Boise State's Quarterback Dilemna

210 Days till kickoff...

But who is going to be the starting Quarterback for Boise State? Only time will tell...

Spring Practice should help the coaches get a feel for who should start but there are 6 QB's on the roster.

Finley, Stuart, Ogle, Rypien, Upshaw, and recent walk-on Collingham

Lots of talent in that group. I guess it's suiting that Idaho is the gem state...because Boise State's recruiting has shown to be one of the best in the Nation finding gems, 2 to 3 star unrecruited, raw talent who come to be first-round draft picks in the National Football League.

The list is huge. Kyle Wilson, Doug Martin, Kellen Moore, Titus Young, and Ian Johnson are just some examples of not highly sought after players who later went on the NFL.

I'm excited to see how much depth and talent will emerge from this class, the season after an Ohio State team won the National Championship on their 3rd string quarterback. A lesson all can learn from...

Go Broncos!

Kellen Moore 2.0?

Kellen Moore and Brett Rypien

They both wear number 11. They are both from Washington. Both Pro-style Quarterbacks. Two Boise State players.

But there are a couple differences between these two players...

Kellen Moore was #10 in the state, 3 stars on rivals.com, and set all kinds of records in the NCAA and for the Boise State football program.

Brett Rypien is #1 in Washington, 4 stars on rivals.com, and has already set the record for 13,044 passing yards in high school, also a single season record of 4552 yards. But there's more. He was named by the Seattle Times as player of the year.

To add to his potential at Boise State, Brett has blood of an NFL player. Redskins Legend Mark Rypein is his uncle, who also wore #11 as a quarterback.

Numbers do not always mean everything so I am not saying Brett Rypien will be a better quarterback than Kellen Moore. From the looks of it though...he has the potential and even the last name to do so, now the question is, will he live up to the hype?

"now the question is, will he live up to the hype?"

Attack the Future: Boise State '15 Recruits

Source:
http://seattletimes.com/html/sports/2025244168_prepplayersofyear16xml.html
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Fiesta Bowl: Game Preview

If you look at the numbers, Boise State and Arizona are nearly equal - so the Broncos need to have the best game of their season to get in the win in Glendale on the national stage.

The key to this game is the offensive line

With good pass protection, they can open up the field for Jay Ajayi to contribute on offense. When Jay is rushing, they'll get the win. In all of the losses so far this season, Ajayi has not been a factor.

So with one of the best linebackers in college football, Scooby Wright, on the field... the Broncos will have a hard time exploding on offense.

Grant Hedrick has shown that under pressure he turns the ball over. Against Ole Miss and Air Force this was the case. 8 total interceptions in two games, with 13 in the entire season (take those two games out of the picture, and he only has 5 passes intercepted in 11 games). Of course sports commentators don't care to mention that.

The good news is, he has improved. Against Utah State Grant Hedrick made better decisions on when to pass and when to scramble, and didn't give up the football. But he did get sacked, 4 times. Heres the key: 0 interceptions against the #1 defense in the conference.

Also the Boise State Broncos as a whole have improved, as they have shown over their 8-game win streak. Bouncing back from a rough start, they haven't looked back.

Here's a few players that Arizona have only seen on tape...stats can only speak so loud. They aren't going to be ready for these weapons on defense and offense:

Kamalei Correa
Darian Thompson
Donte Deayon
Tanner Vallejo

Grant Hedrick
Chaz Anderson
Jake Roh
Shane Williams-Rhodes

Thankfully, The Mountain West Conference snubbing the entire University of awards, and 84% of Americans choosing Arizona over Boise State...give the team the added #Fueltothefire they need to get the win.

This is the first time in history these teams will play each other, needless to say, this will be a great game.

Attack the Fiesta!

Photo credit for statistical comparison: broncosports.com

Coach Harsin was dissapointed by...

The Broncos have had lots of success this first year being coached by Bryan Harsin and have gone 11-2, winning the Mountain West Conference. This is after the success Christ Peterson had in his time in Boise, departing to take over the head coaching position at Washington last year.

And if you watched Boise State head football coach Bryan Harsin's interview after the Wyoming game you may have noticed he talked about getting the new players some playing time. [video linked below]

He talked about these players saying "we did get a chance to get some young guys in there, which is good and bad...bottom line is..."

"Some guys did well and some guys didn't."

Coach Harsin reminds us that "there is a future for this football team, these guys that are playing are the future. When they get opportunities to play they need to play well."

Some of their future may rest in 6'3" Arizona native Ryan Finley.

But this head coach is expecting a lot out of these broncos, namely Ryan Finley. He will be leading the Boise State Broncos team after finishing a season being ranked 20th nationally. Bryan Harsin not only expects a lot, but wants his team to 'Attack the Future'.

This is their quarterback Grant Hedrick's last season as a bronco and will need Finley to step up big time as they continue to have success. In the Wyoming game, Ryan did not throw a pass and ran twice for 15 yards. But some of his plays made the highlight reel, only it was Wyoming's highlights. Finley fumbled the ball on his first possession and was sacked nearly 20 yards behind the scrimmage line in his attempt to avoid the tackle.

Later against Utah State Finley was 0 for 2 in completions. Not the greatest statistics for a player who did so well at the high school level in Arizona. Ryan Finley did have a decent start though, playing against Ole Miss in the first game of the season he was 12 for 25, 2 touchdowns and had 1 interception. Not the worst start for a freshman playing against a #8 Ole Miss team. His stats were better than the first 3 quarters when Grant Hedrick was playing.

Either way, September 2015 we will see how Finley has improved and if he is ready to lead this Bronco team to another great season.

For all of us Boise State fans, we sure hope so...

Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9batjSjuw6s

Boise's Ajayi was almost nonexistent...here's how they won.

Let's take a quick look at some stats.

Boise State's Jay Ajayi rushes for an average of 129.9 yards per game (9th in the country). Fresno successfully kept Ajayi to 70 yards total. This is the same running back who scored 5 times against the #1 defense in the conference, Utah State.

They also held the Broncos leading receiver Thomas Sperbeck to one reception, who leads the team with 678 yards since replacing the injured Matt Miller. The other receiver behind Sperbeck is Shane Williams-Rhodes, who was without a reception.

So how did Boise State win?

When most teams would struggle with their top players not getting the yards and receptions they need, Boise has other offensive weapons that stepped up on their last home game on the blue.

The team's MVP Grant Hedrick rushed for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns, and other Broncos shined: McNichols Anderson Roh and Huff stepped up with receptions. Let's not forget the powerful defense that had 3 interceptions, 4 sacks, and a blocked field goal that stopped the Fresno State offense from getting more points on the board.

Although Fresno stopped the top offensive players, the bulldogs still couldn't pull of the win, even with a 14 point comeback in the second half. Boise went up 21-0 into halftime and held onto that lead, only having Grant Hedrick score on a run in the third.

Also thanks to Bronco Nation for cheering your Broncos on to become Mountain West Champions!

Fresno State's Head Coach said at the end of the game "There's clearly a home-field advantage here". The Broncos improve to 88-4 since the year 2000 on the blue turf. Amazing.

Protect the blue!

There's Only Room For One Underdog...

As much as Boise State empathizes with teams like Marshall and Colorado State, they know all too well that every game is a must win.

In 2010, the Broncos were ranked #3 nationally and had hopes for a BCS National Championship game dashed by an overtime loss to Nevada in their second to last game of the season.

Marshall also went undefeated until their second to last game of the season, losing in overtime to Western Kentucky. Colorado State also had a significant argument for their chances at a BCS bowl game because they had a 10-1 record, with their only loss to Boise State. This changed after Air Force kicked a last minute field goal, crushing any chance they had. The Colorado State Rams finish their season 10-2, falling short of their BCS bowl game hope and are no longer in the top 25 rankings.

Now the debate for the #1 Group of Five team that deserves a spot in a BCS bowl game is a pretty easy decision now. Boise State has two losses, one to Ole Miss who upset #4 Mississippi State over the weekend, and the other to Air Force.

The loss to Air Force put them out of an argument for being ranked in the top 10 but they do have a stronger strength of schedule than teams like Colorado State and Marshall. This year there are a lot of 3 and 4 loss teams ranked in the top 25 so only having one conference loss and the other to a top 25 team gives them the spot for a New Years Bowl game.

Sorry Cinderella...

This season, only one underdog is left fighting for the chance at a BCS bowl game.

If Boise State wins the Mountain West Championship game this saturday, they are predicted to return to the Fiesta Bowl against Arizona.

Post-Game: Utah State

Jay Ajayi won Mountain West Offensive Player of the week with his 5-touchdown 229 yard performance in the Broncos 50-19 win against Utah State Saturday. This is the 3rd time Ajayi has won this award.

For someone so talented, it's ironic to hear Ajayi's parents wanted him to play soccer as a kid. Good thing they moved to Texas, where he was able to shine as a running back - rushing for 2,219 yards his senior year.

The significance of this game was more than Jay's performance - this Utah State team had the #1 Defense in the Mountain West and had averaged holding teams to 18 points a game, making them one of the better defenses in the country. But Boise State had other plans..

Boise is the #1 offense in the Conference, and have amassed 211 points in their last 4 games and since October haven't scored less than 38 points. They are currently 9th in the Points For ranking in all of FBS.

Boise State came out firing on all cylinders early leading 20-9 at the end of the first quarter, stunning the Utah State Aggies.

Grant Hedrick also threw 18/24 for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. Freshman tight end Jake Roh also had an outstanding night gaining 75 yards on 4 receptions, averaging over 18 yards a catch.

With this win, the Broncos a chance to play in the Mountain West Conference championship, Dec 6 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise against Fresno State. This win will determine the chances of Boise State playing in the Fiesta Bowl, where they are predicted to play against Arizona.


INJURY REPORT: Safety Chanceller James will not return for the remainder of the season



Photo Source: Broncosports.com