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WAC Preview: Boise State Broncos
By Kevan Lee | July 9, 2008
The more things change around the landscape of college football, the more they stay the same in Boise, Idaho. The Boise State Broncos are perennial WAC favorites, perennial BCS busters and one of the most high-flying, entertaining teams in all the land. Why should this year be any different?
Well, actually there are a number of reasons why. Boise State is coming off a two-game losing streak, having lost the season finale at Hawaii with the conference title on the line and following that up with a loss in the Hawaii Bowl. To make matters worse, the defense underperformed at linebacker, two of the top defensive backs are gone, Ryan Clady is in the NFL and four of his O-line mates graduated. A starting quarterback is undecided, the team’s leading receiver was suspended for the spring and a healthy Ian Johnson is growing increasingly rare. Despite all that, the Broncos are still picked by everyone to finish no worse than second in the WAC. Take that, parity.
Most schools would be sunk having experienced that kind of turnover and turmoil, but not BSU. A lot of credit should go to the Bronco coaching staff and especially head coach Chris Petersen. In his third year, Petersen is good enough to be coaching at virtually any major conference school, yet he remains committed to the Broncos…he probably likes the challenge.
He’ll earn his keep this season picking a starting quarterback. The competition, which was four-wide in spring ball, looks to be narrowed down to two players: senior Bush Hamdan and redshirt freshman Kellen Moore. Hamdan was in a similar quarterback competition position last year, losing out to eventual starter Taylor Tharp. Hamdan certainly has experience on his side. He has been in the Boise State system for years and he knows the offense backwards and forwards. On the other hand, Moore is young and inexperienced, although it certainly didn’t show in spring practice. After his performance in the spring, Moore has many people believing that he will be the starting quarterback come opening week. If history is any indication, whoever wins the starting job should be a fantasy standout. The Boise State offense always creates a successful quarterback and this year should be no different. Ryan Dinwiddie and Jared Zabransky were multi-year starters who were fantasy football greats. Even Tharp from last year’s team was better statistically than a majority of quarterbacks in the country.
In addition to being part of a great system, the next Boise State quarterback has a wealth of outstanding receivers to which to throw the ball. Leading receiver Jeremy Childs returns for his junior year, having set a team record for receptions a year ago (82 catches, nine touchdowns). Childs runs great routes and catches everything thrown his way. If he is ready to go when the season kicks off (Childs was suspended in the spring for academic issues), he should put up the same big numbers as a year ago. Childs is far from the only weapon at the position. Sophomore Titus Young was a budding star last year, catching five touchdowns and causing headaches for defensive backs. Young has the speed and ability to beat his man deep on virtually every play and he developed a good relationship with Moore during the spring. The receiving corps is balanced out by Austin Pettis and Vinny Perretta, two solid players who will see their fair share of balls thrown their way.
Julian Hawkins, a tight end-wide receiver hybrid, could be a good pick-up for deep fantasy leagues. Hawkins often splits out wide, next to Childs, Young, and Pettis, and he provides a big target on passing plays.
If you thought the depth at receiver was impressive, the talent in the backfield might be even better. The player who will get the most attention is RB Ian Johnson. Fighting through injuries last season, Johnson still finished the year with more than 1,000 yards rushing and a WAC-best 16 touchdowns. Fantasy owners may have expected similar production to his sophomore season (1,700 yards, 25 touchdowns), but a down year by Johnson’s lofty standards should not scare owners away this fall. The senior running back will be very motivated to have a career season and should place himself alongside the best backs in the nation. If anything should happen to Johnson, the Bronco backfield is full of capable legs to take his place. One of the players competing for Johnson’s backup role is sophomore D.J. Harper, who rushed for 376 yards and six touchdowns last year. He and Jeremy Avery (672 yards, eight touchdowns) were very effective filling in for Johnson a year ago. Avery and Harper have different running styles; Avery makes people miss, and Harper makes people pay. Both provide a great change of pace from Johnson. A running back to keep an eye on is redshirt freshman Doug Martin, a bruiser who could get important carries in goalline packages.
Wide receiver and running back are stocked with young talent, and the same is true of the Broncos’ kicker. Kyle Brotzman was Lou Groza-esque as a freshman last year, connecting on 15 of 17 field goals. Of his two misses, one came up short and the other was blocked. Now that he does not have to handle the punting duties in addition to PATs and field goals, Brotzman should be an even greater weapon for the Broncos.
An area of concern for Boise State last year was the play of its defense. At times last season, the “D” was hard to watch, especially in the four overtime 69-67 win over Nevada. The linebackers took the most blame in the offseason and Bronco coaches had an open competition for spots in the spring. One player who stepped up was sophomore LB Derrell Acrey, a highly touted player who exceeded expectations. He and DE Ryan Winterswyk will be key to the Bronco defense this fall.
Conclusion
A lot has changed for Boise State since last season, yet the Broncos still find themselves in the conversation for a WAC championship and a BCS berth. Replacing four offensive line starters might put a crimp in the normally high-powered offense, and breaking in a new quarterback could come with some growing pains. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of reasons to like Boise State as a small-conference powerhouse and a fantasy football factory.
Kevan Lee runs a website for Boise State football called One Bronco Nation Under God (OBNUG). For the best Bronco news, humor, and commentary, visit www.obnug.com.
Topics: College Football, Kevan Lee, Preview, WAC |
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