Thursday, September 29, 2011

This Week in the BCS Top 25, Week Five

#1    LSU won easily over Kentucky 35-7.
#2    Alabama creamed #12 Florida 38-14.
#3    Oklahoma made mincemeat of Ball State 62-6.
#4    Boise State stymied Nevada 30-10.
#5    Oklahoma State is idle.
#6    Stanford downed UCLA 48-19.
#7    Nebraska lost to #8 Wisconsin 48-17.
#8   Wisconsin ripped #7 Nebraska 48-17.
#9    South Carolina lost to Auburn 16-13.
#10  Oregon does not play.
#11  Virginia Tech lost to #13 Clemson 23-3.
#12  Florida was manhandled by #2 Alabama 38-10.
#13  Clemson throttled #11 Virginia Tech 23-3.
#14  South Florida fell hard to Pittsburgh 44-17.
#15  Baylor lost their first of the year 36-35 to Kansas State.
#16  Texas A&M fell at home to #19 Arkansas 42-38.
#17  Michigan beat up on Minnesota 58-0.
#18  Texas beat Iowa State 37-14.
#19  Arkansas upended #16 Texas A&M 42-38.
#20  Georgia Tech was able to defeat North Carolina State 45-35.
#21  Illinois held on for a 38-35 win over Northwestern.
#22  TCU lost to SMU 40-33 in overtime.
#23  West Virginia whipped Bowling Green 55-10.
#24  Texas Tech slid by Kansas 45-34.
#25  Florida State does not play.


Also:
Georgia rocked Mississippi State 24-10.
Toledo slaughtered favored Temple on the road 36-13.
Air Force edged Navy 35-34 in overtime.
Colorado State lost to San Jose State 38-31.
Tulsa downed North Texas 41-24.
New Mexico lost to New Mexico State 42-28.
Fresno State fell to Mississippi 38-28.

Houston Leads UTEP 38-35

entering the fourth quarter.

Pitt leading South Florida

34-17 in the fourth.

Big 12 Looking At Candidates?

Very strong rumor about BYU getting an invite to the Big 12.  If you google Boise State to the Big 12, there is all kinds of chatter now, much more than I've ever seen.  May not mean anything, but the more this expansion deal shakes out, the more it looks like either the Mountain West will get AQ status, since the Big East is falling apart, or Boise State will be accepted into one of the existing AQ leagues.  Stay tuned.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Boise State, BYU Extend Football Series To 12 Games

Nevada Aims To Run All Over Boise State Again

Nevada hopes to not make it a blip, but a trend.  The Wolf Pack dominated the line of scrimmage one year ago in sending Boise State into the locker room depressed.  How did such a thing happen?



It happened because Boise State did not take Nevada seriously, at least the fans didn't.  They believed Boise State was on their way to the Rose Bowl or perhaps the National Championship game.  Reno was just a stop along the way.  I doubt if the Bronco players shared that view.  The Nevada offensive and defensive lines were better and the Wolf Pack controlled the ball for 22 out of 30 minutes in the second half.  When Boise State needed a stop on third down, they couldn't make it.  In between plays, the Bronco players were worn out (i.e. hands on hips, short breaths, etc.)  A team that prides itself in workouts and conditioning was worn down by the tough Nevada offense.

Meanwhile, the Bronco offense, as high flying as it is, couldn't get a first down.  Had they been used to playing 100% for four quarters, they could have put the game away.  But they didn't.  They couldn't run and they couldn't pass in the second half and the better team won on that day. 



Some might say that win was a fluke, especially how it turned out, but if you can't block and you can't tackle, it doesn't matter what a field goal kicker does--the game is won and lost in the trenches and the hogs up front for Nevada had a field day with their opponents from Boise.  So that brings us up to the game Saturday afternoon between these two teams. 



Boise State is coming off a game where once again, they let their opponent outplay them in the second half.  Nevada is coming off a road game in which they led Texas Tech for much of the game before losing a heartbreaker 35-34 on a touchdown with 44 seconds remaining on a fourth down play.  Bronco fans might have been thinking (or probably more accurately hoping) that with Colin Kaepernick gone, Nevada was going to fall apart.  Not so.  The performance last week against a very talented Red Raider team blows that theory to smithereens.  Redshirt freshman Cody Fajardo came on in the second quarter and threw two touchdowns passes and ran for a 56-yarder for Nevada.  He finished with 139 yards on 10 carries.  Colin Kaepernick didn't gain that many yards in too many games.  Could we see the beginning of another four-year player to cause nightmares and wreak havoc on the Bronco defense?

Combine the new star Fajardo with Boise State's inability to generate anything resembling a consistent running game and you have the makings of another Nevada win.  The Broncos could change history with a few good blocks here, a few good blocks there, and a few more textbook tackles all over and win the game. 

Or they could leave it up to a field goal.

E-Bay Auction for the Boise State Flag, signed by the Idaho Army National Guard in Iraq

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Boise State Appeals NCAA Sanctions

Boise State, apparently perturbed that the school lost three football scholarships per year when its players bought tacos for each other while Auburn got off scott free despite the "pay for play" scandal and numerous allegations and Ohio State has not been penalized for intentionally selling memorabilia, is appealing that decision, thank-you, to the NCAA.

A result of that appeal is expected in two to three months.

Idaho Army National Guard 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team Presents Autographed Flag to Help Coach Kinsey Fund

While serving in Iraq, Bronco fans in the Idaho Army National Guard 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team wanted to do something to help Coach Kinsey and his family. A Bronco flag given to them as they left for Iraq in the fall of 2010 was signed by the unit, photographed, and flown in Iraq.
 
 
 It accompanied our brave Idaho soldiers safely back to Boise in September and will be presented to the Kinsey Fund on Sept. 24, 2011. Thank you for this kindness and welcome home to our brave soldiers!

Color Scheme for Nevada Game


Monday, September 26, 2011

Legendary Boise State Coach Tony Knap Passes Away At 96

Tony Knap, one of the greatest coaches in Boise State football history and one of the outstanding people as well, passed away yesterday at the age of 96.  




 If Lyle Smith was the father of Boise State football, Tony Knap certainly took it to the next level.  In fact, it was Smith who hired Knap to succeed him when he became athletic director in 1968.  I didn't play football for Tony Knap, but it's obvious that he was a great guy to play for.  You could tell it amongst the players--they were motivated to play for him and enjoyed their experience immensely.  Knap molded young college students into outstanding men.  Knap was the one who dipped into the fertile recruiting ground of California, who started getting great players from Canada, and who recruited so many great Samoan players to Boise State.  


Knap set the stage for Bronco football of today, providing an entertaining, prolific offense and a tough, stingy defense.  His teams were exciting.  Like today, the early Boise State teams were well-coached and rarely made mistakes.  His teams became known as the "Cardiac Kids" because they would often pull games out at the last minute.  It was Knap that one day stood up at the podium for a BAA luncheon and proclaimed to a stunned crowd of boosters that Boise State would one day be a football power ("not just in a smaller division but a major football power").  


Boise State had just become a four-year school and Boise State College when Knap took over.  It would soon become Boise State University.  Just as what has occurred since every step along the way, Knap and the Broncos didn't miss a beat when competing at a new level.  He guided them to an 8-2 record in 1968, then a 9-1 mark in 1969.  


Boise State joined the Big Sky Conference in 1970 and to mark the occasion, a new 14,000-seat stadium.  Tthe Broncos were 2-2 in conference and 8-3 overall in their initial season in the league.  In their second season, Knap guided Boise State to a 10-2 record and their first Big Sky championship and earned Big Sky Coach of the Year honors.  Included in that mark was a season opening 42-14 rout of Division I Idaho.  At the end of the season Boise State was selected to play in the Camellia Bowl Game in Sacramento, California against Chico State.  Although the Broncos won on the field 32-28, they had to relinquish the trophy because quarterback Eric Guthrie had played one game of professional baseball--that wasn't allowed at the time.  Guthrie had twice denied to Boise State that he had played a pro game but eventually sent the school an apology and statement that he had in fact played one game.


The team lost a lot of great players and slipped to 7-4 the following year.  All Knap did after that was win the next three Big Sky championships and four of the next five.  In 1973, Knap led his team to a 10-3 mark and perfect 6-0 record in the Big Sky, and earned his second Coach of the Year award.  The Broncos crushed South Dakota 53-10 in the Division II Quarterfinals before a heartbreaking 38-34 loss to Louisiana Tech in the Semi-Finals ended their season.


Boise State posted another perfect 6-0 record in the Big Sky in 1974 and a 5-0-1 mark the following year, once again qualifying for the Division II national playoffs each season.  Boise State was 10-2 in 1974 and 9-2-1 in Knap's final season at Boise State.


He left Boise with tremendous memories and great success.  In eight seasons, Knap compiled a record of 71-19-1 for a winning percentage of 78.6%.  He is behind only current Bronco coach Chris Petersen (64-5, 92.8%) and his predecessor, Dan Hawkins (53-11 for 82.8%) in winning percentage at Boise State.  


While at Boise State, Knap produced 25 All-Big Sky Conference selections, two Offensive Most Valuable Players (quarterback Jim McMillan in 1974 and running back John Smith in 1975) and 20 All-America selections.  




Four players coached by Knap (linebacker Steve Vogel, wide receiver Don Hutt, offensive tackle Al Davis and quarterback Jim McMillan) played on college all-star games.  Twelve of Knap's players (Vogel, defensive end Faddie Tillman, quarterbacks Eric Guthrie and McMillan, Davis, running back  Smith, defensive back Rolly Woolsey, defensive tackle Ron Franklin, wide receiver Don Hutt, defensive back Jim Meeks, linebacker Gary Gorrell and guard Dan Dixon) were drafted in the National Football League.  Smith was a third round choice and Woolsey went on to become the first former Bronco to win a Super Bowl ring (with the Dallas Cowboys).  Three players (defensive end Gordon Stewart, guard Brian Spoatyk and wide receiver Al Marshall) played in the Canadian Football League.


In 1976, Knap accepted the head coaching job at Nevada-Las Vegas.  Knap produced a record of 47-20-2 at Las Vegas, stepping down after the 1981 season at age 67.  The Rebels made the Division II playoffs in his first season and became a Division I-A school in 1978. 


The son of Polish immigrants, Knap was born December 8, 1914 to John Anthony Knap and Angeline Sczajna in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Tony graduated from Riverside High School in Milwaukee in 1933 and earned three football letters at the University of Idaho, where he was a starter.  It was there that Knap met Lyle Smith, who was a teammate and would later hire him as Boise State's football coach.


Knap was a lieutenant in the United States Navy in World War II.  Following the war, he coached for seven years at Bonners Ferry High School.  In 1941, Knap married the former Adelle McFarland on April 5 in Bonners Ferry.  The couple had three daughters:  Jaki, Angie and Caroline while living in Bonners Ferry.  Tony then became an assistant to Coach "Pappy" Waldorf at the University of California.  From there, Knap coached football and baseball and served as athletic director in Pittsburg, California.  In those ten years, his football teams lost just three league games.


In 1963, Knap became an assistant for Utah State.  After John Ralston left for Stanford, Knap was promoted to head coach that season and guided the Aggies to a record of 9-1.  For his efforts, Knap was named Rocky Mountain Coach of the Year.  Knap's teams were 26-12 in Logan.  Knap then was an assistant for the Vancouver, British Columbia Lions in the CFL before taking the position at Boise State.


Knap and his wife retired to Walla, Walla, Washington and then moved to Bishop's Place retirement home in Pullman to be close to their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.


 Knap was inducted into the Bronco Hall of Fame in 1982 and the UNLV Hall of Fame in 1989.  In 1993, Knap was chosen by Boise State fans to be the head coach of "The Dream Team" in a vote to mark the 25th anniversary of Boise State as a four-year school.  One of Tony's greatest thrills was when Merlin Olsen, a former player for Knap at Utah State, asked him to give an introduction speech for Olsen when he was elected to the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.  .Knap is also a member of the Pittsburg High School Hall of Fame and the southern Nevada Hall of Fame. In other words, everyone who knew him was honored.


In 1970, a young boy and his mother and father were eating donuts at a small Winchell's place at the corner of State Street and 13th in Boise, Idaho.  Knap and the family were the only ones in the place.  When the boy realized who else was in the room, he couldn't believe it was none other than Tony Knap.  The Dad realized that the boy wasn't going to say anything, so he spoke to Coach Knap.  Just like an ordinary guy and not the larger-than-life figure that the boy thought of him, Knap came over and asked the boy what he thought of the game the night before.  It was a brief but important discussion and one that the boy will never forget.  I know because the young boy was me.  


We will always miss Tony Knap, his incredible enthusiasm and class, and his great smile.  We love ya, Coach!

Boise State #15 in Colley

Boise State #4 in Massey

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Bronco Senior Defensive Linemen Currently #9 All-Time


The four Boise State senior starting defensive lineman (Billy Winn, Shea McClellin, Chase Baker and Tyrone Crawford) have now accounted for 331 career tackles between them.  That's the ninth most in school history for senior starters.  They need 145 tackles between them the rest of the season to break the school record set by Shawn Anderson, Louis Ray and Todd Gilkey in 1991.

 1.    476 in 1991--Shawn Anderson (183), Louis Ray (165) and Todd Gilkey (128)
 2.    460 in 1985--Marcus Koch (213), Mike Johnson (140) and Mark Wulff (107)
 3.    415 in 1987--Pete Kwiatkowski (261), Rick Gore (59), Jeff Hunt (57) and Pat Moore (38)
 4.    403 in 1979--Doug Scott (325) and Willie Tufono (78)
 5.    386 in 1975--Pete Poumele (164), Saia Misa, Jr. (116) and Mark Humphries (106)
 6.    378 in 1977--Chris Malmgren (173), Vince Mendiola (114) and Ivan Rounds (91)
 7.    348 in 1973--Mark Goodman (147), Blessing Bird (137) and Mark Duncan (64)
 8.    347 in 1996--Chris Wing (176) and Sione Fifita (171)
 9     331 in 2011--Billy Winn (107), Shea McClellin (95), Chase Baker (85) and Tyrone Crawford (44)
10.   309 in 1983--Michel Bourgeau (190) and Jeff Caves (119)
12.   304 in 1994--Chris Shepherd (172) and Joe O'Brien (132)
13.   285 in 1981--Randy Trautman (285)
14.   274 in 1990--Erik Helgeson (223) and Anthony Hernandez (51)
15.   277 in 1999--Jon Rydman (133), Mike Maloy (90) and Andy Bennett (54)

Matt Miller Now 9th All-Time for Receptions by a Freshman



Receptions By a Freshman 
1.    Austin Pettis (46) 2007
2.    Titus Young (44) 2007
3.    Ryan Ikebe (25) 1993
3.    Jay Swillie (25) 1999
5.    Lou Fanucchi (23) 1999
6.    Kirby Moore (21) 2009
7.    Derek Schouman (17) 2003
7.    Kyle Efaw (17) 2008
9.    Matt Miller (15) 2011
10.  Jeremy Childs (14) 2006
10.  Jeremy Avery (14) 2007
11.  Vinny Perretta (12) 2005
12.  Jeb Putzier (10) 1998  

Tyler Shoemaker Passes Rabb, Lonnie Hughes and Naanee


Tyler Shoemaker is now #26 all-time in career receiving yards.  With 102 against Tulsa, Shoe passed some pretty highly-regarded receivers--Jerard Rabb, who got a serious look in the NFL, Lonnie Hughes, and Legedu Naanee, who is now playing his fifth season in the NFL with the Carolilna Panthers.


26.  Tyler Shoemaker (1,174) 2008-current
27.  Jerard Rabb (1,158) 2005-2006
28.  Lonnie Hughes (1,086) 1977-1978
29.  Legedu Naanee (1,073) 2003-2006

Doug Martin Passes Mikell for 7th All-Time

With 75 yards against Tulsa, Doug Martin is now #7 all-time at Boise State.  He'll have to do a lot more to catch #6 Jeremy Avery--Martin is currently 598 yards shy of #6.


Career
  1.  Cedric Minter (4,475) 1977-1980
  2.   Ian Johnson (4,183) 2005-2008
  3.  Brock Forsey (4,045) 1999-2002
  4.  Chris Thomas (3,437) 1987-1991
  5.  Rodney Webster (3,034) 1980-1983
  6.  Jeremy Avery (2,932) 2007-2010
  7.  Doug Martin (2,334) 2008-current
  8.  David Mikell (2,268) 2000-2003
  9.  Jon Francis (2,172) 1984-1985
  10.  Terry Zahner (2,052) 1977-1980

Moore's Performance Vs. Tulsa

Kellen Moore of Boise State continues to assault the record book.  His 23-29 performance Saturday against Tulsa qualifies as the #12 single-game passing percentage in school history.



Game
(minimum 15 attempts)
1.    Jared Zabransky (91.3%--21-23) vs. Utah State, 2006
2.    Taylor Tharp (89.7%--26-29) vs. Utah State, 2007
3.    Kellen Moore (87.5%--14-15) vs. San Jose State, 2010
4.    Ryan Dinwiddie (86.4%--19-22) vs. Fresno State, 2002
5.    Joe Aliotti (83.3%--20-24) vs. Idaho, 1979
6.    Ryan Dinwiddie (82.6%--19-23) vs. Rice, 2002
7.    Kellen Moore (82.4%--28-34) vs. Georgia 2011
8.    Kellen Moore (81.1%--30-37) vs. Hawai'i, 2010
9.    Kellen Moore (80.9%--17-21) vs. Bowling Green, 2009
10.  Taylor Tharp (80.0%--28-35) vs. San Jose State, 2007
10.  Greg Stern  (80.0%--12-15) vs. Augustana, 1976
12.  Kellen Moore (79.3%--23-29) vs. Tulsa, 2011
13.  Kellen Moore (78.3%--18-23) vs. Bowling Green, 2008
14.  Ryan Dinwiddie (78.3%--18-23) vs. Idaho, 2002
15.  Jim McMillan (78.3%--18-23) vs. Idaho State, 1972
16.  Mike Virden (77.8%--21-27) vs. Idaho State, 1990
17.  Joe Aliotti (77.8%--14-18) vs. Northern Arizona, 1979

Tabs Now Transferred Over

The Tab sections at the top of the blog have now been transferred over from the original site at  http://rocketman5000.blogspot.com/


These include Starting Lineups, Statistics and Records from 1968-2010.  Due to the size of the data, these had to be broken down into two Tabs.  I have for now left these tabs on Blue Through and Through so you can access them.  When I began to set up the new site for Football only, I had a problem with blogspot taking the information down so I want to keep those tabs on the main site until I know for sure they are OK on this site.


For clarification, the main site will focus on academic news and highlights from all sports at Boise State.  This site will focus exclusively on football.

Boise State: Today in the NFL

Richie Brockel made a tackle on special teams for Carolina.
Quintin Mikell led his team with six tackles and recovered a fumble that he returned for 14 yards for St. Louis.
Legedu Naanee caught one pass for 13 yards for Carolina.
Austin Pettis caught two passes for 8 yards for St. Louis.
Kyle Wilson made two tackles for the New York Jets.
Titus Young caught four passes for 51 yards for the undefeated Detroit Lions.

Boise State #4 In Unofficial BCS Standings--Week 4

1.    LSU 95.19% + 98.07% + 98.00 = 291.26
2.    Alabama 95.19% + 94.20% + 94.00 = 283.39
3.    Oklahoma 97.22% + 94.80% + 86.00 = 278.02
4.    Boise State 82.92% + 85.33% + 88.00 = 256.25
5.    Oklahoma State 79.46% + 80.60% + 90.00 = 250.06
6.    Stanford 83.05% + 80.33% + 60.00 = 223.38
7.    Nebraska 70.51% + 66.07% + 76.00 = 212.58
8    Wisconsin 78.37% + 78.47% + 52.00 = 208.84
9.    South Carolina 66.17% + 63.33% + 68.00 = 197.50
10.  Oregon 61.97% + 65.67% + 58.00 = 185.64
11.  Virginia Tech 63.39% + 58.87% + 58.00 = 180.26  
12.  Florida 55.39% + 54.67% + 64.00 = 174.06
13.  Clemson 40.54% + 49.60% + 58.00 = 148.14
14.  South Florida 42.78% + 39.00% + 34.00 = 115.78
15.  Baylor 35.80% + 43.93% + 32.00 = 111.73
16.  Texas A&M 46.17% + 48.93% + 10.00 = 105.10
17.  Michigan 28.07% + 27.80% + 38.00 = 93.87
18.  Texas 35.59% + 31.07% + 24.00 = 90.66
19.  Arkansas 29.29% + 28.93% + 28.00 = 86.22
20.  Georgia Tech 22.58% + 19.87% + 26.00 = 68.45
21.  Illinois 12.27% + 11.93% + 40.00 = 64.20
22.  TCU 24.68% + 22.53% + 16.00 = 63.21
23.  West Virginia 10.71% + 18.67% + 2.00 = 31.38
24.  Texas Tech .88% + 0.00 + 26.00 = 26.88
25.  Florida State 10.64% + 15.93% + 0.00 = 26.57






26.  Arizona State 3.86% + 7.47% + 14.00 = 25.33
27.  Washington .20% + .27% + 20.00 = 20.47
28.  Penn State 2.31% + .60% + 14.00 = 16.91

29.  Mississippi State 0.00 + .10% + 14.00 = 14.10
30.  Michigan State 10.37% + 3.40% + 0.00 = 13.77
31.  Texas A&M 0.00 + 0.00 + 10.00 = 10.00
32.  Houston 4.75% + 2.53% + 0.00 = 7.28
33.  Ohio State 4.14% + 1.00% + 0.00 = 5.14
34.  Nevada 0.00 + 0.00 + 4.00 = 4.00
35.  Iowa State 2.24% + 1.40% + 0.00 = 3.64
36.  Kansas State .88% + .93% + 0.00 = 1.81
37.  Utah .75% + .80% + 0.00 = 1.55
38.  North Carolina .88% + 0.00 + 0.00 = .88

AP Poll Percentages, Week 4

1.    LSU 98.07%
2.    Oklahoma 94.80%
3.    Alabama 94.20%
4.    Boise State 85.33%
5.    Oklahoma State 80.60%
6.    Stanford 80.33%
7.    Wisconsin 78.47%
8.    Nebraska 66.07%
9.    Oregon 65.67%
10.  South Carolina 63.33%
11.  Virginia Tech 58.87%
12.  Florida 54.67%
13.  Clemson 49.60%
14.  Texas A&M 48.93%
15.  Baylor 43.93%
16.  South Florida 39.00%
17.  Texas 31.07%
18.  Arkansas 28.93%
19.  Michigan 27.80%
20.  TCU 22.53%
21.  Georgia Tech 19.87%
22.  West Virginia 18.67%
23.  Florida State 15.93%
24.  Illinois 11.93%
25.  Arizona State 7.47%


26.  Michigan State 3.40%
27.  Houston 2.53%
28.  Auburn 1.67%
29.  Iowa State 1.40%
30.  Ohio State 1.00%
31.  Kansas State .93%
32.  Utah .80%
33.  Penn State .60%
34.  Georgia .53%
35.  Washington .27%
36.  Tennessee .20%
36.  Notre Dame .20%

Boise State #4 in AP, Week Four


1LSU (42)4-014712
2Oklahoma (12)3-014221
3Alabama (5)4-014133
4Boise State (1)3-012804
5Oklahoma State4-012097
6Stanford3-012055
7Wisconsin4-011776
8Nebraska4-09919
9Oregon3-198510
10South Carolina4-095012
11Virginia Tech4-088313
12Florida4-082015
13Clemson4-074421
14Texas A&M2-17348
15Baylor3-065917
16South Florida4-058518
17Texas3-046619
18Arkansas3-143414
19Michigan4-041722
20TCU3-133820
21Georgia Tech4-029825
22West Virginia3-128016
23Florida State2-223911
24Illinois4-017924
25Arizona State3-111236
Others Receiving Votes: Michigan State(3-1) 51; Houston(4-0) 38; Auburn(3-1) 25; Iowa State(3-0) 21; Ohio State(3-1) 15; Kansas State(3-0) 14; Utah(2-1) 12; Penn State(3-1) 9; Georgia(2-2) 8; Washington(3-1) 4; Tennessee(2-1) 3; Notre Dame(2-2) 3; Southern California(3-1) 2; Navy(2-1) 2; Missouri(2-2) 1; Mississippi State(2-2) 1