Boise State Football: Under Pressure from the Opening Whistle

When the bright lights of the new seasons blink on and the Broncos and Spartans take to the field, there will be some trepidation carried onto the gridiron in East Lansing.

Sure, there should be a lot of excitement, but some Broncos will be feeling the pressure to perform from the moment the whistle sounds. Chalk it up to stepping from shadows to spotlight. Or chalk it up to the hungry players waiting on the sidelines for a shot at being in the starting lineup. Who's likely to feel the most pressure to perform or feel pushed by non-starters eager to take over?

Here's a quick look at some of the players that need to bring their "A" game immediately.

Joe Southwick

Joe Southwick is one of a quartet of QBs tagged as a probable starter when the Broncos take the field, and he does have the most experience in uniform for Boise State going into the fall campaign.

As the primary relief for departed quarterback Kellen Moore, Southwick was 23-30 passing for 198 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But his running (7 times for 16 yards) wasn't much to write home about.

Grant Hedrick was the third-string QB in 2011, and while Hedrick can run (8 carries for 70 yards), he didn't throw the ball much.

That leaves the touted Nick Patti and redshirt freshman Jimmy Laughrea. Laughrea was reputed to have the strongest arm on the team in 2011. Patti was a top-drawer signal-caller in high-school and could well be the Bronco QB of the future. He also had a pretty decent spring game.

Southwick likely has the inside line to the starting job, but if someone steals it, it could be Patti …or Laughrea …or Hedrick.

D.J. Harper

D.J. Harper has been granted two extra years of eligibility by the NCAA due to season-ending injuries. He has the talent to carry the ball, to block and to receive. As the backup to Doug Martin in 2011, Harper had 557 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 115 carries. He also returned kickoffs and even blocked a punt against Tulsa.

He has skills, but he also has some hungry players behind him. Plus, after missing two seasons (2009 and 2010) to injury, he has something to prove to everyone who follows the Broncos.

The pre-fall camp depth chart had Drew Wright (43 carries for 218 yards and three touchdowns in 2011) as the primary back up to Harper, but there are some freshmen waiting in the wings that also appear rather talented.

The upcoming season is Harper's chance to shine, and he knows that.

Name a Kicker… Any Kicker…

Redshirt freshman Jake Van Ginkel didn't go to the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl; he was one of two Broncos that didn't "deserve" to make the trip. Whatever that was about is, hopefully, behind him.

Sean Wale (an incoming freshman listed as a punter) may make it interesting, but Trevor Harmon, Dan Goodale and Michael Frisina need to step up their game. It is well beyond the time when the kicking game was an adventure.

Starting at Tight End

Boise State has seven tight ends listed on its 2012 roster.

Gabe Linehan (23 catches for 252 yards and five touchdowns in 2011) may be the starter, unless it is Chandler Koch (four catches for 39 yards in 2011), but then there is also Kyle Sosnowski, who has experience for Boise State.

Of the other four, Holden Huff is the biggest, and while he lists at 6-5, he is only 220 lbs, making him the lightest of the group. Linehan goes 6-4 and 246 lbs, which is closer to a lineman's size. If Huff has speed, though, there is a chance he may split out; BSU has a quartet of mighty mites (four wide receivers listed at 5-9 and below) at wide receiver, and some height out there certainly wouldn't hurt if the ball is thrown into a crowd.

The Other Defensive Tackle Spot

Michael Atkinson (6-0, 311 lbs; named preseason all-Mountain West Conference) seems to have one defensive tackle spot nailed down, but the other is up for grabs between Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe and Darren Koontz.

Tjong-A-Tjoe (6-3, 298 lbs) sat out several of the starting games due to eligibility concerns with the NCAA but played in the last seven, recording 15 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Koontz (6-3, 266 lbs) saw action in only three games and had five tackles.

Of course, both were playing behind some talented seniors, but this appears to be a race for the starting job.