Blue Football Through and Through: September 2012

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Former Boise State Broncos in the NFL--Week Four

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Here are the results for former Boise State players in the NFL. This will be updated as results come in.

Richie Brockel--Carolina Panthers (no statistics in Carolina loss)
Ryan Clady--Denver Broncos (starter who helped Denver to a big win)
Daryn Colledge--Arizona Cardinals (starting lineman who helped Arizona win)
Tyrone Crawford--Dallas Cowboys (1 solo tackle)
Tommy Gallarda--Atlanta Falcons (1 tackle in Atlanta win)
George Iloka--Cincinnati Bengals (no statistics in Bengal win)
Jeron Johnson--Seattle Seahawks (no statistics in Seattle loss)
Doug Martin--Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 carries for 33 yards and 2 catches for 9 yards in Tampa Bay loss)
Shea McClellin--Chicago Bears (no statistics in Chicago win)
Quintin Mikell--St. Louis Rams (5 tackles, all solo, in Ram win)
Kellen Moore--Detroit Lions (no statistics in Detroit loss)
Legedu Naanee--Miami Dolphins (1 catch for 19 yards in Miami loss)
Austin Pettis--St. Louis Rams (2 catches for 22 yards as he returned to action to help the Rams win)
Nate Potter--Arizona Cardinals (lineman for the Cardinals in their win)
Orlando Scandrick--Dallas Cowboys (one pass deflection in Dallas loss)
Kyle Wilson--New York Jets (no statistics in Jets loss)
Billy Winn--Cleveland Browns (5 solo tackles, two for loss in Brown loss)
Titus Young--Detroit Lions (1 catch for 17 yards, 1 run for 5 yards and a tackle in Detroit loss)

Boise State Drops from 20-24 in Week Five Unofficial BCS Standings

We have the Coaches Poll this morning and the AP Poll as well, which has proven to be a good approximation of what the Harris Poll will look like when it is released. We also have the Sagarin and Billingsley computer ratings for this week, two of the six computers used by the BCS in determining their rankings. Further, the Colley Ratings, one of my favorites, are now relevant for the first time this year. This means that there has been enough football played to make their methodology work. Here then is the Blue Through and Through Unofficial BCS Standings* for Week Five:

1. Alabama 99.80% + 100.00% + ((24 + 25 + 22 = 71) x 4/3 = 94.67) = 294.47
2. Oregon 95.12% + 95.33% + ((17 + 23 + 13 = 53) x 4/3 = 70.67) = 261.12
3. LSU 89.97% + 87.33% + ((25 + 24 + 12 = 61) x 4/3 = 81.33) = 258.63
4. Georgia 83.19% + 83.47% + ((22 + 19 + 18 = 59) x 4/3 = 78.67) = 245.33
5. Florida State 88.20% + 89.93% + ((16 + 13 + 21 = 50) x 4/3 = 66.67) = 244.80
6. South Carolina 78.71% + 76.80% + ((19 + 22 + 20 = 61) x 4/3 = 81.33) = 236.84
7. Notre Dame 62.03% + 69.53% + ((20 + 21 + 24 = 65) x 4/3 = 86.67) = 218.23
8. Kansas State 71.19% + 74.87% + ((14 + 20 + 19 = 53) x 4/3 = 70.67) = 216.73
9. West Virginia 77.08% + 71.07% + ((11 + 18 + 14 = 43) x 4/3 = 57.33) = 205.48
10. Florida 59.86% + 62.47% + ((23 + 0 + 23 = 46) x 4/3 = 61.33) = 183.66
11. Texas 66.51% + 62.13% + ((18 + 6 + 15 = 39) x 4/3 = 52.00) = 180.64
12. Oregon State 30.71% + 43.13% + ((15 + 17 + 25 = 57) x 4/3 = 76.00) = 149.84
13. TCU 50.78% + 40.53% + ((10 + 15 + 4 = 29) x 4/3 = 38.67) = 129.98
14. USC 53.15% + 46.87% + ((0 + 16 + 0 = 16) x 4/3 = 21.33) = 121.35
15. Stanford 30.64% + 33.93% + ((12 + 11 + 10 = 33) x 4/3 = 44.00) = 108.57
16. Oklahoma 46.37% + 38.73% + ((5 + 9 + 0 = 14) x 4/3 = 18.67) = 103.77
17. Clemson 42.55% + 40.53% + ((6 + 5 + 1 = 12) x 4/3 = 16.00) = 99.08
18. Louisville 35.53% + 26.93% + ((0 + 0 + 9 = 9) x 4/3 = 12.00) = 74.46
19. Mississippi State 28.61% + 20.40% + ((3 + 0 + 11 = 14) x 4/3 = 18.67) = 67.68
20. Texas Tech 7.32% + 2.60% + ((13 + 3 + 16 = 32) x 4/3 = 42.67) = 52.59
21. Nebraska 28.14% + 16.00% + ((0 + 0 + 0 = 0) x 4/3 = 0.00) = 44.14
22. Washington 4.41% + 10.60% + ((8 + 12 + 0 = 20) x 4/3 = 26.67) = 41.68
23. Rutgers 17.63% + 10.67% + ((4 + 2 + 3 = 9) x 4/3 = 12.00 = 40.30
24. Boise State 5.63% + 3.53% + ((7 + 14 + 0 = 21) x 4/3 = 28.00) = 37.16
25. Northwestern 13.69% + 9.53% + ((0 + 0 + 8 = 8) x 4/3 = 10.67) = 30.89

26. Cincinnati 11.86% + 4.80% + ((0 + 1 + 5 = 6) x 4/3 = 8.00) = 24.66
27. Louisiana Tech 3.80% + 2.47% + ((0 + 0 + 7 = 7) x 4/3 = 9.33) = 15.60
28. Baylor 2.78% + 2.07% + ((0 + 8 + 0 = 8) x 4/3 = 10.67) = 15.52
29. UCLA 3.93% + 8.13% + ((0 + 0 + 2 = 2) x 4/3 = 2.67) = 14.73
30. Michigan State 3.05% + 2.87% + ((2 + 4 + 0 = 6) x 4/3 = 8.00) = 13.92
31. Michigan .75% + 2.53% + ((0 + 7 + 0 = 7) x 4/3 = 9.33) = 12.61
32. Missouri 0.00% + 0.00% + ((9 + 0 + 0 = 9) x 4/3 = 12.00) = 12.00
33. Ohio .75% + 2.00% + ((0 + 0 + 6 = 6) x 4/3 = 8.00) = 10.75
34. Texas A&M 4.14% + 3.40% + ((0 + 0 + 0 = 0) x 4/3 = 0.00) = 7.54
35. Arizona State 2.71% + 1.00% + ((0 + 0 + 0 = 0) x 4/3 = 0.00) = 3.71
36. Miami of Florida 1.15% + .27% + ((1 + 0 + 0 = 1) x 4/3 = 1.33) = 2.75

Boise State #31 in Colley

http://www.colleyrankings.com/currank.html

AP Poll Percentages

Here are the percentages for this morning's college football AP Poll:

1. Alabama (100.00%)
2. Oregon 95.33%
3. Florida State 89.93%
4. LSU 87.33%
5. Georgia 83.47%
6. South Carolina 76.80%
7. Kansas State 74.87%
8. West Virginia 71.07%
9. Notre Dame 69.53%
10. Florida 62.47%
11. Texas 62.13%
12. Ohio State 52.87%
13. USC 46.87%
14. Oregon State 43.13%
15. Clemson 40.53%
15. TCU 40.53%
17. Oklahoma 38.73%
18. Stanford 33.93%
19. Louisville 26.93%
20. Mississippi State 20.40%%
21. Nebraska 16.00%
22. Rutgers 10.67%
23. Washington 10.60%
24. Northwestern 9.53%
25. UCLA 8.13%

26. Cincinnati 4.80%
27. Boise State 3.53%
28. Texas A&M 3.40%
29. Michigan State 2.87%
30. Texas Tech 2.60%
31. Michigan 2.53%
32. Louisiana Tech 2.47%
33. Baylor 2.07%
34. Ohio 2.00%
35. Arizona State 1.00%

Coaches Poll Percentages

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Blue Through and Through will always focus on the sports that are doing the best. If the soccer and volleyball teams are nationally-ranked, we'll go in depth for them as well. Here are the Coaches Poll Percentages:

1. Alabama 99.80%
2. Oregon 95.12%
3. LSU 89.97%
4. Florida State 88.20%
5. Georgia 83.19%
6. South Carolina 78.71%
7. West Virginia 77.08%
8. Kansas State 71.19%
9. Texas 66.51%
10. Notre Dame 62.03%
11. Florida 59.86%
12. USC 53.15%
13. TCU 50.78%
14. Oklahoma 46.37%
15. Clemson 42.44%
16. Louisville 35.53%
17. Oregon State 30.71%
18. Stanford 30.64%
19. Mississippi State 28.61%
20. Nebraska 28.14%
21. Rutgers 17.63%
22. Northwestern 13.69%
23. Cincinnati 11.86%
24. Texas Tech 7.32%
25. Boise State 5.63%

26. Washington 4.41%
27. Texas A&M 4.14%
28. UCLA 3.93%
29. Louisiana Tech 3.80%
30. Michigan State 3.05%
31. Baylor 2.78%
32. Arizona State 2.71%
33. Miami of Florida 1.15%
34. Michigan .75%
34. Ohio .75%

Boise State Moves Up to #25 in Coaches' Poll

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/polls/coaches-poll/

Boise State Holds On to Beat New Mexico 32-29

This 2012 Boise State football team keeps finding ways to win. New Mexico, for all its improvement, made every play it needed to make except one in a 32-29 Bronco victory in Albuquerque last night. Only a Tommy Smith knockdown of a fourth-down pass with two minutes remaining prevented New Mexico from winning this game.

"I've been preaching this forever," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. "You never let a team off the hook. I will give all credit to New Mexico; they took advantage and made plays. It was hard and we fumbled and they capitalized. It can change fast and I hope this team learns that."

The Lobs had forced Boise State into a 44-yard field-goal attempt that hit the crossbar, enabling New Mexico to take over on their 27. Petersen opted to go for the field goal, knowing that New Mexico's kicker was money and was a good threat to tie the game. The Broncos toughened up on three running plays to force a fourth-and-4. B.R. Holbrook fired a pass for Lamaar Smith, but he didn't see linebacker Smith, who batted the ball away, and Boise State ran out the clock.

It was a classic tale of first halves, one in which Boise State converted three Lobo fumbles into scores in a 25-0 halftime lead; one in which New Mexico converted two Bronco fumbles into touchdowns in dominating the second half 29-7. And it was a stark contrast to Boise State's last victory, a hard-fought 7-6 decision over BYU in which the offense did not score a touchdown and the defense constantly kept the high-flying Cougars at bay. This time, Robert Prince's Bronco offense scored in five of six red-zone opportunities, while the defense was mystified by New Mexico's new triple-option.

Bronco quarterback Joe Southwick was 24-34 for 311 yards and three touchdowns on his journey towards becoming a solid college football quarterback. Southwick seemed to get out of his habit of locking in on his receivers, often going to his second and third options.

Meanwhile, the Bronco running game enjoyed its best performance of the season, as senior D.J. Harper gained 98 yards and freshman Jay Ajayi had 118 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Ajayi had a 61-yard run in the first half to set up his touchdown, and another long run that took him into Lobo territory as the clock ran out in the first half.

New Mexico coach Bob Davie, who is making his return to coaching after 10 years in the ESPN booth, has his team playing with emotion and confidence. The Lobos have already matched last year's win total. Last season, New Mexico lost in Boise, 45-0.

New Mexico quarterback Cole Gautsche scored two touchdowns and a two-point conversion, gaining 71 yards on 11 carries. Kasey Carrier picked up 86 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, as the ground-oriented Lobos ran for 324 yards.

"That's what's so difficult about their offense," Boise State nose guard Mike Atkinson said. "They have so many options. They run the triple-option offense and a lot of teams don't do that anymore so it's really hard to pick up their schemes."

Two fumbles by Carrier led to scoring drives in the first half. The first was at the Lobo 43 and five plays later, Southwick connected with Chris Potter for a 10-yard TD pass in which Potter showed surprising strength in overpowering his man, then tip-toed down the sideline to put Boise State ahead 10-0. On the ensuing possession, New Mexico drove down the field before Carrier's fumble on the Boise State 19. Three Ajayi rushes took the Broncos 81 yards for another score.

But the second half was the opposite of the first. On the opening kickoff, freshman Dallas Burroughs fumbled at the 26 and Jhurell Presley completed the short drive for six with a three-yard run that made it 25-7. Carrier added a five-yard scoring run later in the quarter.

Southwick led the Broncos down the field on what proved to be the winning touchdown. At the Lobo 8, he noted a cushion for quick freshman receiver Shane Williams-Rhodes, who juked his defender, then scampered into the end zone untouched to make it 32-14. But Williams-Rhodes's fumble at the 48 on Boise State's next possession breathed life into the already excited New Mexico team and home crowd. Joe Stoner picked up the loose ball and rambled all the way to the 1, where Gautsche took it in to cut the Bronco lead to 32-29 with 7:42 left.

Thus, Boise State survived by the skin of their teeth, and hopefully, yet more lessons were learned by this young Bronco team. Boise State is now 3-1 on the season and heads into Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the site of last night's swimming meet in which upstart Southern Mississippi nearly upset Louisville. In a game marked by heavy rain and huge puddles covering the field, the Golden Eagles had the Cardinals on the ropes the entire game until late in the fourth quarter. A poor punt gave Louisville excellent field position, and they took it in to win 21-17.

The Blue Through and Through College Football Top 25

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When you see polls with wild week-to-week swings, it generally means the voters are reacting to the latest results rather than thinking through the process. If they have the rankings right, the teams in fact shouldn't move much, as you will note week to week later in the year as the season progresses. For now, you will still get those wild swings as everything sorts out.

Remember as you follow the poll that since both the Pac-12 and Big 12 had a request from Boise State to join their respective leagues and they did not invite the Broncos, the "strength-of-schedule" argument does not work against Boise State for those two conferences, and thus their teams will always be ranked behind Boise State with the same number of losses. As it should be. You can't deny a team a place in your conference and then complain about their strength of schedule.

A team that beats another head-to-head on the field will always be ranked ahead of that team if they have the same record. As it should be. If the winner of that game has more losses, further evaluation regarding the closeness and location of the game needs to take place, as well as week-to-week evaluation of all season results.

1-1. Notre Dame (4-0, did not play; biggest wins over #14 Michigan State and #25 Michigan)

2-2. Alabama (4-0, beat Mississippi 33-14; biggest win over #25 Michigan)

5-3. Texas (4-0, outlasted Oklahoma State 41-36; biggest win over Oklahoma State)

4-4. Oregon (5-0, ran away from Washington State 51-26; biggest wins over Arizona and Fresno State)

6-5. LSU (5-0, prevailed over Towson 38-22; biggest win over #15 Washington)

7-6. Georgia (5-0, edged Tennessee 51-47; biggest wins over Tennessee and Missouri)

8-7. South Carolina (5-0, outdistanced Kentucky 38-17; biggest win over Missouri)

11-8. West Virginia (4-0, beat Baylor in a 70-63 slugfest; biggest win over Baylor)

10-9. Florida State (5-0, beat South Florida of the Big East 30-14, biggest win over #23 Clemson)

12-10. Florida (4-0, did not play; biggest wins over Texas A&M & Tennessee)

13-11. Kansas State (4-0, did not play; biggest wins over #19 Oklahoma and Miami of Florida)

14-12. TCU (4-0, topped SMU 24-16; biggest win over Virginia)

15-13. Boise State (3-1, beat New Mexico 32-29; biggest win over BYU, loss to #14 Michigan State)

9--14. Michigan State (3-2, lost to Ohio State 17-16; biggest win over #13 Boise State, losses to #1 Notre Dame and Ohio State)

----15. Washington (3-1, beat #16 Stanford 17-13; biggest win over #16 Stanford, loss to #5 LSU)

3--16. Stanford (3-1,lost to #15 Washington 17-13; biggest win over #18 USC, loss to #15 Washington)

20-17. Oregon State (3-0, escaped with a 38-35 win over Arizona; biggest wins over #21 UCLA, Wisconsin and Arizona)

16-18. USC (3-1, did not play; biggest win over Cal, loss to #16 Stanford)

17-19. Oklahoma (2-1, did not play; biggest win over UTEP, loss to #11 Kansas State)

18-20. Louisville (5-0, beat Southern Mississippi 21-17; biggest win over North Carolina)

23-21. UCLA (4-1, turned back Colorado 32-14; biggest win over #22 Nebraska, lost to #17 Oregon State)

24-22. Nebraska (4-1, came from behind to beat Wisconsin 30-27; biggest win over Wisconsin, loss to #21 UCLA)

15-23. Clemson (4-1, downed Boston College 45-31; biggest win over Auburn, loss to #9 Florida State)

20-24. Rutgers (4-0, did not play; biggest win over South Florida)

21-25. Michigan (2-2, did not play; biggest win over Air Force, losses to #1 Notre Dame and #2 Alabama)

Dropped Out: Mississippi State

Also Considered: Mississippi State (3-0), Texas Tech (4-0), Baylor (3-1), Louisiana Tech (4-0), Cincinnati (3-0), Miami of Florida (4-1), Utah State (4-1), Arizona State (4-1), Texas A&M (3-1), Wisconsin (3-2), Fresno State (3-2), Ohio (5-0), Northwestern (5-0)

Boise State #19 in Sagarin

#1 LSU
#2 Alabama
#3 Florida
#4 Georgia
#5 Ohio State
#6 Notre Dame
#7 South Carolina
#8 Texas
#9 Oregon
#10 Florida State
#11 Oregon State
#12 Kansas State
#13 Texas Tech
#14 Stanford
#15 West Virginia
#16 TCU
#17 Missouri
#18 Washington
#19 Boise State
#20 Clemson
#21 Oklahoma
#22 Rutgers
#23 Mississippi State
#24 Michigan State
#25 Miami of Florida

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt12.htm

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Jay Ajayi

Promising Bronco running back Jay Ajayi sprinted 61 yards on just his second career carry, then finished off the drive with his first touchdown, putting Boise State ahead of New Mexico 25-0.

Friday, September 28, 2012

This Week in the BCS Top 25

Week #5 of the season features most Top 25 teams on the road. Several others don't play:

1. Alabama bounced Mississippi 33-14
2. Oregon broke open a close game to defeat Washington State 51-26.
3. LSU held off Towson 38-22.
4. Florida State downed South Florida of the Big East 30-14.
5. Georgia held off Tennessee 51-47.
6. South Carolina broke open a close game with a 38-17 win over Kentucky.
7. Stanford was upset by Washington 17-13.
8. Kansas State is off this week.
9. Notre Dame does not play.
10. Florida takes the week off.
11. USC does not play.
12. West Virginia of the Big East outpointed #21 Baylor 70-63.
13. Texas outpaced Oklahoma State 41-36 in a wild one.
14. Oklahoma does not play.
15. TCU outlasted SMU 24-16.
16. Michigan State lost to Ohio State 17-16.
17. Clemson got by Boston College 45-31.
18. Oregon State came from behind to beat Arizona 38-35.
19. Louisville held on to beat Boise State opponent Southern Mississippi 21-17.
20. Boise State held off New Mexico 32-29.
21. Baylor gave up 70 points to #12 West Virginia in a 70-63 loss.
22. Mississippi State does not play.
23. Rutgers does not play.
24. Wisconsin lost a see-saw game with #25 Nebraska 30-27.
25. Nebraska edged #24 Wisconsin 30-27.

Hawai'i lost to BYU 47-0.
Colorado State lost to Air Force 42-21.
Nevada defeated Texas State 34-21.
UNLV was defeated by Utah State 35-13.
San Diego State lost to Fresno State 52-40

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Boise State #20 in Unofficial BCS Standings, Week Four

Once again, the Unofficial BCS Standings contain the Coaches Poll Percentages, the AP Poll Percentages, and the Sagarin and Billingsley comuter ratings. The Harris Poll, used in the official BCS Rankings, has not been released yet, but history has shown that the AP is a good approximation of the Harris. The Massey and Colley ratings have begun, but their methodology is such that they aren't an accurate reflection of the ratings until several weeks into the season.

1. Alabama 99.86% + 99.93% +((24 + 25)*2 =) 100.00 = 297.79
2. Oregon 92.95% + 94.27% + ((21 + 23)*2 =) 86.00 = 273.22
3. LSU 92.27% + 89.73% + ((20 + 24)*2 =) 88.00 = 270.00
4. Florida State 88.54% + 89.33% + (17 + 12)*2 =) 58.00 = 235.87
5. Georgia 82.98% + 83.00% + ((18 + 15)*2 =) 66.00 = 231.98
6. South Carolina 77.90% + 76.47% + ((16 + 19)*2 =) 70.00 = 224.37
7. Stanford 62.64% + 70.33% + ((22 + 22)*2 =) 88.00 = 220.97
8. Kansas State 64.34% + 71.13% + ((19 + 20)*2 =) 78.00 = 213.47
9. Notre Dame 56.68% + 66.87% + ((23 + 21)*2 = 88.00 = 211.55
10. Florida 55.39% + 57.60% + ((25 + 5)*2 =) 60.00 = 172.99
11. USC 55.12% + 53.40% + ((9 + 18)*2 =) 54.00 = 162.52
12. West Virginia 67.80% + 69.67% + ((2 + 6)*2 =) 24.00 = 161.47
13. Texas 56.68% + 57.07% + ((15 + 0)*2 =) 30.00 = 143.75
14. Oklahoma 47.39% + 40.73% + ((12 + 13)*2 =) 50.00 = 138.12
15. TCU 47.80% + 41.07% + ((10 + 11)*2 =) 42.00 = 130.87
16. Michigan State 27.39% + 23.20% + ((14 + 17)*2 =) 62.00 = 112.59
17. Clemson 37.97% + 39.20% + ((7 + 8)*2 =) 30.00 = 107.17
18. Oregon State 14.92% + 30.07% + ((13 + 9)*2 =) 44.00 = 88.99
19. Louisville 33.42% + 27.60% + ((0 + 0)*2 =) 0.00 = 61.02
20. Boise State 4.68% + 7.60% + ((8 + 16)*2 =) 48.00 = 60.28
21. Baylor 6.85% + 6.13% + ((0 + 14)*2 =) 28.00 = 40.98
22. Mississippi State 23.66% + 16.40% + ((0 + 0)*2 =) 0.00 = 40.06
23. Rutgers 6.64% + 8.53% + ((5 + 7)*2 =) 24.00 = 39.17
24. Wisconsin 6.92% + 8.67% + ((11 + 0)*2 =) 22.00 = 37.59
25. Nebraska 22.10% + 11.93% + ((0 + 0)*2 =) 0.00 = 34.03

26. Michigan 3.86% + 2.83% + ((0 + 10)*2 =) 20.00 = 26.69
27. Oklahoma State 10.44% + .80% + ((1 + 3)*2 =) 8.00 = 19.24
28. Arizona 1.08% + 1.13% + ((3 + 4)*2 =) 14.00 = 16.21
29. Northwestern 6.51% + 5.93% + ((0 + 0)*2 =) 0.00 = 12.44
30. Virginia Tech 6.64% + 1.73% + ((0 + 0)*2 = 0.00 = 8.47

AP Poll Percentages

Here are the Top 25 teams in terms of percentage of total possible points for the AP Poll:

1. Alabama 99.93%
2. Oregon 94.27%
3. LSU 89.73%
4. Florida State 89.33%
5. Georgia 83.00%
6. South Carolina 76.47%
7. Kansas State 71.13%
8. Stanford 70.33%
9. West Virginia 69.67%
10. Notre Dame 66.87%
11. Florida 57.60%
12. Texas 57.07%
13. USC 53.40%
14. Ohio State 42.20%
15. TCU 41.07%
16. Oklahoma 40.73%
17. Clemson 39.20%
18. Oregon State 30.07%
19. Louisville 27.60%
20. Michigan State 23.20%
21. Mississippi State 16.40%
22. Nebraska 11.93%
23. Rutgers 8.53%
24. Boise State 7.60%
25. Baylor 6.13%

26. Northwestern 5.93%
27. UCLA 5.27%
28. Michigan 2.83%
29. Ohio 2.67%
30. Virginia Tech 1.73%
31. Arizona 1.13%

Coaches Poll Percentages--Week Four

Here are the Coaches Poll Percentages for college football:

1. Alabama 99.86%
2. Oregon 92.95%
3. LSU 92.27%
4. Florida State 88.54%
5. Georgia 82.98%
6. South Carolina 77.90%
7. West Virginia 67.80%
8. Kansas State 64.34%
9. Stanford 62.64%
10. Texas 56.68%
11. Notre Dame 56.68%
12. Florida 55.39%
13. USC 55.12%
14. TCU 47.80%
15. Oklahoma 47.39%
16. Clemson 37.97%
17. Louisville 33.42%
18. Michigan State 27.39%
19. Mississippi State 23.66%
20. Nebraska 22.17%
21. Oregon State 14.92%
22. Oklahoma State 10.44%
23. Wisconsin 6.92%
24. Baylor 6.85%
25. Rutgers 6.64%
25. Virginia Tech 6.64%

26. Northwestern 6.51%
27. Boise State 4.68%
28. Michigan 3.86%
29. Iowa State 3.05%
30. Cincinnati 2.85%
31. UCLA 2.24%

Boise State Remains #27 in Coaches Poll

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rankings/coaches

Boise State Remains at #24 in AP

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rankings/ap

Boise State #18 in Sagarin

2---1. Florida
1---2. Alabama
5---3. Notre Dame
3---4. Stanford
16-5. Oregon
6---6. LSU
15--7. Kansas State
4----8. Georgia
------9. Florida State
9---10. South Carolina
8---11. Texas
23-12. Michigan State
----13. Oregon State
7--14. Oklahoma
19-15. Wisconsin
18-16. TCU
12-17. USC
22-18. Boise State
10-19. Clemson
14-20. Ohio State
13-21. Rutgers
----22. Miami of Florida
11-23. Arizona
----24. West Virginia
20-25. Oklahoma State

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt12.htm

Former Broncos in the NFL--Week Three

Here are the results for former Boise State players in the NFL. This will be updated as results come in.

Richie Brockel--Carolina Panthers (no statistics in Carolina's loss)
Ryan Clady--Denver Broncos (started for Denver)
Daryn Colledge--Arizona Cardinals (starter who helped the Cardinals to their first 3-0 start since 1974)
Tyrone Crawford--Dallas Cowboys (no statistics in Dallas win)
Tommy Gallarda--Atlanta Falcons (no statistics in Atlanta win)
George Iloka--Cincinnati Bengals (no statistics in Cincinnati win)
Jeron Johnson--Seattle Seahawks (2 tackles, 1 solo, with a tackle for loss)
Doug Martin--Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19 carries for 53 yards and 2 receptions for 21 yards)
Shea McClellin--Chicago Bears (no statistics in Bears win)
Quintin Mikell--St. Louis Rams (8 tackles, second on the team, with 6 of them being solo)
Kellen Moore--Detroit Lions (did not play in Detroit loss)
Legedu Naanee--Miami Dolphins (1 tackle in Miami loss)
Austin Pettis--St. Louis Rams (did not play in Rams win)
Nate Potter--Arizona Cardinals (lineman for the Cardinals)
Orlando Scandrick--Dallas Cowboys (2 tackles, 1 solo, in Dallas win)
Kyle Wilson--New York Jets (2 tackles, both solo, in Jets win)
Billy Winn--Cleveland Browns (2 pass deflections in Cleveland loss)
Titus Young--Detroit Lions (6 catches for 75 yards, including a 46-yarder for the touchdown as time expired to force game to overtime)

Bronco Defense #10 in Points Allowed

11.67 points per game.

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_teamscordef&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Boise State is #20 in Turnovers Gained. You remember that was a point of importance for Coach Petersen in the offseason.

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_teamturnovergain&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

and Boise State ranks 17th in the country in First Downs Allowed:

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_team1downdefense&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

That defense is 18th in Red Zone Defense:

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_teamredzonedefense&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Boise State #13 in Interceptions

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_teampassint&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Broncos #18 in Total Defense

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_teamtotdef&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Boise State is #16 in Pass Efficiency Defense:

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&div=IA&rpt=IA_teamdefpasseff&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Boise State #4 in the Country in Sacks Allowed

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_teamsacksallowed&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Boise State's Jeremy Ioane and Jamar Taylor Tied for #19 in the Country in Interceptions

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_playerint&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Demarcus Lawrence of Boise State 16th in the Nation in Sacks

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&div=IA&rpt=IA_playerpasssacks&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

D.J. Harper #35 in the Nation in Rushing

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2012&rpt=IA_playerrush&site=org&div=IA&dest=O

Blue Through and Through's Top 25 College Football Teams

When you see polls with wild week-to-week swings, it generally means the voters are reacting to the latest results rather than thinking through the process. If they have the rankings right, the teams in fact shouldn't move much, as you will note week to week later in the year as the season progresses.

Remember as you follow the poll that since both the Pac-12 and Big 12 had a request from Boise State to join their respective leagues and they did not invite the Broncos, the "strength-of-schedule" argument does not work against Boise State for those two conferences, and thus their teams will always be ranked behind Boise State with the same number of losses. As it should be.

Two specific things you will note about these rankings. First, this is the only college football ranking to have Oregon State ranked last week. Second, it is still the only ranking to have Notre Dame #1.

1-1. Notre Dame (4-0, defeated Michigan 13-6; biggest win over Michigan State)

2-2. Alabama (4-0, defeated Florida Atlantic 40-7; biggest win over Michigan)

3-3. Stanford (3-0, idle this week; biggest win over USC)

5-4. Oregon (4-0, whipped Arizona 49-0; biggest win over Arizona)

4-5. Texas (3-0, did not play; biggest win over Mississippi)

6-6. LSU (4-0, edged Auburn 12-10; biggest win over Auburn)

8-7. Georgia (4-0, beat Vanderbilt 48-3; biggest win over Missouri)

9-8. South Carolina (4-0, defeated Missouri 31-10; biggest win over Missouri)

10-9. Michigan State (3-1, beat Eastern Michigan 23-7; biggest win over Boise State)

12-10. Florida State (4-0, beat Clemson 49-37, biggest win over Clemson)

11-11. West Virginia (3-0, defeated Maryland of the ACC 31-21; biggest win over Maryland)

13-12. Florida (4-0, shut out Kentucky 38-0; biggest win over Tennessee)

19-13. Kansas State (4-0, came from behind to beat Oklahoma 24-19; biggest win over Oklahoma)

14-14. TCU (3-0, beat Virginia 27-7; biggest win over Virginia)

17-15. Boise State (2-1, beat BYU 7-6; biggest win over BYU, lost to Michigan State)

18-16. USC (3-1, beat Cal 27-9; biggest win over Cal, lost to Stanford)

7-17. Oklahoma (2-1, lost to Kansas State 24-19; biggest win over UTEP, lost to Kansas State)

16-18. Louisville (4-0, beat Florida International 28-21; biggest win over North Carolina)

15-19. Clemson (3-1, lost to Florida State 49-37; biggest win over Auburn, lost to Florida State)

22-20. Oregon State (2-0, beat UCLA 27-20; biggest win over Wisconsin)

20-21. Rutgers (4-0, beat Arkansas 35-26; biggest win over South Florida)

23-22. UCLA (3-1, lost to Oregon State 27-20; biggest win over Nebraska, lost to Oregon State)

21-23. Michigan (2-2, lost to #1 Notre Dame 13-6; biggest win over Air Force, losses to Alabama and Notre Dame)

24-24. Nebraska (3-1, pounded Idaho State 73-7; biggest win over Southern Mississippi, lost to UCLA)

-----25. Mississippi State (3-0, beat South Alabama 30-10; biggest win over Auburn)

Also Considered: , Arizona (3-1, lost to Oregon 49-0; biggest win over Oklahoma State, lost to Oregon)

Iowa State (3-0, biggest win over Iowa)

Virginia Tech (3-1, beat Bowling Green 37-0, biggest win over Georgia Tech, lost to Pittsburgh)

Tennessee (3-1, beat Akron 47-26; biggest win over North Carolina State, lost to Florida)

Oklahoma State (2-1, biggest win over Louisiana-Lafayette, lost to Arizona)

Dropped: Fresno State

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

This Week in the BCS Top 25

#1 Alabama pounded Florida Atlantic 40-7.
#2 LSU outlasted Auburn 12-10.
#3 Oregon annihilated #19 Arizona 49-0.
#4 Oklahoma lost to #14 Kansas State 24-19.
#5 Georgia whipped Vanderbilt 48-3.
#6 Stanford did play.
#7 South Carolina rocked Missouri 31-10.
#8 Notre Dame, Blue Through and Through's #1 team, won against #17 Michigan 13-6.
#9 Clemson lost to #10 Florida State 49-37.
#10 Florida State came from behind to beat #9 Clemson 49-37.
#11 USC got by Cal 27-9.
#12 West Virginia of the Big East downed Maryland of the ACC 31-21.
#13 Florida blanked Kentucky 38-0.
#14 Kansas State escaped with a 24-19 win over #4 Oklahoma in Norman.
#15 Texas was idle.
#16 TCU toppled Virginia 27-7.
#17 Michigan went down to Notre Dame, 13-6.
#18 Michigan State downed Eastern Michigan 23-7.
#19 Arizona was outclassed by Oregon 49-0.
#20 UCLA lost to Blue Through and Through Top 25 team but otherwise underrated Oregon State 27-20.
#21 Louisville beat Florida International 28-21.
#22 Boise State edged BYU 7-6.
#23 Baylor outlasted Louisiana-Monroe 47-42.
#24 Rutgers of the Big East defeated SEC foe Arkansas 35-26.
# 25 Iowa State did not play.

Also:
Wyoming won at Idaho 40-37 in OT.
Southern Mississippi fell to Western Kentucky 42-17.
Colorado State lost to Utah State 31-19.
Fresno State lost to Tulsa 27-26.
San Diego State lost to San Jose State 38-34.
New Mexico defeated New Mexico State 27-14.
UNLV shocked Air Force 38-35.
Nevada blasted Hawai'i 69-24.

Boise State Faces Another Tough Run Defense

BYU and Boise State are set to battle in Bronco Stadium Thursday night; both teams will be there after just four nights' rest.

In the 1980's, BYU was one of the elite teams in college football. From 1977-1990, the Cougars were 141-36. Thirty-five years after BYU began their run, Boise State is following in BYU's footsteps; the Broncos are 147-23 since 1999.

Under Lavell Edwards, BYU achieved two things Boise State has never accomplished. First, BYU won a championship in the Mountain West; in fact, they won three of them outright and tied for another. Despite all the hoopla surrounding last year's Boise State team, they didn't win the conference, losing on their home field to TCU. Second, BYU has a national championship to their credit (in 1984). Despite owning the best record in college football over the last 13 years, Boise State hasn't even had an invitation to the game.

Since 2010, BYU has allowed an average of 91.5 rushing yards per game, second only to Alabama. That spells bad news for the Bronco running game, which mustered only 37 yards against another tough run defense, that of Michigan State.

Boise State believes they have the problems worked out after exploding for 295 rushing yards against MIami of Ohio, with D.J. Harper getting 162 of that total and earning Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors. But the proof will be in the Thursday night pudding. Rushing for 295 yards against the Redhawks was one thing; mounting a sustainable ground attack against the Cougars will be much tougher.

The BYU offense will try to stretch the field, isolating their receivers on the Bronco defensive backs. Senior Riley Nelson (6-0, 199) is on the Watch List for both the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell Awards and excels in Coach Bronco Mendenhall's short passing game. Nelson has completed 60% of his passes so far (60-100) with five touchdowns and is also a threat to tuck it and run upfield. BYU is averaging 32 points a game in three contests, far better than Boise State's 26.0.

J.D. Falslev (5-8, 184, Jr.) is set to go in the slot while Cody Hoffman (6-4, 215, Jr.) and Ross Apo (6-3, 207, So.) give the Cougars great size at wide receiver.

Hoffman leads the team with 18 receptions for 281 yards (15.6 avg.) and two touchdowns. Kaneakua Friel (6-5, 250, Jr.) is one of the primary receivers in that short passing game with 15 catches for 195 yards and four touchdowns.

The Cougars have had good success running toss sweeps to Michael Alisa (6-1, 220, Jr.) and David Foote (5-11, 200, Sr.). Alisa is a candidate for the Doak Walker Award this season, and has gained 163 yards on 39 carries so far.

BYU's offensive line has helped the team average 423.3 yards a game. Seniors Braden Brown (6-6, 300 at right tackle) and Braden Hansen (6-6, 307) at left guard anchor the unit. Hansen will be in charge of protecting Nelson's blind side. Center Blair Tushaus (6-2, 270, So.), right guard Brock Stringham (6-6, 290) and freshman left tackle Ryker Mathews (6-6, 292) complete the unit.

Bronco fans will note the similarity in height between the BYU linemen and the Michigan State linemen. Michigan State was able to run the ball at will against the defenseless Bronco defensive line with Le'Veon Bell. Meanwhile, Boise State could not get consistent pressure on the quarterback like Notre Dame could last week against the Spartans. The Fighting Irish, in fact, showed Boise State just how far they have to go defensively.

Speaking of defense, BYU boasts Lombardi and Nagurski Award candidate Kyle Van Noy (6-3, 235, Jr.) at linebacker. Van Noy has already been in on 7.5 tackles for loss this year with 4.5 sacks, and he has two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. Stopping Van Noy will be crucial Thursday night. But then Uona Kaveinga (5-11, 233, Sr.) is up for the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the land. Spencer Hadley (6-1, 227, Jr.) will play opposite Van Noy on the strong side of the ball while Brandon Ogletree (5-11, 228, Sr.) is the fourth starter in BYU's 3-4 defense.

Boise State will face three seniors up front Thursday night--Romney Ruga (6-2, 318) is the man in the middle while ends Eathyn Manumaleuna (6-2, 288) and Russell Tielavea (6-3, 265) will bring pressure from the outside. That trio has helped the Cougar defense allow just 53 yards a game on the ground this season. More trouble for the Bronco rushing game.

Cornerbacks Jordan Johnson (5-10, 185, So.) and Preston Hadley (6-0, 200, Sr.), KAT-back Daniel Sorensen (6-2, 206, Jr.) and free safety Joe Sampson (5-10, 203, Sr.) have done a better job in defending the pass than the Broncos (allowing 188 yards to Boise State's 213), and they've done it against tougher competition.

Riley Stephenson (6-0, 205, Sr.) does both the punting and placekicking; he's up for the Ray Guy Award in the former category. Falslev will be pack to field punts for BYU while Hoffman and Mike Hague (5-10, 190, Sr.) will return kickoffs for the Cougars.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Harper Honored by Mountain West Conference

D.J. Harper has been named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week after his sensational effort in helping Boise State beat Miami of Ohio Saturday.

Harper rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns, scored a fourth on a diving catch in the end zone and scored on the subsequent two-point play. Harper's 26 points Saturday are the most by an FBS player this season.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Jeron Johnson Scores on Return of Blocked Punt

Former Boise State standout Jeron Johnson scooped up a blocked punt on the three yard-line and took it in for the score to put Seattle up 10-0. The Seahawks went on to defeat Dallas.

Boise State Remains At #22 in Unofficial BCS Standings

515400_US Market ONLY - Olotels 336x280 San Francisco US Market

Here are Blue Football Through & Through's exclusive Unofficial BCS Ratings*. Although the BCS doesn't officially publish these until much later, these standings represent where each team is currently ranked. The Standings use the Coaches' Poll and AP Poll Percentages, with the AP substituting for the Harris Poll, which has not come out yet. History has shown that the AP Percentages are a good approximation for the way the members of the Harris Poll vote.

Two of the six computers are reliable now--Sagarin and Billingsley. The other four use methodology that doesn't sort out until a few more weeks.

1. Alabama (99.66% + 99.87% + (25 + 25 = 50*2) = 100.00) =299.53
2. LSU (95.66% + 95.53% + (20 + 23 = 43*2) = 86.00) = 277.19
3. Oregon (90.78% + 90.40% + (10 + 22 = 32*2) = 64.00) = 245.28
4. Oklahoma (81.42% 78.73% + (19 + 16 = 35*2) = 70.00) = 230.15
5. Georgia (77.97% + 80.20% + 22 + 13 = 35*2) = 70.00) = 228.17
6. Stanford (58.85% + 67.27% + (23 + 24 = 47*2 = 94.00) = 220.12
7. South Carolina (72.61% + 72.07% + (17 + 19 = 36*2) = 72.00 = 216.68
8. Notre Dame (46.17% + 56.93% + (21 + 21 = 42*2 = 84.00) = 187.10
9. Clemson (64.75% + 59.93% + (16 + 11 = 27*2 = 54.00) = 178.68
10. Florida State (84.07% + 85.00% + (0 + 3 = 3*2) = 6.00) = 175.07
11. USC (52.81% + 51.73% + (14 + 20 = 34*2 = 68.00) = 172.54
12. West Virginia (75.53% + 70.07% + (0 + 9 = 9*2) = 18.00) = 163.60
13. Florida (46.71% + 49.53% + (24 + 8 = 32*2 = 64.00) = 160.24
14. Kansas State (52.00% + 45.53% + 11 + 18 = 29*2 = 58.00) = 155.53
15. Texas (58.91% + 54.40% + (18 + 0 = 18*2 = 36.00) = 149.31
16. TCU (45.76% + 35.67% + (8 + 10 = 18*2 = 36.00) = 117.43
17. Michigan (34.37% + 29.87% + (0 + 14 = 14*2 = 28.00) = 92.24
18. Michigan State (24.00% + 21.20% + (3 + 17 = 20*2 = 40.00) = 85.20
19. Arizona (20.07% + 19.73% + (15 + 7 = 22*2 = 44.00) = 83.80
20. UCLA (25.42% + 28.60% + (0 + 6 = 6*2 = 12.00) = 66.02
21. Louisville (29.42% + 24.40% + (0 + 0 = 0.00) = 53.82
22. Boise State (4.75% + 6.33% + (4 + 15 = 19*2 = 38.00) = 49.08
23. Baylor (3.66% + 3.67% + (0 + 12 = 12*2 = 24.00) = 31.33
24. Rutgers (1.97% + 1.27% + (13 + 0 = 13*2 = 26.00) = 29.24
25. Iowa State (1.97% + 1.00% + (9 + 4 = 13*2 = 26.00) = 28.97

26. Oklahoma State (4.95% + 1.27% + (6 + 5 = 11*2 = 22.00) = 28.22
27. Mississippi State (6.71% + 7.07% + (5 + 0 = 5*2 = 10.00) = 23.78
28. Wisconsin (6.58% + .33% + (7 + 0 = 7*2 = 14.00) = 20.91
29. Nebraska (13.15% + 5.33% + (0 + 0 = 0.00) = 18.48
30. Oregon State (1.63% + 4.53% + (0 + 0 = 0.00) = 6.16
31. Virginia Tech (4.81% + .87% + (0 + 0 = 0.00) = 5.68
32. Northwestern (2.24% + 2.73% + (0 + 0 = 0.00) = 4.97
33. Cincinnati (2.64% + .60% + (0 + 0 = 0.00) = 3.24

Boise State #27 in Coaches' Poll

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm

The Blue Football Top 25 Rankings--Week One

After three weeks, we are beginning to have enough information on who the top teams are. Remember that since the Pac-12 and Big 12 had chances to invite Boise State to their conference and didn't, neither conference will have a "strength of schedule" argument against the Broncos, so no team with the same record from those two conferences can ever be ranked ahead of Boise State. Here is the 2012 premiere of the Blue Football Through and Through Top 25*:

1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Stanford
4. Texas
5. Oregon
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. Georgia
9. South Carolina
10. Michigan State
11. West Virginia
12. Florida State
13. Florida
14. TCU
15. Clemson
16. Louisville
17. Boise State
18. USC
19. Kansas State
20. Rutgers
21. Michigan
22. Oregon State
23. UCLA
24. Nebraska
25. Fresno State

Also Considered: Connecticut, Arizona, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee

Boise State Climbs to #24 in AP Poll

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/polls/ap/

Boise State #22 in Sagarin

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Stanford
4. Georgia
5. Notre Dame
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. Texas
9. South Carolina
10. Clemson
11. Arizona
12. USC
13. Rutgers
14. Ohio State
15. Kansas State
16. Oregon
17. Iowa State
18. TCU
19. Wisconsin
20. Oklahoma State
21. Mississippi State
22. Boise State
23. Michigan State
24. Missouri
25. Texas AM

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt12.htm

On the Rebound: Boise State Defeats Miami of Ohio 39-12

Boise State has to feel good to get this one in the books. The Broncos responded to an opening week loss by topping Miami of Ohio. (Photo courtesy of Foto208--all rights reserved.)

Still stinging from a season-opening heartbreaker to Michigan State, and behind in the second quarter 9-8, Boise State came to life for a 39-12 win over Miami of Ohio this afternoon in Bronco Stadium.

The Broncos rode the D.J. Harper Express for 162 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and junior quarterback Joe Southwick made great strides in a 24-31 performance to lead the Boise State offense that was missing in action two weeks ago against Michigan State. And with the steady play of the Bronco defense, that was all it took to notch victory number one of the season.

Harper complemented his career-high rushing total with a diving catch of a 21-yard pass from Southwick for another score, and ran in a two-point conversion as well as Boise State won its eleventh straight home opener. Harper's 26 points are the third-most in school history and his four touchdowns are the best for a Bronco player since Doug Martin ran for four TD's against New Mexico State in 2009.

Given holes that were not there against Michigan State, Harper showed great vision and picked his way for big gain after big gain. True freshman Jack Fields sprang loose for 54 yards on 13 carries and Drew Wright managed 33 yards on 7 carries.

Meanwhile, Southwick threw for 304 yards and completed an amazing 16 of his final 17 passes. His throws were crisp and sure, and he looked like a gunslinger tossing the ball to nine different Bronco receivers.

Matt Miller was the beneficiary of seven of those Southwick aerials for 76 yards as the tall, talented Miller presented a mismatch on nearly any play Southwick wanted to throw to him. Aaron Burks enjoyed the best game of his collegiate career, hauling in three catches for 67 yards. Kirby Moore had two receptions, but proved invaluable as a blocker downfield, springing his receiver mates several times by locking down his defender.

Miami (1-2) grabbed a 9-8 lead in the second quarter after a fumble recovery by Pat Hinkel put the Redhawks in business with a first and goal at the nine. Spencer Treadwell tossed a two-yard TD pass to Andy Cruse for the go-ahead score.

It's said that great teams respond to opponents' scores with scores of their own, and Boise Stage came right back with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, as Harper dashed over from the 1 to take a lead it would not relinquish afterwards.

Demarcus Lawrence led Boise State with seven tackles while J.C. Percy had six. Armand Nance had four tackles in limited action while registering 1.5 sacks.

Boise State braces for #25 BYU Thursday night. Kickoff for that nationally-televised game is set for 7 p.m.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Former Boise State Broncos in the NFL--Week Two

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Here are the results of Boise State players in the NFL--will be updated as statistics come in--

Richie Brockel--Carolina Panthers (no statistics in Carolina's win)
Ryan Clady--Denver Broncos (started for Denver in Bronco loss)
Daryn Colledge--Arizona Cardinals (Colledge helped Arizona win.)
Tyrone Crawford--Dallas Cowboys (1 tackle as Dallas lost)
Tommy Gallarda--Atlanta Falcons (no statistics in Atlanta win)
George Iloka--Cincinnati Bengals (2 tackles in Cincinnati's win)
Jeron Johnson--Seattle Seahawks (recovered a blocked punt and took it in for the touchdown as Seattle won)
Doug Martin--Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown to lead Tampa Bay in rushing in the Buc's loss to the Giants)
Shea McClellin--Chicago Bears (McClellin's team is now 1-1, but Shea was one of the leaders of the defense with four tackles, one solo, a team-leading 1.5 sacks and one tackle for loss.)
Quintin Mikell--St. Louis Rams (2 tackles, both solo, in a Ram win)
Kellen Moore--Detroit Lions (did not play in Lions loss)
Legedu Naanee--Miami Dolphins (no statistics in a Miami win)
Austin Pettis--St. Louis Rams (did not play)
Nate Potter--Arizona Cardinals (Potter's team won in Week 2.)
Orlando Scandrick--Dallas Cowboys (1 tackle, a solo stop, in Dallas's loss)
Kyle Wilson--New York Jets (4th on the team with 7 tackles, 6 solo, in a Jet loss)
Billy Winn--Cleveland Browns (no statistics in Cleveland's loss)
Titus Young--Detroit Lions (1 catch for 11 yards in Detroit loss)

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Broncos Look for Improvement This Week

Boise State hosts Miami of Ohio in the Broncos' home opener this season Saturday at 2 p.m. in Bronco Stadium. It will be the first game after expansion that has put capacity of the stadium near 37,000.

The Broncos have had two weeks to think about a season-opening loss to Michigan State, a game in which just one play made at any time of the game would have resulted in a win. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. And didn't. Lesson learned.

While recognizing that Michigan State has a top team this year, the loss to the Spartans revealed several problem areas for the Broncos. The Boise State offensive line couldn't hold their blocks longer than a Little League team I used to help coach. Granted the level of play is night and day but the principle is the same. I was frustrated then and I know Coach Chris Petersen is frustrated now. It all starts with the line and if they can't dominate their man, nothing works behind them.

Meanwhile, the Bronco defensive line had its own share of problems, namely with one Le'veon Bell. Rather than penetrating the line of scrimmage (as Michigan State did to the Boise State offensive line), the Bronco players waited for Bell to come to them, something you can't do with a back of his caliber. By then, Bell had a head of steam and was much tougher to bring down than he would be in the backfield.

Unlike Boise State, the Redhawks' offensive line turned in a strong performance in its last game. Spencer Treadwell rushed for 73 yards and quarterback Zac Dysert became one of just 12 Mid-American Conference quarterbacks to throw for 9,000 yards with 226 passing yards in a 30-12 win over Southern Illinois.

Dysert has now thrown 50 career touchdown passes, third on the Miami list behind Ben Roethlisberger (84) and Josh Betts (54). The Miami offense possesses quite a different challenge for Boise State's defense. While MSU climbed on Bell's back and rode him to victory with run after run, Dysert loves to fling the pigskin. In two games, Dysert has thrown it 89 times, completing 59 (66.3%) for 529 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Andy Cruse has cruised along through two games with 20 receptions, tied for fourth in the NCAA. Nick Harwell (11 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown) and Dawan Scott (9 receptions for 118 yards) are the other top targets.
Pat Hinkel is one of 20 players in the nation to have two interceptions so far--he has 49 yards of interception returns with one returned for six. Hinkel also leads the Redhawks with 18 tackles and four pass deflections. Mwanza Wamulumba leads Miami with 1.5 sacks and he has 2 tackles for loss; Mike Johns has 2.5 tackles for loss among six tackles this season. Chris Wade (14 tackles), Brison Burris (13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss) and Dayonne Nunley (11 tackles, 2 pass deflections) have been the other stars of the defense.
Boise State is a big favorite in the game, but don't tell that to the Miami players. They've seen the Michigan State film too and they're hungry to exploit the weaknesses they saw. Boise State Coach Petersen has said many times that his team has to earn their status.
This Saturday, Boise State will have to earn it. The game will be televised live by NBC Sports Network.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

This Week in the BCS Top 25

#1 Alabama took care of Arkansas 52-0.
#2 LSU embarrassed Idaho 63-14.
#3 South Carolina whipped UAB 49-6.
#4 Oregon blitzed Tennessee Tech 63-14.
#5 USC was beaten by #14 Stanford 21-14.
#6 Michigan State lost to #19 Notre Dame 20-3.
#7 Oklahoma was idle
#8 Georgia annihilated Florida Atlantic 56-20.
#9 Kansas State topped North Texas 35-21.
#10 Florida State blasted Wake Forest Saturday 52-0.
#11 West Virginia upended James Madison 42-12.
#12 Clemson blew by Furman Saturday 41-7.
#13 Virginia Tech lost to Pittsburgh 35-17.
#14 Stanford shocked #5 USC 21-14.
#15 TCU toppled Kansas 20-6.
#16 Michigan ripped Massachusetts 63-13.
#17 Texas rolled Mississippi 66-31.
#18 Louisville got by North Carolina 39-34.
#19 Notre Dame beat #6 Michigan State 20-3.
#20 UCLA ran over Houston 37-6.
#21 Florida downed Tennessee 37-20.
#22 Boise State rebounded for a 39-12 win over Miami of Ohio.
#23 Arizona blanked South Carolina State 56-0.
#24 Iowa State whipped Western Illinois 37-3.
#25 South Florida fell to Rutgers 23-13.

Elsewhere:
New Mexico lost to Texas Tech 49-14.
Fresno State beat the team the Pac-12 chose over Boise State (Colorado) 69-14.
Nevada beat Northwestern State 45-34.
UNLV battled Washington State before losing to the Pac-12 club, 35-27.
San Diego State outlasted North Dakota 49-41.
Colorado State lost to San Jose State 40-20.
Wyoming lost to Cal Poly 24-22.
Southern Mississippi lost to East Carolina 24-14.
BYU lost to Utah 24-21.
Hawai'i steamrolled Lamar Saturday 54-2.
Connecticut, a soon-to-be conference mate of Boise State, edged previously unbeaten Maryland 24-21.
Cincinnati downed Delaware State 23-7.

Pages

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Friday, September 28, 2012

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Friday, September 14, 2012

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Tuesday, September 11, 2012