Kyle Wilson's NFL Transition

It is without question that the Boise State secondary has dropped off a little bit since the now graduated Kyle Wilson left for the NFL. I can still hear Bronco's offensive lineman Faraji Wright (with some back-up singers, of course) rapping about him at the Fiesta Bowl fan celebration party at Taco Bell Arena on campus; "He's goin' to the league!" Good times... As you know, Wilson went in the first round as the 29th overall pick to the New York Jets. As one would expect, the learning curve in the league has been steep. Couple that with the fact that head coach Rex Ryan is a defensive guru and expects a lot from his players and that cornerback is the toughest position in the game, and you understand why a rookie has a long way to go to get to the top level of his game. Trust me, Kyle is smart, he will do fine.

Wilson is from New Jersey and actually grew up a Giants fan. Coming out of high school he was only a two-star recruit. He found a place to hang his hat in Boise, Idaho. By midway through the season his freshman year, Kyle was starting and carried that all the way to the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma. It is amazing to look back and see how he transformed from the young, hot shot who needs to cut his dreadlocks and grow up, to the seasoned, experienced, wily veteran whose hair is a symbol of his ability and was a symbol of the team. In fact, his whole family has dreadlocks, I saw them at the Fiesta Bowl. His brother even made a Kyle Wilson bus that he took to all of Boise State's games around the country (expect for maybe Hawai'i). My guess is that it now resides somewhere in the New York/New Jersey area.



His hair is pretty intimidating. I mean just look at him. It's kind of scary...

Kyle Wilson in all of his Fiesta Bowl (version 2) glory!


Boise State and their incredible coaching staff had struck again. People like Darren Colledge, Ryan Clady, Quinten Mikell, Gerald Alexander, and now Kyle Wilson all went from lightly-recruited names in college scouts' notebooks to full time NFL contributors. It seems that these types of success stories keep coming out of the same small school in western Idaho; and don't expect that to change. Wilson is just the latest in a long line of them and there will be more. Here is Kyle, smiling on draft day as he holds up his green Jets jersey.



Along with the learning curve and expectations that come with being a first round pick, Wilson has found himself in a unique circumstance. All-pro cornerback Darrelle Revis selfishly held out of training camp in hopes of receiving a new contract as the highest paid player at his position. What that meant is from the beginning, Kyle was going to play a lot of downs. So he prepared for it and it's a good thing he did. Since getting his new contract and re-joining the team, Revis has been injured and has missed some games, therefore thrusting the former Boise State star into the starting secondary. It was a rough go for Wilson against the Baltimore Ravens at the beginning of the season, but since then he has played well, broken up passes, and even returned some punts. He has played well enough to force the coaches to keep him in there, even with Revis back in action. It will only go up from here for Kyle Wilson. I saw him Monday night against the Vikings. He looked good. The best part, he still has his Samson-like dreadlocks flopping in the wind as he begins to create "Wilson Island."

My Top 25

I do not vote in any of the college football polls. I sure wish that I did! It would be nice to add a little dose of reality to those tools at the top. As you know, I try my hardest to be honest and fair about Boise State and the rest of the teams in the nation, even as a die hard Bronco fan. With that in mind, I would like to offer my top 25 and why I think each team is where I put them. Keep in mind that this is what my views and perceptions of the teams halfway through the season. Preseason polls are ridiculous, but at the same time it gives us a starting point. All the coaches and media cannot be that wrong, just a little off here and there and of course, biased in many cases. Like I said, I will be using where teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 and my own feelings about them. The number in parenthesis is what they are ranked in the actual AP Poll (or you can just click here and see it yourself. It's the one on the left). Let's get started!

1.(1) 6-0

While many people do not think that the Buckeyes deserve to be number 1 in the country, I have nothing else to pull from that would tell me any different. They started out ranked 2 in the preseason polls and haven't lost. Granted, they haven't played anybody too good yet (Miami is turning out to be a dud) and Illinois gave them a run for their money in a close game in Champagne. Ohio State has a Heisman contender at quarterback and a tenacious defense coached by the legendary Jim Tressel. Until they lose or have a close call against a bad team, this is where they are.

2.(3) 5-0

This is a good spot for Boise State as of right now. They have earned it by beating two teams that were in the top 25 at the time (1 of them, Virginia Tech, was ranked 10th) and smoking everyone else they played. Coach Chris Petersen has these guys playing at an extremely high level, even if he refuses to pad stats or earn what the "experts" call style points. The Broncos were ranked third to begin the season and haven't lost. At the same time and with Alabama taking a dive, 2nd is their deserved spot. The showdown in Reno against the Wolfpack on November 26th should be for all the marbles and will be a great boost for their strength of schedule. Until then, do not be surprised to see the Broncos slide back yet again.

3.(2) 6-0

Ranking the Ducks any higher than this is a joke. You all know my feelings about that. Sure, Oregon has racked up some high scores in their games so far and they are absolutely one of the best teams in the country, but they've only played one good team so far. Stanford at home was a great win as they burnt the Cardinal for 52 points. But New Mexico, Tennessee, and Portland State? Anybody can drop 69 points on Portland State. Plus they should have beaten Washington State by more than they did. Don't get me wrong, as the season progresses and if Oregon continues to win and they beat more good teams, then I will have them moved up ahead of Boise State. Until then, this is where they belong.

4.(4) 6-0

These potential BCS Busters beat a ranked Oregon State team to begin the season and have not let up since. Yet again Gary Patterson his his Horned Frog defense playing at a high level, even with as many good players as they lost from last year. Andy Dalton is still a good quarterback, but a little overrated in my book. TCU played very poorly on the road against Colorado State and other than the Beavers and maybe Baylor, their resume is not that exciting. They too may also fall back as the season goes on. The Horned Frogs will travel to Salt Lake City to take on a ranked Utah team on November 6. It will be by far their toughest game of the season.

5.(7) 6-0

This may seem a little high to a lot of people, but Auburn did beat South Carolina, who in turn beat 1st ranked Alabama. The Tigers are still undefeated and have had a decent non-conference schedule so far. They will continue SEC play at home against Arkansas this Saturday. We will shortly find out if Auburn deserves to be this high or if a drop in the rankings is in order. Cam Newton is a beast at quarterback and is very difficult to stop. If Auburn continues like they are, they will be ranked this high for a long time.

6.(6) 5-0

I had to think a lot about where to rank the Sooners. They barely beat a bad Utah State team at home on opening weekend, and then squeaked past a good Air Force team. QB Landry Jones is playing well and as always their defense makes stops. Oklahoma beat a completely over-rated Texas team in the Red River Rivalry. Despite all that, it was their convincing win over ACC-king Florida State that convinced me to rank the Sooners this high. As long as Oklahoma keeps winning, they shouldn't move at all.

7.(10) 4-1

The Gamecocks only loss this year was against Auburn. That is precisely why I have them ranked below the Tigers. Stephen Garcia had the game of his life against Alabama last weekend and that victory is what moved South Carolina up so high in the rankings. The SEC is a tough conference and it would not surprise me at all if they lost another one. Until that happens, number 7 is where the Gamecocks belong.

8.(8) 5-1

The same reason I have Auburn ranked ahead of South Carolina is the same reason I have Alabama ranked below the Gamecocks. I do think that the Crimson Tide is a lot better than number 8 in the nation, but the way they lost to S.C. was shocking. Alabama was outclassed, outplayed, and outworked. I definitely they will move back up the rankings as the season plays out, but it will be next to impossible to regain number 1. The National Championship is still in the picture for Alabama, but they have a lot of work to do.

9.(5) 5-0

I am still not sure about Nebraska. As of now, they are undefeated. Like Oregon, but to a lesser degree, they haven't played anybody. Plus, some of their games were ugly. A 17-3 win over South Dakota State is ugly. They did beat an undefeated Kansas State team very soundly, but the Wildcats are not that good. I have the Cornhuskers ranked a lot lower than they are in the AP Poll for those reasons. They can still move up when they play ranked Oklahoma State and Missouri in consecutive weeks. Until then, they will stay here.

10.(9) 6-0

LSU is another team that I am not sure about and it is possible that they are overrated. They barely beat a terrible Tennessee team at home (they actually lost, a stupid mistake by coach Derek Dooley gave the Tigers another chance after time had ran out) and beat a completely overrated Florida team. I will say this, LSU has one of the best if not the best defense in the nation led by Patrick Peterson. They are very hard to score on. Imagine if they had a decent offense and a good quarterback. They would be unstoppable. Unfortunately, that does not look possible this year.

11.(12) 4-1

A tough loss to Alabama is the only thing that has kept the Razorbacks from a 5-0 record. They played well enough to win up until QB Ryan Mallett decided to throw some untimely interceptions. Still, with an outstanding receiving core, an experienced offensive line, and a decent defense, Arkansas has what it takes to make some noise in the SEC title and National Championship picture. I am still not 100% sold that they should be ranked this high, but I have no reason to not put them up here.

12.(13) 6-0

The Spartans have been through a lot this season. The excitement of an overtime trick play win over Notre Dame was eclipsed by the devastation of their head coach suffering a heart attack. Since then, Michigan State still has not lost and has beaten two ranked teams along the way (Wisconsin and Michigan). I do not believe that they have the offense or the defense to carry them to an undefeated season, but they can at least contend for a Big 10 title. Unfortunately, we will not see them play Ohio State this season. It's too bad because then we would indeed know who is tops of the conference.

13.(16) 5-1

I think the Seminoles are underrated. Granted, they did get smoked by Oklahoma early in the season, but look where the Sooners are ranked! Their win over ranked Miami last weekend was a great performance for Florida State. I rank them this high because they have a great defense, a good offense, and a good quarterback in Christian Ponder. The Seminoles should be matched up with the Virginia Tech Hokies in the ACC championship if all goes how I think it will.

14.(14) 5-1

The Cardinal's loss to Oregon was deflating in a couple of ways. Stanford started off playing very well, taking the lead early only to see it disappear before half time. Plus, it was a conference loss it what appears to be a tough PAC 10 this year. Still, the first quarter of the game against the Ducks showed what Andrew Luck and his squad are capable of. I think they will rebound well and contend for a conference title. They just need to hope that Oregon loses a couple of times for that to come into fruition.

15.(15) 4-1

Had they been able to complete a stunning comeback against Arizona a couple of weeks ago, the Hawkeyes would be ranked in the top 10 and contending for a national title. Still, Iowa has a tough schedule ahead, including a match up with number 1 Ohio State. If they win out, they are right back in the thick of things. I think the loss to Arizona was somewhat of a fluke, but it still counts in the polls and on their record. I also feel that Iowa will lose at least one more time, but for now they will stay at number 15.

16.(18) 5-1

The Badgers are one of the best teams in the Big 10, even with their loss to Michigan State. Running back John Clay is a beast and is on track for another offensive player of the year for the conference and a spot on the All-American roster. The real test for Wisconsin comes this Saturday as they host the Buckeyes at Camp Randall. After it is over, we will know if the Badgers are for real or just a pretender. I could move them way up or way down depending on the outcome.

17.(17) 4-1

Like I said above, I think the Wildcats are overrated. The win against Iowa at home was a perfect storm of events, circumstances, and luck that went their way. The fact that the Beavers beat them last weekend also at home shows a little bit the pecking order of the PAC 10. Still they have earned this ranking and will stay there for the time being.

18.(11) 5-0

By far Utah is the most overrated team in the poll and country. They have not beaten anybody of worth. Beating Pitt opening weekend looked good, but it sure does not anymore. Look at this non-conference schedule; San Jose State, Iowa State, and Pitt. The teams they have beat have a combined record against FBS teams of 5-21. That is really bad. We won't know how good they are until October 30 and November 6 when they play Air Force and TCU in back-to-back weeks. Still, they have earned to be ranked for not having lost yet. I just won't/can't move them up until they beat somebody good.

19.(20) 5-0

The Cowboys are a good team, not a great team. Just like Utah, they have not really beaten anybody of merit. Other than Texas A & M and Washington State, they have owned a bunch of non-BCS squads (trust me, Washington State is worse than most non-BCS teams. They suck). Still, they are undefeated and have one of the top rushers in the nation in Kendall Hunter and one of the best receivers in Justin Blackmon. They will face Nebraska at home on October 23rd and we will see then what Oklahoma State is made of.

20.(19) 6-0

There seem to be quite a few teams who we don't know very much about due to their bad schedules thus far. Nevada happens to be one of them. Still, they more than deserve to be in the top 25 in the nation. Colin "Bird Legs" Kaepernick is amongst the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country. Alongside RB Vai Taua they make up quite the duo in the backfield. Their defense still leads something to be desired, and they have not been tested yet. Their only good win is against the Cal Golden Bears, and not even they are a good team. There is a lot that needs to be figured out and it will start as the Wolfpack play on the road against a rejuvenated Hawai'i team on Saturday.

21.(23) 5-1

I know that the Falcons have yet to beat anybody of much merit this season, but it was their only loss that tells me a lot about them. On the road against Oklahoma they went down by a final margin of 27-24. They almost won and as good as the Sooners are, the Falcons played with them. That's why they are number 21. They will take on Utah and TCU later on and we will discover more about Air Force. I must say, anybody in the armed forces is cool with me. Go Falcons!

22.(24) 3-2

The Beavers are good, much better than their record would tell you. Think about it, they lost on the road twice to two top 5 teams who also happen to rank in the top 5 in defense. The fact they they beat Arizona on the road last Saturday shows how far they have come along (Arizona was also in the top 5 in defense). With WR James Rodgers out for the season with a leg injury, Oregon State might take a little bit of a hit, but it shouldn't affect them too much. They end the season very tough playing Stanford and Oregon in the final two weeks. Until then, they should slowly creep up the rankings.

23.(21) 5-0

As far as undefeated teams go, Missouri is bottom tier. Their only quality win came in week one against Illinois, who is turning out to be a pretty good team. Still, once Big 12 starts getting hot and heavy for the Tigers we will know how good of a team they are. Oklahoma and Nebraska in back-to-back weeks will be the deciding factor.

24.(25) 4-1

The Mountaineers have never been quite the same since Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan. Still, they are a quality team that always gets great athletes onto the field. They are ranked due to the fact that they played LSU tough in Baton Rouge a few weeks ago. They almost won and it should carry them far as long as they don't slip up somewhere along the way. West Virginia should win the Big East as it is turning out to be a very poor conference this season. It's really said and unfair that a team like the Mountaineers or some other squad from the Big East will get an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl over TCU, Utah, or Boise State who are ranked higher.

25.(NR) 4-2

I really had to think about this one. The Hokies' loss to James Madison was a huge shot to the gut. At the same time, they have bounced back, winning 4 in a row, including beating a ranked North Carolina Team on the road. When it came down to it, I had to choose between Florida and Virginia Tech for the last spot. I decided that being at the bottom of the stairs looking up was better than being at the top of the stairs and then falling down like the Gators were. They should not have been ranked that high to begin with. Now the Hokies looks to continue to win in hopes of making it to the ACC championship game. They will also move up as the weeks go by as long as they continue to add W's to their record.

Let me know what you think!

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!

Broncos Rise, Rockets Crash

The Boise State Broncos did what they had to do on Saturday and crushed the Toledo Rockets by a final score of 57 to 14. I am continuously impressed by how Coach Chris Petersen is able to prepare his team every single week to get out there and play the best they can. The only time I have seen a let down or a lazy game from them was last year against UC Davis. In any case, Boise State is taking care of business week in and week out. With Alabama losing to South Carolina yesterday, it will be interesting to see what happens. Let's take a look at some stats that I found interesting from the Toledo game:

Yardage:
......Broncos......Rockets
Rushing-207..........65
Passing-293..........222
...Total-500.........287


First Downs:

......Broncos......Rockets
........25.............18

Average Gain Per Play:

......Broncos......Rockets
........7.9............4.8

Sacks on Opposing Quarterback:

......Broncos......Rockets
.........4..............0

Turnovers:

......Broncos......Rockets
.........0..............5

This game was a little weird to watch and take in. It appeared that Boise State was not able to stop Toledo's offense hardly at all (look at the average gain per play stat. They got almost five yards per play). But somehow the Broncos had a 36-7 lead at halftime. That is where the turnover stat comes into play. Every time the Rockets got something going and had pushed the ball close to the end zone, Boise State forced a turnover. Nabbing 3 fumbles and 2 interceptions is a good way to demoralize a team. Couple that with the fact that Toledo was amongst the best in the nation in turnover margin, and you have a blowout on your hands. The Broncos did give up a lot of yardage through the air, and most of it can be attributed to Eric Page. I said to watch out for him and he did not disappoint. Page ended the game with 11 catches for 120 yards. He also ran a couple of kick offs back, with a long of 41 yards. He did plenty of damage.

What We Learned:

The Broncos offensive line deserves a lot of credit for protecting Kellen Moore the way they have. Don't forget the massive, gaping holes they are creating for the running backs to rush through. They have only given up one sack this year, and that was against Virginia Tech. A lot is made about Moore's escapibility, but he is so protected and comfortable back there thanks to the big fellas up front. Even with the players shuffling positions and new guys stepping in, they get the job done. It's called great coaching and lots of talent.

Boise State is deep, everywhere. From Ricky Tjong-a-tjoe to Jonathan Brown (who?) to Joe Southwick, the Broncos have a lot of depth across the roster. It's nice to see these guys get playing time with huge leads, but they are also dominating when they are out there. Needless to say, the Broncos are set for years to come in just about every position.

Kellen Moore will be in New York in December, but he probably won't win the Heisman, even though he should. If Coach Pete would leave the kid out there the entire game, he would throw for 600 yards and 9 touchdowns every time! It is insane how calm he is. After throwing a touchdown pass to Tyler Shoemaker, he was seen on the sidelines not even sweating, chatting with his teammates, and laughing. Did he even play??? He should win the award, he is the best player in college football, but Petersen wants to save him for future games, and at the same time it possibly ends his chances of bringing home the stiff-arm trophy, much in the same way that he is not lobbying for the team to move up in the polls. They refuse to play "the game." Good for them! Stick it to the man!

You shouldn't try to run the ball against Boise State. It's just not a good idea and it won't get you anywhere. Toledo gained 65 yards on 31 attempts. That is 2.1 yards per rush. In fact, there have only been two teams to gain more than 100 yards against the Broncos this year. They are Virginia Tech (44 attempts, 2.9 yards per) and New Mexico State (41 attempts, 2.9 yards per). In other words, you might have more success passing it, maybe.

Maybe the WAC Sports Network isn't as bad as I thought it was. I think the big difference was that Dick Tomey was nowhere to be heard. The camera quality and camera work were just as bad, but at least I wasn't considering jabbing a rusty screw driver into my temple from having to hear the garbage pouring out of Tomey's mouth. The two commentators yesterday were much better and actually fairly intelligent. Like I said, the whole network is still a terrible idea, but I feel better this week about it. Sigh...

Areas of Concern:

Again with the penalties. We saw yet another time when the Broncos had forced their opponent to punt only to see it disappear with a penalty. The roughing the kicker was just a stupid play. Kick off coverage. It is still really bad. Granted, Eric Page may or may not be human, but that is still no excuse for letting them gash the coverage team for 30 or 40 yard returns every time. The secondary was pretty bad. Toledo had receiver's open all night. That will not fly against Hawai'i. That's it for this game. It seems like there has been a lot of improvement through 5 games, which is great to see.

Favorite Play:

There were so many to choose from. Let's make a list and go from there;

1. Titus Young's jump for a Moore pass, catching it, rolling over the defender, and getting into the end zone even though his knee clearly touched the 2 yard line first. Sick catch! Suck it instant replay!!!

2. Jarvis Hodge trucking some line backer who tried to get in his way as he was toting the rock up the middle. The fool got owned!

3. Shea McClellin sniffing out the screen pass from Dantin and Supermanning into the air to snatch it and take it in for a house call the other way. Pick-six baby!

4. The play where Moore faked an end around hand off, and the entire defense chased after the alleged hand off-e, even though Kellen still had the ball in his hands. They got duped bad!

5. The fake punt that was called back for holding. It was so beautiful! Too bad it didn't count, but it is still in the running for my favorite play! You will see it again this season, mark my words.

I don't know which one was the best. I think I will go with the McClellin interception just because of how athletic one must be to pull it off. Plus he outran the quarterback to the end zone. You could see he really wanted to stiff arm Dantin if he had gotten the chance. Remember, he played a lot of running back in high school, so it was familiar ground to him.

Thoughts and Tidbits:

Michael "Canadian Bacon" Atkinson was suspended for the game and as we found out later, is indefinitely suspended for the rest of the season for a violation of team rules. We don't know what he did, but this is his second suspension of his short career at Boise State. It would not surprise me if we did not see the Bacon for a
long time, if ever again. It's too bad too, because he is a really good player. Toledo lost a quarterback, a running back, and a defensive lineman to injury during the game. It was very physical out there.

My Weekly PTW was wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker. He finished the game with 2 receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. His TD catch was the last pass Moore threw for the game. He was also the recipient of a Kyle Brotzman fake punt-pass that unfortunately got called back for holding. "Shoe" also laid down some pretty sweet blocks for his teammates when the situation called for it. He played a good game and finally we have a Weekly PTW who did something and did not get injured! Good job Tyler!

Perception:

The score of this game is a little mis-leading. Like I said, the Rockets were moving the ball down the field fine for most of the game. Unlike the Broncos, however, they were not able to make the plays when it mattered. 5 turnovers spelled doom for Toledo, especially when they happened they way they did, in the red zone and during almost every promising drive. Still, with the Broncos out of the spotlight, all the voters see is the final score and the stats. It will look very good and with Alabama's loss to South Carolina, they will move back up to number three in the nation. What will be interesting is where they will land when the BCS Rankings come out early Sunday evening. My guess is either 2, 3, or 4, but most likely number 3. As long as Boise State can continue to put up good numbers, play great defense, and be prepared mentally, things will stay looking good. Next up for the boys in Blue, the San Jose State Spartans!

Photos:

Thank you yet again idahostatesman.com for taking great pictures that I can post a link to on my blog. Enjoy.

Make sure to check back in tomorrow to see my WAC football weekend recap. I have chosen the upset two weeks in a row! Yeah baby! Go Broncos!!!!!!!

Weekly Player to Watch, 4th Edition

Since last week's player to watch was Brandyn Thompson and his name didn't even get mentioned once in the ridiculously bad WAC Sports Network telecast, I knew that I had only succeeded in not getting him injured, unlike the first two...At least there was a positive to come out of it. I'm not even sure the Broncos needed to put a defense out there at New Mexico State anyway. This week I am going to pick a player and that will be that. If he gets injured, I will have to think up some new creative way to do this where the player does not leave the game early, but at the same time plays great and has success. So for now, the Weekly PTW is...Tyler Shoemaker!



As mentioned in my previous post, the Toledo Rockets have the 103rd ranked pass defense in the nation. In other words, teams have been able to throw the ball against them, achieving plenty of success. At the same time, their run defense is pretty stout so I knew I couldn't pick a running back. But a wide receiver will do just fine! After catching a Kellen Moore laser for a touchdown against the Oregon State Beavers two weeks ago, it made sense to think the Shoemaker was back. Let's take a look at him in action against Hawai'i last year;


Tyler is from my old stomping grounds of Meridian, Idaho (actually, he is from the western side, I was more east, but you get the point). He graduated from Mountain View High School in 2007, but not before racking up 8 athlete letters and earning first team all-state honors his senior year. Despite all that, he was not offered any scholarships and decided to walk-on at Boise State. By 2008, Shoemaker was awarded one and had also become the new "SHOE" at Boise State (every fan in the stadium chants "shoooooooooooe" and holds up their right shoe whenever he does something good for the team. This was started in honor of former Bronco tight-end Derek Schouman). Here is to hoping that Tyler Shoemaker uses his under-the-radar talent to do a little bit more of this against the Rockets tomorrow!

I love this picture!

Shoemaker had a stellar freshman year, but his second campaign was cut short due to a hernia injury. Like I said, it appears he is back and ready to score some more touchdowns. He looks pretty thick out there when he has all his pads on. Not (offensive lineman) fat by any means, but probably tough to bring down when he's at full speed! At times it looks like he is capable of being one of Kellen Moore's best weapons, but other times he just fades away and does nothing. I think that this will definitely be an advantage against Toledo. Whatever defense/coverage the Rockets can muster in the secondary will be aimed at super stars Austin Pettis and Titus Young. If that is the case then guess who gets left all by himself with plenty of room to run? We are hoping that it is Tyler Shoemaker (the tight ends should have plenty of catches as well, by the way). I would not be the least bit surprised to see this exact scenario play out in the first half, then after intermission watching the Toledo secondary stumbling around, confused out of their minds, not knowing who to stay on. Ahhhh, such are the benefits of having a fantastic receiving core and a quarterback that can hit them with ease. Can we get a little Boise State wide receiver/tight end love up in here?!


The fourth edition of the Bronco Chase's Weekly PTW features junior wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker. We hope he catches lots of passes, a few of which end up with him celebrating in the end zone! Go Broncos!

Check back in Sunday for my take on the outcome of the game against the Toledo Rockets. Let's hope nobody gets injured, especially Mr. Shoemaker!

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

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"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

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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

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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!