Defenses win championships, and it should come as no surprise to anyone who follows Boise State football, whether close or from afar, that the Bronco defense is the strength of the team.
That was quite evident tonight in the annual Blue & Orange Spring Game in Bronco Stadium before over 14,000 people on a warm evening in Boise. When Kellen Moore has trouble completing passes, you know he's facing a top-notch defense, and that was the case tonight. Moore only played two series by my account and simply did not have people to throw to. Joe Southwick and Grant Hedrick had more luck against the second team Boise State defense, but nothing came easy. Hedrick led the offense to its only touchdown as time ran out with a scamper into the end zone.
Two players really stood out, well three but more on that. Freshman cornerback Bryan Douglas had a pick of Southwick, three other passes broken up and several tackles. Wide receiver Geraldo Hiwat was by far the star of the receiving corps with four catches for 93 yards. Hiwat's height, a raw ability that can be honed by the Bronco coaches exactly the way they want it to go, and his speed make him a dangerous receiver. I told you about him as spring ball was unfolding and he indeed is the real deal.
The third Bronco to really stand out was defensive tackle Billy Winn. He had a couple of sacks, a few more tackles for loss, and was a constant bother to the offense. Here's the bad news--a few minutes before the game was over, Winn went down. Trainers rushed out on the field to aid him. Billy put no weight at all on his left leg. He was sitting at the trainer's table for the remainder of the game and after the game. He tried once to get up but could not put weight on his leg. If it's a sprain or break, it's something he can probably recover from. If it's an ACL, outlook not so good. Stay tuned for more on that.
As for who will step up on defense, it appears that freshman Jeremy Ioane and JC transfer Dextrell Simmons have made great strides and will be serious contenders at strong safety and nickelback, respectively; Hunter White also played well at nickel tonight. Charles Leno played a good deal with the offense at tackle.
While Hiwat stepped up, as we told you a month ago, unfortunately a third receiver did not to join returning starter Tyler Shoemaker. It's going to be a toss-up apparently for that third wideout between Aaron Burks, Kirby Moore, Mitch Burroughs and Chris Potter.
Several of the key players for Boise State were kept out of the game with nagging injuries, none of them too serious, and the stars for Boise State--Kellen Moore and Doug Martin played sparingly. The one real concern is Winn.
Overall, a great effort tonight--saw lots of good things from the Boise State team. Last year, the Broncos got off to a big lead over Virginia Tech then let them back in the game. Don't want to do that against Georgia and roll the dice again for another miracle finish. So we will find out September 3rd if Boise State is to be taken seriously on the national stage.
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