Category: Sports

Game one is in the books.  49-7 win for the Broncos.  I predicted a 42-10 final so I wasn’t too far off.  Here are my observations from the game.

First impressions on the Stuekle Sky Suites… Wow.  Very impressive looking.  In fact, the whole west side just looks real real nice.  That thing is definitely big time.  I would LOVE to see a game from there, but that may have to wait a year or 20.  Maybe someday I’ll have the bankroll to do something nutty like that.  But, I will say, sitting on the east side and looking at that thing, it really is a sight to behold.  Also, I gotta give the people in those suites and club seats props… even though they were in the high-dollar area, most of them were still rocking the blue and orange gear.  I didn’t see many suits or anything through my binos.

As an aside, I’m sure I’ve made this point before but I’m going to make it again.  The number of people wearing Bronco gear to games is just astounding.  I vividly remember years ago when maybe 20% of the people actually had something on that read “Boise State” or “BSU”.  Now?  I’d guess we’re at about 90-95% saturation.  I absolutely love it.  Once again, big props to the athletic department and that new logo they rolled out.

Continue reading “Game 1 Reaction – Idaho State”

Really? I don’t buy it…

ESPN.com is detailing out the “hate” in college football and broke it down conference by conference. Apparently, the WAC hates Fresno State.

Come again?

I don’t buy that for a second. Specifically for this reason. Don’t you have to actually win at least one conference title to be hated? Seriously. I mean, nobody hates Utah State (except maybe Utah State fans). Yeah, Fresno goes out and plays and sometimes beats the big boys. That’s all well and good, but then they get back into conference play and fold like a lawn chair. They have not won a WAC title since 1999 (2 years prior to Boise State coming into the WAC). How can anyone hate Fresno, other than their being generally obnoxious and unlikeable people (which has nothing to do with football)?

I don’t even hate Fresno’s coach Pat Hill. He seems like a nice enough guy.  Good coach. If I had to pick a coach I hate, that mantle is easily locked up by Hal Mumme. I really hate that guy. But again, New Mexico State isn’t near good enough to generate enough hate overall to even rank on the scale.

Not that I want to be hated, but I think the only choice for the “most hated in the WAC” title can only be Boise State. You’re telling me that a team with a 46-2 conference record since 2002 and 5 straight titles in that span isn’t the most hated? Really? Do you other teams enjoy the ass kickings or what? We could spend 20 minutes listing out the records and accomplishments of the Broncos without pause here. Not to mention the whole Fiesta Bowl thing, which most schools in the WAC could only DREAM about.

Tell me that nearly every team in the WAC hates Fresno more than Boise State and I’ll call you a liar.

Yesterday , Ryan Clady became Boise State’s all time highest NFL draft pick. He was taken at twelve by the Denver Broncos. He doesn’t change colors or mascots when going to the pros. I think he will do really well in Denver, because their scheme fits his strength. <football geek speak>They run a zone-blocking scheme which requires some more athleticism than just a straight line up and play smashmouth </football geek speak>.  I wasn’t able to watch a large chunk of the first day of the draft for a reason that I will have to tell you more about later.

Clady will always have a place in Boise State lore. You may remember a little play called “statue left”, aka. the game winning 2 point conversion in overtime in the Fiesta Bowl vs Oklahoma. His block helped seal the left end of the line (along with current Buffalo Bill Derek Schouman) to allow Ian Johnson to scamper across the goal line.

I’m going to be perfectly honest. As good as Clady was for us, I still don’t think he was the best offensive linemen that Boise State has ever had. I can recall numerous times where he was whistled for a drive killing penalty or him missing his guy and giving up a sack. I can’t back this up with numbers, but I trust my own eyes.

Still the best OL I have seen here is Daryn Colledge. Now a starter with the Green Bay Packers he graduated 3 years ago. I think he flew a bit under the radar because Boise State was not as well known then as they are now in this post-Fiesta Bowl universe.

Daryn was a 4 year starter for us. He owns both the consecutive games played and consecutive games started records at BSU, with 52 straight. We went 45-7 in his years here. One of his biggest wins was in that Hawaii game where he blocked 2 fourth quarter kicks, both returned by Orlando Scandrick and directly gave us the win.

Whenever he was matched up against a defensive end who had a lot of hype, he destroyed them. Specifically Bill Swancutt of Oregon State and Mathias Kiwanuka of Boston College. Neither of them did ANYTHING against Colledge.

When one is comparing offensive linemen, there is really very little hard data to go on. They don’t acrue many stats. I don’t think you can even use draft place as a guage either. So much goes into where a player is taken in the NFL. They don’t draft for how good a player is, they draft to how they project their game will translate to the pros. Which are not the same thing.

Then again, I’m just a fan, not an NFL scout. As a fan watching the games, I never had the confidence in Clady that I had in Colledge. So, in my book, Colledge will always be the best left tackle to ever come through the school.

All that being said, this is still a great thing for both Clady and Boise State. Having a player drafted in the top 12 is huge. It shows every single recruit that if you’re good, you can play at Boise State and still be drafted high. You don’t have to go to a Pac-10 school. You will play on national TV 5 or 6 times a year here. You will get seen.

Speaking of Orlando Scandrick, I just saw him get picked at place 143 going to the Dallas Cowboys.

In other ex-Bronco news, Chris Carr made news recently that might have been missed by some of you. He is the defensive back/kick returner who has been with the Oakland Raiders for the past 3 years as an undrafted free agent. He recently signed a contract with the Tennessee Titans for $2 million for 2 years. That is awesome. Despite being with the Raiders only 3 years he is their all-time kick return yardage leader. That is pretty impressive. Congrats, Chris.

It’s a good time to be a Bronco.

Which is the halftime score of the Hawaii Bowl. Boise State is on the losing end.  Ouch.

I’ve seen the Broncos play like this before.  It makes me sick to my stomach.  They played like this against Washington.  They played like this against Nevada.  Uninspired.  Confused. Pathetic.

Tharp is more confused than the first time he started.  Running around and panicy.  I think having Childs sitting at home suspended hurts him a LOT.  I mean, he is either not finding open guys, or is throwing it up for grabs. Horrible. The receivers are dropping balls and worse, fumbling.  Ian obviously isn’t the same since he tweaked his ankle in practice this week. Avery limped off the field just before half.

The defense is missing tackles left and right. Which isn’t good when you are also missing assignments.

Unless they pull their heads out of their collective asses, we are in big trouble.

Honestly, it looks to me like the team went to Hawaii for a vacation… not to win a football game.  They are not focused.  They are not sharp.  Unless things turn around, we’re gonna lose bad.

Bah Humbug.

Sometimes, I really hate sports. I do.

Why? Because one damn game can ruin my whole day.

I wish it didn’t affect me so much. But, there is nothing I can do. I’m just going to be salty for a while.

Happy friggin birthday to me.

*sigh*