nathan Enderle continued to throw the ball to the other team. He now has 9 interceptions to only 10 touchdowns. But the Vandal defense came alive, forced some turnovers and a lot of bad plays, and held the Broncos to 13 points. Idaho is now 3-2 and has some games in the future that they should be favored in. They are looking to get bowl eligible and will continue that quest after a bye week at Louisiana Tech on October 16.
UC Davis Aggies at San Jose Spartans
My prediction was Aggies win in an upset special 21 to 18
Final score: Aggies 14, Spartans 13
I kind of felt like I was going out on a limb picking this game as my upset special. I nailed it, I guess! It didn't look good for a while as San Jose State was up 13-0 at the half. But QB Randy Wright rallied his UC Davis squad and they came out on fire in the second half! The numbers were not very good for either squad, but Wright did throw a touchdown pass and gain 223 yards through the air. That was the difference. Wright threw a TD and Spartan QB Jordan La Secla threw an interception. The Spartans continue to play completely underwhelming and are actually a late touchdown score away from being 0-4. Needless to say, San Jose State has a long season ahead of them in which I don't see them winning any more games. Well, maybe one if they get lucky.
Cal Poly Mustangs at Fresno State Bulldogs
My prediction was Bulldogs win 42 to 17
Final score: Bulldogs 38, Mustangs 17
Dang I was nearly perfect getting this one right! The Bulldogs were very dominant in every category. The held the Mustangs to only 18 yards passing. That is unheard of. However, they did give up 203 on the ground. That is a concern for coach Pat Hill, as well as the 3 turnovers they had while forcing 0 to Cal Poly. I don't know very much about the Mustangs other than they run the ball a lot and can't pass worth crap. Fresno was supposed to win this game and they did. Now they welcome the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors and hope to continue building on their 3-1 record.
Nevada Wolfpack at UNLV Runnin' Rebels
My prediction was Wolfpack win 45 to 20
Final score: Wolfpack 44, Runnin' Rebels 26
UNLV scored more points than I think they should have. I am not sure if that means that Nevada is the same ol' defense that can't stop anybody, or if UNLV's offense has improved greatly since getting smoked at Idaho. The answer is yes, plus they were playing at home. They were able to force 3 turnovers from the Wolfpack, but could only muster 294 yards of offense, 214 of which came through the air, which is definitely Nevada's weakness. On the other hand, the Wolfpack did what it normally does, eating up yardage on the ground at 374 total for the game. Running back Vai Taua had a huge game going for 188 yards on 19 carries. "Bird Leg" Kaepernick still can't throw the ball very ball, but did go 13 for 17 for 124 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The match up in Reno against Boise State is looking very exciting as each week goes by. Nevada has moved up a little bit in the polls and will host the terrible San Jose State Spartans next week.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors
My prediction was Rainbow Warriors win 41 to 24
Final score: Rainbow Warriors 41, Bulldogs 21
Holy freak I am good at guessing the final scores! This game went exactly as I thought it was going to. The Bulldogs cannot play defense at all, especially on the road. They have serious problems finding out who is going to play quarterback long term, but Ross Jenkins did go 19 for 26, 215 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The ground game was decent, but not good enough. On the other hand, Hawai'i quarterback Bryant Moniz threw 4 touchdowns and went 42 for 58. What is absolutely amazing is that he threw for 532 yards! LA Tech does suck! I can guess what Boise State will be doing when the Bulldogs come into Bronco Stadium on October 26, lots of Titus Young and Austin Pettis. Next week Hawai'i goes to Fresno and Louisiana Tech heads back home to host Utah State.
Previous weeks' total: 14-3
This week (including Boise State's win): 4-2
Overall: 18-5
With Oregon jumping Boise State in both polls this week, it makes me think of the lower-tier teams in the WAC. San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State are serious eye sores for the rest of the country to look at. San Jose State losing at home to an FCS school is not good. In no way do the rest of the Broncos' opponents help them with their strength of schedule, except for Nevada and maybe Fresno State. All there is to do is continue to win and hope for two undefeated teams in Reno on November 26th. My guess is Oregon loses at least once either to USC, Arizona, or Oregon State. There is no need or reason to freak out right now and complain that the Broncos lost position in the polls. It was bound to happen knowing how many low caliber teams were on Boise State's schedule. Still, I didn't think it would happen this early. After all, Boise State has beaten two ranked teams to Oregon's one thus far. Regardless, the Broncos are in good position to get into a BCS Bowl. As I have been promoting from the beginning, a lot of chaos would need to go down for them to make it to the national championship game. Being ranked 3rd or 4th does not really matter at this point. Boise State fans, just keep cheering on the Broncos and the Wolfpack and everything will work out fine! Let's go Boise State (and Erin Andrews)!
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