Friday, November 29, 2013

The 2013 Boise State Seniors: A Record-Breaking Run for A Class Act

The 2013 Boise State Senior Class has accomplished much during its time in Idaho's capital city.  Since 2010, 10 of the Bronco seniors have either earned all-conference honors, All-Academic honors, or both.  With post-season honors still to be awarded, the Bronco Senior Class has received a total of 20 all-conference honors on and off the field.

It has been a record-breaking run for these seniors.

The Broncos broke their own modern record earlier this year for the most wins in a 15-year period.  With at least two games to play, Boise State is 164-28 since 1999.  Florida State held the modern mark of 160-23-1 from 1987-2001 until Boise State broke it last year, going 163-29 from 1998-2012.   

The Boise State seniors also made sure they extended the school streak of seven or more victories to 15 consecutive seasons.  They moved the school up to 17th in college football history with that streak.

Entering the final week of the regular season, these seniors have led Boise State to a 42-8 record over the last four years.  That mark is ahead of LSU (42-9), ahead of Florida State (42-10), ahead of Oklahoma (41-10), ahead of Ohio State (29-8), in fact ahead of every college football team in the nation except Alabama (46-5), Oregon (45-6), Stanford (44-7) and Northern Illinois (46-8).

Besides being the fifth-best senior class in America, the 2013 Bronco senior class is the 12th straight class at Boise State to win 40 or more games in four years.  The Bronco seniors helped the team to a 12-1 record, culminating in a 26-3 win over Utah in the Maaco Bowl.  The following year, Boise State went 12-1, with a 56-24 victory over Arizona State in the Maaco Bowl.  Last season, the Broncos finished with an 11-2 mark, beating Washington 28-26 in the Las Vegas Bowl.  And Boise State is 7-4 this season.

But this class's achievements go far beyond the playing field.  For three years in a row, Boise State's football team has ranked among the nation's top 10 percent for Academic Progress Rate or APR, which measures eligibility and retention of a team's student-athletes.  Boise State is one of just seven schools to accomplish that feat, with the others being Clemson, Northwestern, Duke, Rutgers, Rice and Ohio State.  

Leading up to their senior year, the Broncos had a four-year score of 993 (a school record), which was second in the nation to Northwestern (996).  Boise State was tied for second last year with Duke, both with scores of 989.

The 2013 Bronco seniors also left Boise State with the best winning percentage of all-time among major college schools: Boise State is 176-50 (77.88%) as a major college football team, besting Michigan (73.36%), Notre Dame (73.34%), Oklahoma (71.99%), Ohio State (71.86%), Texas (71.61%) and Alabama (71.51%).
By clinching a winning season several weeks ago, the 2013 class also preserved Boise State's lead for the highest percentage of winning seasons as a major college school.  The Broncos have finished with winning seasons in 16-of-18 years (88.89%), to top Michigan (87.90%), Alabama (87.27%) and Ohio State (87.25%).

Join Bronco Nation Saturday in Bronco Stadium to salute these 16 great Bronco seniors:


#17 Geraldo Boldewijn, Wide Receiver

Geraldo made his first career start as a freshman in 2010, and finished the year with 11 catches for 160 yards (14.5 yards per catch).  In 2011, Boldewijn started three games, and finished the season with 19 receptions for 266 yards (14.0) and two touchdowns.  Last year, he started four games, and finished with 18 catches for 197 yards and two scores.

Boldewijn has set career highs in 2013 with 34 catches for 474 yards (13.9 per catch) and two touchdowns.  Starting every game this season, Geraldo has combined with Shane Williams Rhodes (77 receptions) and Matt Miller (68) to set the school record for receptions by a trio with 179.

In his Bronco career, the gifted Boldewijn has caught 82 passes for 1,097 yards (13.4 yards per catch) and six TD's.  Boldewijn currently ranks 32nd in Boise State history in career receptions (82) and 30th in career yards (1,097).



#32 Jonathan Brown, Linebacker

In 2010, Brown was credited with 16 tackles, 5 of them solo, with .5 tackles for loss and two passes defended.  He was named to the Western Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.  The following year, Jonathan earned four starts, and finished the year with 19 tackles, 9 solo, 2.5 for loss, a forced fumble, and an interception.  Brown was once again an All-Academic performer, this time in Boise State's new conference, the Mountain West.  In 2012, Brown had 10 tackles, 7 solo, with 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and a pass defended, and was named to the Mountain West All-Academic Team.

Coming back after a season opening injury, Jonathan has seven tackles, .5 for loss, this year.

Brown has posted 52 tackles, 26 of them solo, with 3.5 tackles for loss, three passes defended, one sack, two forced fumbles and an interception in his Bronco career.



#76 Jake Broyles, Offensive Line

In 2010, Broyles played in five games.  The following year, Jake made three starts before a season-ending injury.  In 2012, Broyles made one start and played in four games.

Jake has played in four games this season.




#18 Aaron Burks, Wide Receiver

Burks played in 10 games as a freshman, and grabbed six catches for 58 yards.  He played in all 13 games as a sophomore, winding up the season with six receptions for 57 yards.  Last season, Aaron made two starts and played in all 13 games, finishing his best season with 17 catches for 319 yards and his first touchdown as a Bronco.

So far in 2013, Burks has played in eight games with one start, and caught 16 passes (fifth on the team) for 286 yards and three TD's.  Burks leads the Broncos in yards per catch with 17.9.

Entering the final stretch of his career, Aaron has hauled in 45 receptions for 710 yards (15.7 yards per catch) and four touchdowns.  Burks ranks 19th in school history for yards per catch.



#77 Spencer Gerke, Guard

Spencer played in three games in 2010.  In 2011, he made two starts and saw action in all 13 games, helping the Broncos lead the nation for the fewest sacks (.62 per game) and finish fifth in scoring (44.23 points per game).  Spencer was named to the All-Academic Team in the Mountain West Conference.

Gerke has started every game this season, helping the Bronco offense rank 14th in the country in first downs (280), 18th in scoring (38.2 points a game) and 20th in third-down conversion percentage (48.3%).



#14 Trevor Harman, Punter

In 2010, Harman was the kickoff specialist, kicking off 82 times for an average of 63.8 yards, including nine touchbacks.  He also punted 10 times for 447 yards (44.7 average).  Four of those kicks were over 50 yards, and three were inside the opponents' 20-yard line.  Against Idaho, Harman set a school record by averaging 53.2 yards on five kicks, including one for 64 yards.  At the conclusion of the year, Trevor was named to the WAC All-Academic Team.  The next year, Harman averaged 65.2 yards on 97 kickoffs, including 17 touchbacks, and was credited with six tackles, five of them solo.  Once again, the studious Harman was named to the All-Academic Team, this time in the Mountain West. 

Last season, Harman became the Broncos' full-time punter, averaging 41.2 yards on 42 punts.  He booted 11 punts over 50 yards, and 8 inside the opponents' 20-yard line.  He also kicked off 56 times for a 60.6 average, including 10 touchbacks, and had 4 tackles, 3 of them solo.  Harman also ran the ball 21 yards on a fake punt.  Harman was named to the conference All-Academic Team for the third straight year.

This year, Trevor has punted 25 times for a 43.1 average with a long of 67 yards, six kicks over 50 yards, and nine punts inside the 20.  Harman and Sean Wales have combined to place Boise State 32nd in the country in net punting (39.3 yards per punt).

In his Bronco career, Harman has punted 77 times for 3,255 yards for an average of 42.27 yards per punt.  To this point, Harman is right behind Kyle Stringer (197 punts for a 42.3 average from 2003-2006) for fourth place at Boise State.  He has 21 punts over 50 yards to his credit, and 20 of his punts have resulted in the opponent starting out shy of their 20-yard line.  Harman has kicked off 235 times for 14,954 yards an average of 63.63 yards.



#56 Dustin Kamper, Linebacker

Kamper walked on to Boise State, and played in three games as a freshman.  The following year, Kamper played in one game, the Maaco Bowl, against Arizona State.  In 2012, Kamper played in six games and posted three solo tackles.  At the end of the year, Dustin was honored to be on the Mountain West All-Academic Team.

This year, Kamper has played in nine games and has nine tackles, two solo, one interception that he returned for 20 yards, and a pass defended.

In his Bronco career, Kamper has 12 tackles, 5 of them solo, with an interception and a pass defended.



#78 Charles Leno, Jr., Tackle

The latest in a long line of great Bronco offensive tackles, Leno played in two games as a freshman, then started every game in 2011, helping Boise State lead the nation with .62 sacks per game, and rank fifth in scoring at 44.23 points per game.  In 2012, Leno extended his starting streak to 26 games, helping  Boise State allow just .77 sacks per game.  Charles was named Second Team All-Mountain West at the end of the year.

This season, Leno has started every game, and helped the Bronco offense rank 14th in the country in first downs (280), 18th in scoring (38.2 points a game) and 20th in third-down conversion percentage (48.3%).



#87 Gabe Linehan, Tight End

In 2009, Gabe was named as Boise State's Special Teams Scout Player of the Year as a redshirt.  He hit the field strong in 2010, making 4 starts and playing in 12 games, finishing the season with 6 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.  Linehan was named to the WAC All-Academic Team.  In 2011, Linehan started nine games, finishing with 23 receptions for 252 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Last year, Gabe had one start and played in four games before a season-ending injury that limited his totals to one catch for 23 yards.

Injuries have hampered Linehan most of his senior year, but he has made the most of his two catches--38 yards for an average of 19.0 yards per catch.

In his Bronco career, Linehan has 32 receptions for 395 yards (14th in school history among tight ends) and 6 touchdowns.  



#37 Ebo Makinde, Safety

In his freshman season, Makinde played in eight games, making four tackles, two of them solo.  He was named to the WAC All-Academic Team.  In 2011, Ebo made four starts and played in seven games, recording 16 tackles, 9 of them solo, 1 tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception and 3 passes defended.  Ebo earned All-Academic honors in the Mountain West.  The next year, Makinde played in 10 games, posting 7 tackles, 6 of them solo.  Once again, Ebo was named to the Mountain West All-Academic Team.

This year, Makinde has played in five games with six tackles, five of them solo.  

In his four-year career, Ebo has registered 33 tackles, 22 of them solo, with one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception, and three passes defended.



#48 Kharyee Marshall, STUD

Marshall played in 10 games as a freshman, making an immediate impact with 10 tackles, 5 of them solo, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack.  Marshall played in five games as a sophomore before a season-ending injury.  In 2012, Kharyee played in 11 games, posting 18 tackles (8 solo), with 1.5 tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

Kharyee has saved his best season for last, starting every game and posting 29 tackles, 19 of them solo, with 6.5 tackles for loss, .5 sacks, and a pass defended.

In his Bronco career, Marshall has 57 tackles, 32 solo, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defended.



#34 Kirby Moore, Wide Receiver

Kirby started two games as a freshman and played in all 13 games, grabbing 21 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He redshirted the next year, then started three games as a sophomore, with 22 catches for 247 yards and a touchdown.  Kirby was named to the Mountain West Academic Team, and was honored as a 2011-2012 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete.  Last season, Moore made three more starts, finishing the year with 36 catches for 368 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Once again, Kirby made the Mountain West All-Academic Team.

Despite being injured a good part of his senior year, Moore has still managed to snare 29 passes (third on the team) for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

In his Bronco career, the dependable Moore has 108 receptions to his credit for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns.  Kirby is 14th in Boise State history with 41 catches by his sophomore season.  Moore recently passed T.J. Acree and ranks 23rd in career catches.



#65 Matt Paradis, Center

Paradis was named Boise State's Defensive Scout Player of the Year as a redshirt freshman in 2009.  He made the move to offense the following year and played in one game.  In 2011, Paradis saw action in eight games, starting one.  He helped the Bronco offense lead the nation with .62 sacks per game, and rank fifth in scoring with 44.23 points a contest.  Last season, Matt was the go-to guy at center, starting in every game and earning All-Mountain West Conference honors.  He helped Boise State allow .77 sacks per game, and finished the year being named to the Mountain West All-Academic Team.

This year, Paradis helped the Bronco offense rank 14th in the country in first downs (280), 18th in scoring (38.2 points a game) and 20th in third-down conversion percentage (48.3%).  Matt has started every game this season.



#16 Joe Southwick, Quarterback

Southwick played in eight games as a freshman, completing 17-24 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown.  Joe was named to the WAC All-Academic Team that year.  In 2011, he continued to serve in backup duty, completing 23-30 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown against one interception.  He also rushed one time for 16 yards.  Joe earned All-Mountain West Academic honors again, and was named as a 2011-2012 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete.

Southwick took the reins of the Bronco offense last season, and completed 248-371 passes for 2,730 yards (14th in Bronco history) and 19 touchdowns vs. 7 interceptions.  He also ran the ball 46 times for 121 yards, had one catch for six yards, and punted the ball seven times, five inside the 20-yard line.  

Southwick finished the year with the fifth-best completion percentage (66.9%) in school history, #7 in completions (248), and ranked seventh for the most completions in a single season.  With his 121 rushing yards last season, Southwick ranks 14th, compiling 2,851 yards of total offense.  Joe's quarterback rating of 141.8 is the 16th best at Boise State, and his interception ratio of 1.89% (7 in 371 pass attempts) is #6 in school history.  Southwick recorded the sixth-best single game in Bronco history, when he completed 17 of 20 passes (85.0%) against Colorado State on the road.  Joe did all this while once again earning Mountain West All-Academic honors.

Prior to being injured on the first play from scrimmage against Nevada this season, Joe completed 149-of-206 passes (72.3%) for 1,589 yards and 11 touchdowns against 5 interceptions.  Southwick ranks third in the Mountain West with a quarterback rating of 149.9.  Joe has also run the ball 42 times for 111 yards this season.  

Combining with replacement Grant Hedrick, Southwick helped Boise State rank third in the nation for completion percentage (70.5%, 280-397).

In his Bronco career, Southwick has completed 437 passes (6th all-time) in 631 attempts (8th at Boise State) for 4,719 yards and 32 touchdowns vs. just 13 interceptions.  He has also run 89 times for 248 yards.  Southwick ranks seventh in Boise State history in career passing yards (4,719), seventh in 200+ yards passing games (11), seventh in 300+ yards passing games (3) and is tied with Joe Aliotti for 10th all-time in career TD passes (32).  Southwick passed Cedric Minter earlier this year and stands eighth all-time in total offense with 4,967 career yards.

Depending on what Southwick does in his remaining games, he has a chance to break Kellen Moore's school record completion percentage (69.6%).  To this point, Southwick has completed 69.26% of his passes (437-631).  Joe is within range of Moore's school record for a season as well (74.3% in 2011), with a percentage of 72.3% thus far.

Southwick is also on pace to surpass Ryan Dinwiddie with the second-lowest career interception ratio in Bronco history.  So far, Southwick has thrown just 13 interceptions in 631 attempts (2.06%).  Dinwiddie stands second only to Kellen Moore with a 2.1% from 2000-2003.


#43 Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, Defensive Tackle

Ricky played in 12 games as a freshman, recording 24 tackles, 11 of them solo, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.  The next year, Tjong-A-Tjoe played in seven games, posting 15 tackles, 7 of them solo, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.  Ricky TAT become a key cog in the Boise State defense in 2012, starting 11 games.  He finished the year with 37 tackles, (18 solo), with 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 passes defended and a fumble recovery.

Ricky is the fifth-leading tackler on the Bronco defense in 2013, registering a career high 48 tackles, 19 of them solo, with 1 tackle for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 4 passes defended.  He has started every game except one, in which an injury kept him out.

Tjong-A-Tjoe has 124 career tackles, tying Billy Winn for 26th among defensive lineman, 55 of them solo, 15 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery, and 6 passes defended.


#62 Chris Tozer, Guard

Chris came to Boise State as a junior college transfer.  He redshirted in 2011, then played in one game the following season.

Tozer has played in ten games as a Bronco senior.


You can look all across college football and not find a finer class of seniors.  Thank-you for all the hard work you have put in, with special congratulations for your academic work.  You have been an inspiration to future classes of Broncos!

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