Muscle Hamster

As mentioned in my previous post, the clueless commentators for CBS College Sports referred to Boise State Bronco running back Doug Martin as a muscle hamster. I still don't know what that is, but I may have a lead:



They were really bad. In fact, they sucked. It's too bad because one of them, Craig Bolerjack, is the voice of the Utah Jazz, which happens to be my favorite NBA team. *sigh* Do I have to start liking the Lakers? Nope, I can't do it. Anyway, enjoy the muscle hamster, who's popularity is growing rapidly.

Blow Out!

Real quick: I hope you all like the new lay out and look of the blog! I have spent a lot of time crafting it into what I want! It is still a work in progress, but it is getting there. Enjoy!

The Boise State Broncos have done it again! But this time it was as convincing as ever. The Broncos completely dismantled the Wyoming Cowboys for a 51-6 victory in Laramie, Wyoming, and trust me, it wasn't that close. Let's start with some raw numbers and go from there.

Yardage:

Boise State..........Wyoming
Rushing-275...........-21
Passing-373...........156
Total-648..............135

First Downs:

Boise State..........Wyoming
32..........................7

Sacks on opposing quarterback:

Boise State..........Wyoming
10...........................2

As mentioned before, Wyoming has not been very good in the rushing game thus far this season. Still, the Broncos holding them to -21 yards is pretty impressive. A lot of that was due to the 10 sacks the Boise State threw down on QB Austyn Carta-Samuels. He was literally crapping his already brown pants in the backfield from the moment that snap flew past his head and into the end zone. Also, look at the differential in the total yards gained and first downs earned. This was a complete domination for Boise State in every aspect of the game. Kellen Moore was lighting up the Cowboys all night long with deep passes. When Wyoming started getting a little bit of a feel for that, Doug Martin and DJ Harper gashed them for huge gains. Great game to watch as a Boise State fan. Remember, this was the first home game for the Cowboys since freshman linebacker Ruben Narcisse dies in a car accident. Their emotions were riding high and the crowd was into it before the game started. However, the Broncos were able to crush their spirits early by jumping out to a 17-0 lead mid-first quarter. It was basically over before it got started, or I guess more accurately right after it got started. The win and the way it was executed should bode very well for the Broncos in the polls and in the media/public perception of how good they are. If the Texas Longhorns can beat the Cowboys at home by 34-7, and the Broncos win at Laramie 51-6, Boise State looks really good. I don't know if they will get any of their first place votes back, but they certainly won't fall back in the polls at all, even with TCU dismantling Big 12 foe Baylor at home. As has been mentioned numerous times, Wyoming has historically been a tough place for the Broncos to play, but it sure didn't look like it last night. Trap game my butt!

Areas of Concern:

The secondary. Wyoming was much less formidable an opponent than Virginia Tech was. QB Carta-Samuels never really had much of a chance to pass the ball, as he was on the ground frequently, and a wide open receiver dropped a pass on their first possession. But he did burn the Broncos once for their only touchdown of the night. They did have two interceptions, but i still remain skeptical. Also, penalties. Once again, the Broncos had too many of them, 8 for 70 yards to be exact. That is better than game 1, but there is still room for improvement. I can't believe I am saying this, but Kellen Moore. He threw one interception (that wasn't nullified), but should have had three. One was waived off for a roughing the passer penalty and the other one the defender dropped. We'll just blame the high altitude and thin air

Thoughts and Tidbits:

Outstanding wide receiver Austin Pettis was benched for his first quarter flip into the end zone. He played sparingly on special teams afterwards. 135 total yards was the lowest total allowed by the Broncos since they began playing football. On the other hand, 648 total yards from Boise State was the fifth most in school history. DE Shea McClellin suffered a concussion early on in the game. The commentators were complete morons. They talked about cookie jars, muscle hamsters (they called Doug Martin a muscle hamster. I don't even know what that is!), and were completely off base claiming the referee's were reviewing whether or not a penalty flag should have been thrown. They were bad, really bad. Thank you CBS College Sports for your fine broadcasting quality.

My PTW for the week was DE Shea McClellin. He started off really well by pouncing on an errant snap in the end zone and scoring the first touchdown for the Broncos. But as I mentioned, he suffered a concussion (possibly on that same play, judging by the way his head snapped back) and didn't play the rest of the game. So in a way, the PTW was a good one, but unfortunately injuries often change plans. So next week we will have a new one and hopefully he can stay on the field. Best of luck to Mr. McClellin and I hope he gets better soon. We will need him against the Beavers on Saturday.

WAC Recap:

I made some predictions for how all of the Western Athletic Conference games would go and I picked the right on all of them except one; Nevada vs. California. The Wolfpack ate Cal quarterback Kevin Riley's lunch. He was in completely over his head and played very poorly. My prediction was lots of point scored and Cal finishing on top 45-42. Bird leg Kaepernick had other plans and Nevada smoked the Golden Bears 52-31 (I told you there would be plenty of touchdowns!).

Colorado vs. Hawai'i ended how I expected, although it did not look good in the first half. The Rainbow Warriors took a 10-0 lead at half time, but the Buffaloes came back with a vengeance and took control. My prediction was Colorado wins 42-35. The final score ended up being not as point happy. Still, I called it correctly. Buffs won 31-13.

The only WAC head-to-head match up pitted Fresno State on the road against Utah State. I was pretty close on this one, picking the Bulldogs to win 34-21. The final score ended up being Fresno State Bulldogs: 41, and Utah State Aggies; 24.

San Jose State is really bad, just as I expected. But they did win...against a FCS school. Hey, a "W" is a "W," right. My prediction was Spartans win 24-17. I over-estimated the output of both teams. Still, the Thunderbirds couldn't close the deal and San Jose State did win 16-11. Yikes...

San Jose State's competition for worst team in the WAC (possibly the nation) is the New Mexico State Aggies. They went to El Paso and I said they would get smoked 35-14 by the UTEP Miners. I got the winner right, but it was much worse for NMSU. Miners won 42-10.

Either Idaho is better than I thought (or want them to be), or UNLV is a lot worse than I thought. I think it's a combination of the two. I had picked the Vandals to take care of business at home and win 42-28. Idaho's offense was not as effective this game, but their defense came to play. The final score ended up being Idaho 30, UNLV 7.

Louisiana Tech is pretty bad. They came up against the Navy Midshipmen, one of the better non-AQ schools. I predicted Navy to take it in a close one 31-28. I was generally right. Navy did win, but the final score was 37-23.

You've read everything I have on the Boise State game. But I predicted the final score to be Broncos 41, Cowboys 24. Wyoming was just really bad and the Boise State cleaned house, as you know, 51-6. Huge win!

Pictures!:

Here is a link to idahostatesman.com and their photo gallery from the game. They have some pretty sweet shots. Enjoy!

This Week's Player to Watch

I hate it when all of the sudden people want to have a new tradition. Here is my mom one random year before Christmas: "Our new family tradition is to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation every year on Christmas Eve!" Lame. A tradition forms itself, it is not put together. In other words, you can't label something as a tradition when you first start out doing it. Let it evolve organically and before you know it, BAM!, a tradition is born. With that said, I am starting something new here on BroncoChase's Sports Plus; Each week before a Boise State football game, I will give you the name of a player to watch. Along with that name, I will quote a few stats and tell you why I think this individual is poised to have a big game and do a lot of good things for the team. Hopefully, the player does exactly what I say and doesn't make me look like an idiot! Good luck, Bronco Chase! Who knows, I may extend this into other sports or the NFL when college football is over. We will see how it goes.

Saturday vs. Wyoming player to watch (The weekly PTW, as we will call it): Defensive end Shea McClellin.



Let's start with some bio information first. Consider Mr. McClellin a hometown hero. Hailing from the small Nampa suburb of Marsing, Idaho (you have to pass Chicken Dinner Road to get there, which is some awesome random information), Shea was a man among boys on his football team. Marsing (as well as other small, farming towns in Idaho) is known for raising its corn-fed sons to be huge monstrous beasts. McClellin was by far the most talented individual to come out of that town for quite a while. At 6'3" and 262 pounds (he was obviously somewhat smaller in high school), he was a stand out on the field, making plays almost every down. He played both offense (running back) and defense (tackling a lot of poor boys and probably injuring a lot of them). Bronco coaches offered him a scholarship and McClellin has taken off from there.

Now some of you might say that this one is too easy or that he already had his big game against the Hokies on Labor Day. To that I say, get over it. I am basing this one on a lot of things. Number one, in fall camp McClellin terrorized any and all Boise State quarterbacks, regardless of what lineman/linemen were placed in his path. Number two, this trend continued as he became a recurring figure in the nightmares of one Tyrod Taylor. They probably look something like this;



Or perhaps this;



By nightmares I mean 4 tackles for loss, including 2 1/2 sacks, and he disrupted the offense almost every play he was on the field for and was a key component in shutting down Virginia Tech's outstanding running game. As a junior, a lot of big things are expected from McClellin, and if his play against the Hokies is any indication, then we are all in for a treat.

The Wyoming Cowboys are not a very good rushing team. With the exception of their quarterback, they are actually really crappy. Shea McClellin will play a huge part in keeping it that way. Also, he will get a couple more sacks of the QB Austyn Carta-Samuels. Mark my words. With the run game shut down (or non-existent to begin with), the defensive backs will ball-hock everything in the air and Shea and his buddies will be in the backfield more often than Reggie White. Carta-Samuels will have a long night and the crowd will stay quiet and leave early. McClellin and the Broncos dominate. Bad dreams for the Cowboys are in the works and Shea McClellin will make sure of it!

Shea McClellin, our weekly PTW.

The WAC Takes it to Court

So I figured that I better chime in on what is going on in the Western Athletic Conference before it either becomes a non-story or blows up into a huge national headliner. Let me try and set the table first, in a nutshell; Back in July, the BYU Cougars hinted that they were looking to leave the Mountain West Conference, become independent in football, and join the WAC in all other sports (they did leave the MWC, but joined the West Coast Conference in most other sports). WAC commissioner Karl Benson really liked that idea, but only if the rest of his conference stayed in place (Boise State was already leaving long before all this went down). So he put in place a fee wherein any team wanting to leave would have to pay the conference 5 million dollars, but it only applies to the first team that bolts. Also, they have to let him know by July 1st in order to leave after the subsequent season. The moment BYU got serious about leaving, MWC commissioner Craig Thompson was on the phone inviting WAC schools Fresno State and Nevada to join BSU as WAC defectors. They agreed, but on July 18th, well beyond the deadline date to leave after the coming school year. This is exactly what Karl Benson was trying to prevent from happening when he instituted the fee; a mass exodus from his conference. Too bad for him. But now the controversy is whether both schools have to pay the 5 million dollars, or only one, can they share it, and when can they leave the WAC officially?

Here is the story from Yahoo! News about what the WAC and commissioner Karl Benson are doing to keep Nevada and Fresno State in the conference until after the 2011 season. The story says that the lawsuit doesn't mention the 5 million dollars owed, but it does say that the WAC is entitled to "compensation as the court sees fit." Whatever that means. Benson also says that the money is a separate issue, which I'm pretty sure it is not. I don't see how it can be a separate issue. Maybe that's why I'm not a lawyer and never dreamed of being one. As one would expect, the Wolfpack and the Bulldogs are not very happy about the legal proceedings and both feel it could have been discussed and settled outside of court. The word "unfortunate" is used by their university presidents to describe the situation. That's how you know it's serious. So someone is lying. Either they weren't returning Benson's phone calls, or Benson jumped the gun a little bit and is making it a bigger deal than it should be.

Here is my take on it; When the remaining WAC schools agreed on the exiting fee (after Boise State had said they were leaving but before Nevada and Fresno), the agreement said that only the first school would have to pay up, not multiple schools if there happened to be more than one. So which of the two schools announced their intentions first? That is the 5 million dollar question. The WAC is trying to get the fee from both schools, which is redonculous. If they left simultaneously, then they should split it, right? The Mountain West has offered to help them pay the fee, but we first need to know what the fee is going to be and who has to pay it. What a mess. I think that they should just split the fee, get it over with, and Karl Benson needs to not be so butt hurt about his conference going down the toilet (pun intended). You and the WAC will survive. You have before when the creation of the Mountain West literally reduced your conference into almost nothing. Get over it and look to the future, you have a lot of work to do, and probably quite a few sleepless nights. As ridiculous as it may sound, that is only half of the story and apparently not the issue in the lawsuit.

The Bulldogs and the Wolfpack want to leave for the Mountain West after this current season, meaning they would compete in MWC play next year at this time. But the WAC says July 1st was the deadline to announce intentions and both universities missed it, so they must stay until after the 2011 season. Benson says something about it that makes a lot of sense; "The damages the WAC could incur if Fresno State and Nevada left early are very, very significant, That's what has driven this: to protect the assets of the WAC as a corporate entity." What he is saying is that if he loses Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada all at the same time, he is left with San Jose State, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, Hawai'i, and Utah State. That is bad enough to put Benson on suicide watch. That's not an athletic conference, that is a list of the cellar dwellers of a conference that isn't that great to begin with! At the same time, I expect Louisiana Tech to join the MAC or Conference USA sometime soon so as to play games closer to home. Also, Hawai'i will go independent within the next couple of years.

Think about it, who is there to replace these defecting schools? UC Davis? Portland State? Sacramento State? Montana? The WAC is in a world of hurt. Also, financially, the WAC would not survive without its three cash cow schools. So Nevada and Fresno State should stay put until 2012, they at least owe that to the conference that has been so good to them since joining. The future of the WAC is in doubt and Benson is trying to hold on to what he can for as long as he can. What else is there to do? You would do the same thing.

True BSU Fans

BroncoChase's Sports Plus has reached a milestone in its young life. We are finally posted as a link on a Boise State fan site! This is a momentous occasion of which a serious celebration is in order. So enjoy yourselves in a way that would satisfy your morals, religion, and responsibilities.

It's kinda funny how it happened, actually. Marc, A really good childhood friend who moved away years ago ran across this blog while searching on the internet. He realized really quickly who I was and sent me an e-mail. This is what it said; "Whats up dude. I ran across your blog post. Awesome blog man. Ill put your link on my website. It's truebsufans.ning.com Hit me up latter man." Short and simple. That is what I am talking about! I went on there yesterday and there it was in all its glory; Bronco Chase! A tear was shed out of pure joy. This is the first of what I hope to be many link postings for my blog. Marc and his site will always hold a special spot in my heart for being the first.

Marc's website, True BSU Fans, is a place to start your own blog about the Broncos, read other blogs, and basically get your fill of the most exciting college football team on the planet, and then some! It's actually a really cool idea and I am glad to now be part of it. Please check it out and continue to do so over and over again, preferably on a daily basis! Here is the link one more time:

TRUE BSU FANS CLICK HERE!

Enjoy!

Weekend Picks

This weekend in college football is a big one for WAC teams.

Saturday at 6 PM the Fresno State Bulldogs visit the Utah State Aggies. Normally, I would not look too much into or care at all about this game. But the Aggies have given us reason to at least cast a glance or two their way. Preseason, they were picked by many to be bowl eligible this year and to play in one. That is huge considering they haven't been eligible since losing to Cincinnati in the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl. Flash forward to the first game of the season where they not only more than held their own on the road against the then 7th ranked team in the nation, but had a chance to win late in the contest. Couple that with the fact that the Bulldogs of Fresno State have consistently been one of the top teams in the WAC and you have a great match up to watch and to care about. Gary Andersen is well on his way to making the Aggies a respectable team, but it hasn't happened just yet.
Prediction: Bulldogs 34, Aggies 21

The same day as the Fresno/Utah State game, but at 7 PM, the California Golden Bears come into Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada to face the running Wolfpack. I say running because they do a whole lot of that with Colin Kaepernick at QB and running back Vai Taua. They chew up yardage with the ground game. I mean a lot of yardage. They are very hard to stop. As soon as you think you have the ground game under control, Kaepernick rockets a missile into the arms of a wide open receiver. The Wolfpack is extremely difficult to defend and they should score a lot of points all season. Hall of Fame head coach Chris Ault has had trouble with his team showing up and winning in big games and this one is about as big for them as it gets this early in the season. Cal has had two lopsided victories so far this season and are confident in their offense and defense, winning both with a combined score of 104 to 10. Too bad the Wolfpack doesn't like to play much defense. However, coming off of a complete slaughtering of the Colorado State Rams, the Wolfpack themselves are feeling good and ready for more. Still, the Golden Bears will be too much for an untested Nevada team and will win in a close contest.
Prediction: Golden Bears 45, Wolfpack 42

The same day at 7:05 PM in El Paso, Texas, the New Mexico State Aggies play the UTEP Miners. It's gotten really bad for the Aggies. You know it's bad when you lose at home to the San Diego State Aztecs. Not much else needs to be said about either team. UTEP is a decent program with a decent team and should win fairly easily.
Prediction: Miners 35, Aggies 14

The poor San Jose State Spartans had the hardest two weeks in college football. Opening up at number 1 ranked Alabama and then traveling to Madison, Wisconsin to get beaten up by the Badgers is a tough way to start. They get a break this Saturday at home playing the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds at 6 PM. This should be a really boring game so I won't go into too much detail. The Spartans should win against a FCS opponent.
Prediction: Spartans 24, Thunderbirds 17

The wannabe pretenders Idaho Vandals host the UNLV Runnin' Rebels Saturday night at 7:30 PM in the barn in Moscow. The Cornhuskers are not the North Dakota Fightin' Souix. I can tell you that much. After manhandling a terrible team on opening weekend, the Vandals had one of the worst performances possible at Nebraska. They threw 5 interceptions and 2 of them were returned for touchdowns. Lucky for them UNLV is a really bad team themselves. Idaho has a good offense this year all around, except for the offensive line. Too many sacks, pressure, and hurrying for QB Nathan Enderle forces bad throws which turn into interceptions. The Vandal defense is what it is, which is overrated. Safety Shiloh Keo is the only one that doesn't hurt your eyes when watching them play. UNLV just plain sucks and the Vandals should put up some numbers and win at home pretty easily.
Prediction: Vandals 42, Runnin' Rebels 28

Coming off a big win 9 hours away from home at Westpoint, NY, the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors stay on the mainland and visit the Colorado Buffaloes Saturday afternoon at 1:30 PM. QB Bryant Moniz lit up the Army defense for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns. The offense is never the problem for Hawai'i. It is their defense that lets them down. It always has. However, Colorado is not the blue-blood powerhouse that they used to be. Head coach Dan Hawkins is squarely on the hot seat and needs a bowl game win to keep his job. They are playing OK. They won at home against in-state rival Colorado State, but got murdered at Cal. The offense is anemic at times and the defense is always a question. They will have trouble with Hawai'i and their offense throughout the entire contest. This game is really hard to pick. At home, I think the Buffaloes get it done and earn a much needed win for their coach. It will be a high scoring affair.
Prediction: Buffaloes 42, Rainbow Warriors 35

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs come home from embarrassment in College Station, TX against the Texas A & M Aggies. They will host Navy on Saturday at 7 PM. LaTech is such an enigma of a football team. They play so well at home but suck so bad on the road. They are in the middle of a quarterback shuffle and their defense is as porous as a sponge. Navy lost a heart breaker against Maryland on opening weekend but are as dangerous as any team in the nation with Ricky Dobbs at the helm. This is another game that is hard to pick. However, the Bulldogs make it interesting at home.
Prediction: Midshipmen 31, Bulldogs 28

This is the moment that you have all been waiting for; The Boise State Broncos at the Wyoming Cowboys goes down Saturday night at 6 PM! The Broncos go into Laramie after a huge win over a former top 10 opponent. Coach Chris Petersen does not care much about the polls or who lost to who, as long as his boys win. That mentality is evident in everything they do. The combination of Kellen Moore at quarterback, Austin Pettis and Titus Young at receiver, and Doug Martin, DJ Harper, and Jeremy Avery a running back is the closest thing to impossible to stop as there is, even with a shuffling offensive line. The Boise State defense has had to go home and regroup a little bit after Virginia Tech, especially in the secondary. The coaches will have them more prepared this time around. Wyoming has historically been a touch place for the Broncos to play at. This year will be no different. Cowboy QB Austyn Carta-Samuels is a Tyrod Taylor mini-me/wannabe. He is tough to stop when scrambling and when passing. The defense can be sketchy and give up points for the Cowboys, however. Wyoming will still be shaken from the tragic death of freshman Ruben Narcisse. They will bond together even more from it. Still, Coach Petersen will have the Broncos focused and ready, and Kellen Moore will fill the thin mountain air with touchdown passes.
Prediction: Broncos 41, Cowboys 24