Broncos Dismantle Utes, Finish Amazing Season at 12-1

I honestly cannot believe that it is over. One of the best Boise State teams in school history put a cap on the season last night with a 26-3 complete domination of the University of Utah. The score wasn't even that close either. While it is sad to see the season end and to say good bye to a group of outstanding seniors, it is exciting to speculate and talk about what is to come. There will be many more amazing years of Bronco football to come. But let's not get the cart in front of the horse. Here are some stats and numbers to mull over.

Yardage:
......Broncos......Utes
Rushing-202........107
Passing-341.........93
..Total-543........200

First Downs:
......Broncos......Utes
........23..........8

Average Yards Gained Per Play:
......Broncos......Utes
........7.1........3.8

Passing Completions-Attempts:
......Broncos......Utes
.......29-40......10-24

Net Yards Per Pass Play:
......Broncos......Utes
.......8.5.........3.9

Number of Sacks on Opposing Quarterback-Yards:
......Broncos......Utes
.......4-21........1-7

Turnovers:
......Broncos......Utes
.........4..........3

Penalties-Yards:
......Broncos......Utes
.......3-29.......10-83

As you can clearly see, the Broncos were more than dominant in this match up. The Utes were only able to gain 107 yards on the ground because all they were doing was rushing the ball. Terrence Cain is not that much of a passing threat, and it showed. Even when they were able to make a big play in the running or passing game, it was either called back because of penalty (hence the massive penalty amount and yardage for Utah) or a receiver dropped the pass. Kellen Moore had another very efficient night and torched the Ute secondary over and over again. The turnovers killed Boise State. They could have had quite a few more points had it not been for a couple of costly fumbles and an interception. Regardless, the Broncos completely owned Utah and ended the Utes' 9 game bowl winning streak. I am happy with the win and the team.

What We Learned:

DeVonte' Christopher is a tool. What do you do when you talk some mean trash on Twitter, demeaning your opponent in the most cocky, stuck up way? Well, if your Devonte' Christopher, you catch 0 passes for 0 yards and drop the one ball that was thrown to you. Nice work. Just a suggestion Devonte', try and use something a little bit closer to legitimate English next time. I still am not sure what the freak he was trying to say. What a tool...

The Broncos D-line showed up again. It was good to see them back. They swallowed up Utah's big, physical running backs and ate Terrence Cain's lunch, limiting the Utes to a measly 107 yards on the ground. I was a big fan of that.

Pac 10 officials are really bad, in case you didn't already know that. In general, the game was very poorly officiated. They missed a lot of calls. I have no idea what in the world their replay officials were looking at on the fumble recovery in the end zone by Geraldo Hiwat. Here is a picture. If that's not a touchdown, I don't know what is.


Doug Martin is a complete beast. There's a reason why we call him the Muscle Hamster. His 84 yard touchdown run in the second quarter was a thing of beauty. It also got the Bronco offense rolling and kick started was to be a dominant rest of the game.


It was sloppy, but you can't ignore how good Boise State is. The first quarter was ugly, yes, but it got much better as time went by. If it wasn't for dropped passes, penalties, and bad decisions and calls by the referees, the final score could have ended up about 45-17. If only...

Areas of Concern:

It seems kind of pointless to even be doing this because the season is over, but let's do it anyway. Turnovers. We'll chalk it up to jitters, being rusty, and the fact that Kellen Moore was gone for a week of would-have-been practice time doing the awards circuit thing. That's it.

Favorite Play:

I don't even really need to say anything. Just watch:



Thoughts and Tidbits:
It was rainy and cold in Las Vegas. It's alright because it gave Coach Pete another chance to break out his awesome jacket! I really want one of those...I was informed from legitimate sources that the Keith Stein Boise State Blue Thunder Marching Band owned Utah's band during the pep rally. That's what I'm talking about! This batch of Nike Pro Combat uniforms were sick! I really liked them! The helmet has to stay! Utah has a tendency to make excuses when they lose. Head on over to blocku.com and see for yourself. Kellen Moore was named player of the game. I can't complain. Doug Martin would have been a fine choice as well.

Perception:
There has been a lot of talk about what could have been for this Boise State team, and legitimately so. If it wasn't for a missed field goal and a complete defensive lapse for two quarters, the Broncos would be preparing for a New Year's Bowl Game date with the Wisconsin Badgers. You're welcome Horned Frogs. But regardless, this has been one of the best seasons in Boise State history. Not only that, but it shows true determination, will, focus, great coaching, leadership, and resiliency to bounce back after a tough loss and be as dominant as the Broncos were against the Aggies and the Utes. I have never been more proud of a team and more excited to be a Bronco fan and Boise State graduate. As far as how the nation will see the team, I think it is still mixed. The Broncos have been polarizing all year. You either love them or you hate them. There has not been much middle ground. Still, this was a complete demolition of a ranked team on a big stage in a bowl game in Las Vegas. What else do people want? I know what we will hear; "But Utah had it's back up quarterback in." Or "The Utes weren't that good anyway." Well, the back up quarterback doesn't make his receivers drop every pass that comes to them, get a holding penalty every play as the Bronco D-line found its way into the backfield, or not cover any of Boise State's receivers in the secondary. Also, not being able to tackle Doug Martin wasn't Terrence Cain's fault either. If Utah wasn't that good anyway, why weren't people saying that when TCU came into Salt Lake City when the Utes were ranked 5th in the nation? Double standards shouldn't work in college football. Even if it wasn't a BCS Bowl against Wisconsin on New Year's Day, a bowl win is HUGE for a college football program, especially when it comes against a ranked team. I am happy and so is the team. The point is, this was a huge win in so many ways. It will put Boise State in the top 10 or at least the top 15 in the nation pre-season next year and make their opening day match up with Georgia even that much more exciting. Expect a lot of hype for that one, much like Virginia Tech this year.

Photos:

For the last time this season, let's all thank the Idaho Statesman for their great photos. Enjoy them while you reminisce a great bowl win for the Broncos!

Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 2nd Edition

The bowl season kicked off Saturday with three games, all of which turned into boring blow outs. I was at the Humanitarian Bowl and Fresno State played so bad. I saw it coming. Anyway, for the sake of saving time and energy, I won't go into detailed write ups of each game. I will just post the logo of the winning team, what my prediction was, and the actual score. If I predicted the winner correctly, the final score will be highlighted and italicized. Then I will continue on and give you a new batch of picks for some of the upcoming game. Let's get started.

New Mexico Bowl
My prediction was BYU wins 31 to 28
Final score: Cougars 52, Miners 24




uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
My prediction was Northern Illinois wins 35 to 28
Final score: Huskies 40, Bulldogs 17




R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
My prediction was Ohio wins 28 to 27
Final score: Trojans 48, Bobcats 21




Group total: 2-1
Season Total: 67-18

______________________________________________________________________________________


As a reminder: if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record.

Decmember 21st at 6 PM
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl
St. Petersburg, Florida

(8-4, 5-3 C-USA)
vs.

(6-6, 3-4 Big East)



Line: Cardinals favored by 3
*Prediction*: Golden Eagles 31, Cardinals 28

December 22nd at 6 PM
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada

(10-2, 7-1 MWC)
vs.

(11-1, 7-1 WAC)



Line: Broncos favored by 17
If you look back to the beginning of the season, the Las Vegas Bowl is not the place that Boise State thought they would be playing their bowl game. The fans and probably the players had visions of another BCS game in their heads, most likely of the National Championship sort. But it was not meant to be. One of the greatest, most talented teams in Bronco history is relegated to a pre-Christmas bowl destination against yet another Mountain West opponent. But, there is plenty to be excited about. Do you know how many teams would kill to be in the position that Boise State is in right now? Ranked in the top 10, extremely talented, huge and supportive fan base, and the opportunity to take it to a team that has been ranked in the top 25 almost all season. At one point, the Utes were 5th in the nation. I for one, am stoked to see my Broncos play one more game this year and to see what Austin Pettis, Titus Young, Jeremy Avery, Jeron Johnson, Darrell Acrey, Winston Venable, Ryan Winterswyk, and the rest of the seniors do for their last game in a Bronco uniform. Any fan who is not excited is not really a fan. Speaking of uniforms, Boise State will be wearing a new batch of Nike Pro Combat duds, completely new. They were designed for them and three other teams in the nation. I like them. Check them out here.

If Boise State is to win, they must have the same mentality that I have. This game means everything to the kids playing it and they need to get out there and prove it. Kellen Moore's leadership and Chris Petersen's perfectionist coaching style will not allow the team to come out flat and play poorly. I do not see that happening. The Broncos will perform their best and luckily for us, their best is really good. Kellen Moore will not be stopped. Doug Martin needs to return to his soul-crushing and linebacker blowing up ways for Boise State to have success. I think that will happen. Here is what scares me and should concern the Broncos (note-I know Coach Pete and his coordinators/assistant coaches have talked and game planned for all of them): Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide are really good, really physical running backs. Boise State has had problems towards the end of the season stopping big running backs (see Lennon Creer, Vai Taua, and Kerwynn Williams). Ute quarterback Terrence Cain is very mobile. He is not Colin Kaepernick mobile, but will be tough to contain. Utah has won 9 bowl games in a row. That is amazing. Also, the Broncos tend to not play well in non-BCS Bowl Games. I am confident that the coaches have found ways to fix their problems and prepare themselves for the game. Just like the players, I very much prefer a pre-New Year's non-BCS game. Have fun in the Kraft Bowl Nevada on January 9th. Anyway, if Boise State plays up to the level that they are capable of on both sides of the ball, they will win and will win pretty handily. I can see the game being close, but barring a huge mental lapse, I don't see the Broncos losing.
Prediction: Broncos 34, Utes 24


December 23rd at 6 PM
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
San Diego, California

(9-3)
vs.

(8-4, 5-3 MWC)



Line: Aztecs favored by 5
Prediction: Aztecs 38, Midshipmen 31

December 24th at 6 PM
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl
Honolulu, Hawai’i

(10-3, 7-1 WAC)
vs.

(9-3, 9-2 C-USA)




Line: Rainbow Warriors favored by 11
Two of the best offenses in the nation face off on the islands. Hawai’i ranks 9th in the nation in total offense and Tulsa ranks 10th. In other words, there will be a lot of points scored and not much defense played. The Rainbow Warriors have the top ranked passing game and will test the Golden Hurricane secondary in ways that they never knew. At the same time, Tulsa is a little more balanced with running and passing, but get the job done and get into the end zone. Unfortunately for the Golden Hurricane, Hawai’i is playing basically another home game.
Prediction: Rainbow Warriors 49, Golden Hurricane 35

Total coming in: 67-18

Check back in and get plenty more bowl coverage! Go Broncos!

Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 1st Edition

So it begins! The bowl season is finally upon us. I love this time of year and my only complaint is that it is gone too fast, much like the college football regular season. We start this weekend with three bowl games. When Saturday is over we will still have 32 to watch. Make sure you catch them all! I have picked winners and losers for all 35 games this year and I will be posting them periodically. There are a few things that you should know; if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:

*Prediction*:

Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record, which is currently at 65-17. That's not too shabby. I am putting it all on the line here and we will see how it works out for me. There, now you are ready for my picks!

I have the opportunity to go to the Humanitarian Bowl with a friend of mine and of course I am taking advantage of said opportunity. I will see all the action on The Blue first hand and will enjoy every second of it. Now, let's be honest. These three games are not the most exciting. There are much better bowls coming up later on. Troy vs. Ohio is a snooze fest, but you might as well watch it anyway. What else are you going to do? Anyway, let's get to it and

December 18th at 12 PM
New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque, New Mexico

(6-6, 5-3 MWC)
vs.

(6-6, 3-5 C-USA)



Line: BYU favored by 12
Prediction: Cougars 31, Miners 28

December 18th at 3:30 PM
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Boise, Idaho

(10-3, 8-0 MAC)
vs.

(8-4, 5-3 WAC)



Line: Huskies favored by 1
The Huskies’ head coach bailed and went to Minnesota. They hired Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren, but he won’t make the trip to The Blue because he wants to finish what he started with the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. This Northern Illinois team in talented, but the lack of stability at the top plus a coach leaving is not good for bowl preparation and focus. On the other hand, Fresno State has had yet again another middle-of-the-pack season after recruiting very well and having plenty of talent on the roster. You get the feeling that the Bulldogs are tired of playing in the same bowls over and over and want something better; they want to be Boise State. The New Mexico Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl two times each will do that to you. The Bulldogs will bank on a healthy Robbie Rouse to carry the rock a lot and the Huskies will do the same with their running back Chad Spann. The team that wants to be here will win.
Prediction: Huskies 35, Bulldogs 28

December 18th at 7 PM
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, Louisiana

(8-4, 6-2 MAC)
vs.

(7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt)



Line: Troy favored by 2
*Prediction*: Bobcats 28, Trojans 27

Record coming in: 65-17

Check back in soon! I will post my next batch of Bowl Picks on December 20th, including the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas! Enjoy the holidays and as always, Go Broncos!

The Secret of Boise State's Offensive Success and Prowess?

I may have found it! Actually, it is just a breakdown of what the Broncos do on offense that makes them so potent and basically unstoppable. This article is from a website called "Smart Football." It was written by Mike Kuchar on behalf of one of the site's writers named Mike Brown. Go ahead and read it. It's quite long, but goes into great detail on the ins and outs, nuances, and actions of the Boise State offense led by Kellen Moore.

Kuchar wrote "Breaking down Boise: How the Broncos use leverage, numbers and grass to gash the opposition" from the viewpoint, vision, and mind frame of a defensive coordinator, as he is one for a high school in New Jersey. It was part of Virginia Tech's effort to break down game tape and find a way to slow down the Broncos. Obviously, this all happened during the summer before the two teams faced off on Labor Day in Washington, D.C. The article has diagrams, analysis, intense explanations on what the Hokies need to do to win the game, as well as a sweet picture of the mastermind of it all, Coach Chris Petersen. My favorite is the last part of the piece where Kuchar labels "Die Slowly" as a key to the game. Good times...

Basically what it says is that the Broncos use a lot of motion, leverage, and options to gain advantages on the opposing defense. Whatever the other team shows, Boise State has an option or a play to counteract it. The key, says Kuchar, is a smart quarterback that makes good decisions. Well that I Kellen Moore in a nutshell. He has been the key factor for the Broncos since he took his first snap as a freshman. He has set a precedent for a potent offense that Southwick, Hedrick, and whoever else starts as quarterback for Boise State will have to follow. The best part is that even though Kellen has set the bar so high, he has done it in a way that will help make his heir successful. You can never go wrong by winning.

'Twas Three Nights Before Christmas

'Twas three nights before Christmas, we're yelling, no shame,
blue and orange clad friends sat watching the game.
The Broncos were playing the Utes at Sam Boyd
But "playing" means the Utes are getting destroyed.
Despite the late start no children are in bed
with visions of Kellen "scrambling" in their head.
And mamma in her most favorite BSU shirt
Just finished saying how much a loss would hurt.

When out on the grass there arose such a clatter.
I sprang from my snuggie to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like Titus Young,
Tore down the blinds from the window where they hung.
The moon reflected on my new Bronco flag,
Like Avery, dodging defenders that lag.
What do my wondering eyes suddenly meet
It's Doug, Pettis, Kellen, Titus, and Coach Pete!

With a little old driver, lively, with wits
I knew in a moment it must be Lyle Smith.
More rapid than eagles on blue turf they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
Now 'Swyk, now Titus, now Austin and Efaw
On Kellen, on Coach Pete, on Brotzman and Hiwat!
To the Bronco car flag, to the Bronco night-light!
Now punt, now pass, kick, run and score touchdowns all night!

As dry leaves that before the blue hurricane fly,
When Moore meets an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to window the players they flew,
With the Kyle Wilson RV, and Byron Hout, too!
And then, in a jiffy, I heard in my room
The hitting and scoring; "Boise State!" I presume!
As I drew in my head, and was shouting with joy,
Coach Pete tapped my shoulder and said; "Hey there my boy!"

He was dressed in a jacket, a cap on his head
"Is that thing surgically attached?" To him I said.
His mouth smiled, in the Coach Pete kind of way,
And he opened his playbook, ready to call a play.
With a twinkle in his eye, hand on his left knee,
Into his microphone; "Statue of Liberty!"
We ran to the TV, in unison "hurrah!"
Just as Kellen and the rest embarrassed Utah.

"How can you be here and there at the same time?"
I asked with my hands, still short of words like a mime.
"It's part of the magic, the perks of Boise State.
Would you like to try? Call a play, see how you rate."
My life had led up to this, I knew what to do.
And I laughed when I said it; "Give the ball to 'Shoe.'"
The Utes were so focused on Pettis and Young,
Shoemaker was left wide open, the ball was flung.

With not a defender around, the ball flew
Into the arms of Tyler, AKA "Shoe."
The game went on with plenty of Bronco scoring
If I wasn't a fan I'd say it was boring.
I heard Pete yell as the team left and went out of sight,
"Happy Las Vegas Bowl to all, and to all a victorious night!"

Jim Delany and co. Resort to Empty Threats, Name Calling

"It" has really hit the fan now. Big 10 commissioner and giant egotistical d-bag Jim Delany has finally said what he and the rest of the BCS head honchos have all been thinking for years, and it is exactly what you think it is. The selfish, entitled elitists like him have really dug themselves in deep. Delany's statements are asinine. I was never able to fathom what kind of massive bullcrap is floating around that ugly balding head of his until now. But let's go back to the beginning and set the table for what went down yesterday.

It all started last Sunday, December 5th when the final BCS Rankings were released on ESPN. For some reason Boise State fell from 10th to 11th, swapping places with LSU. Nobody thought much of it because the computer ranking system is as ridiculous as it is convoluted. However, on Monday morning, BCS analyst Jerry Palm discovered an error in one of the computer's formula. Wes Colley didn't include the Appalachian State/Western Illinois playoff game in his rankings and that was enough to put the Tigers ahead of the Broncos. Go ahead and read the story here. Fortunately, Colley is the only one of the 6 computer that makes his formula public. He and BCS director Bill Hancock have since apologized.

First things first; what in the world does a Division 1-AA (FCS) playoff game have to do with the current BCS Rankings? It blows my mind. Add in the fact that whatever happened between Appalachian State and Western Illinois was enough to change the order of the rankings, and you have a problem. What if the erroneous computer scores had put the wrong team in a BCS Bowl? There would me mass hysteria and backlash for Mr. Colley and the BCS system. Also, how do we know the other 5 computers didn't make similar or more egregious mistakes? There's no way to check them because they are kept secret. In other words, the BCS blows and we have just another example why.

Anyway, as we all know, Boise State president Bob Kustra is never short on words. He is always at the front, carrying the "abolish the BCS" flag. Well he lit into Hancock, Colley, and anybody else who would listen about the lack of transparency and honesty in the computer ranking system. He sent a heated e-mail to all conference commissioners saying just that, which you can read here.

I agree with the points that Kustra made in the e-mail, but you knew that his actions and words were just going to escalate things even more, which they did.

Delany's and other conference heads' threats, or ultimatums if you will, can be read here. Here are some excerpts that sum of how he and the rest of the BCS-Conference schools feel;

From Jim Delany:
"The problem is your big stage takes away opportunities for my teams, to play on the stage they created in 1902."

"We gave up the Rose Bowl, the SEC gave up access to the Sugar Bowl, others were included but they never had access to any of this before. You have to understand who brought what to the table. Who's continuing to give and who's continuing to get."

From Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe:
"Don't push it past this because if you push it past this, the Big 12's position is we'll just go back to the old (bowl) system. You're getting the ability to get to places you've never gotten before. We've Jerry-rigged the free market system to the benefit of those institutions and a lot are institutions that don't even fill their stadiums."

Pac 10 commish Larry Scott:
"The six (BCS) conferences have bent over backwards and tried to be politically correct to their own detriment, probably further than they had to, maybe should have."

These are the juiciest parts. At least they finally told us how they really feel. What gives them the right to dictate and decide who is good enough to participate in their prestigious bowl games? Are all schools not playing the same game? It's like all non-AQ schools have leprosy. Basically, Delany and the rest are saying that Boise State, TCU, and Utah are lucky that they even get the scraps off of the big boys' BCS table. Ridiculous. It can only get worse for them. Saying things like this are like sending an open invitation to Congress and other government entities to investigate them even deeper for anti-trust violations.

So I ask; is the BCS a cartel? A corporation? A company? A business? A bunch of arrogant know-it-alls sitting in a room conspiring ways to maximize their financial intake while excluding deserving programs because they see them as inferior? Yes to all! The truth is finally out there straight from the horses' mouth, and it is not pretty.