Boise State Broncos Season Preview

Boise State comes into the 2011 season with redemption in mind.  Always being counted out and underestimated because of their schedule, the doubters are still out there. "Boise doesn’t deserve a shot with their cupcake schedule" says one SEC fan.

They were gashed against the Wolf Pack of Nevada and Boise States does not play a brutal enough schedule to throw a game away, because if they do their season is over.

These are just the facts, but if they dominate the competition and run the table they will surely be playing in a BCS Bowl such as the Rose Bowl and perhaps even the BCS National Championship. 

Season Outlook Part I

The Boise State Broncos were so close, yet so far away after losing to Nevada in the second to last game of the regular season.

A shot at playing in the BCS Rose Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers was what would have been, but they still managed to find a way to hammer a ranked Utah team in the Las Vegas/Maaco Bowl. 

Chris Peterson has a lot at his disposal despite the loss of the top two receivers in program history. Titus Young and Austin Pettis are gone, so enter Tyler Shoemaker and Geraldo Boldewijn. They also return their main red zone targets in TE’s Kyle Efaw and Gabe Linehan.

Season Outlook Part II

Also, did I mention the QB who will have the most wins of all-time? Kellen Moore is 38-2 as a starter and is expected to break Colt McCoy’s all-time record for wins at 45. Moore is a bit undersized at QB, only standing at 6 foot, but he has the heart of a lion and the accuracy and savvy of a Matt Leinart.

Doug Martin, now in his third year, returns in the backfield, but he has great burst and durability. He had a few amazing long touchdowns against Nevada and Utah to close out his sophomore campaign. If he keeps developing as a runner, he will soon be an All-American.

The key is going undefeated against the likes of Georgia, Tulsa and TCU. All three should be ranked at some point during the season, but it does not matter. They do not have the schedule of an SEC team or even a Big Ten team.

They must pound every opponent they compete against and then pray that only one BCS team goes undefeated.  

Luckily, they have not lost a home game since ’98 and should be favored in every single game once again.

If the Broncos resume is not good enough at 12-0 to play for all the marbles, Petersen and the Broncos will continue to not care, since they just beat whoever they play.

College Football Is Amazing Because of Number 11

Kellen Moore may be an undersized southpaw, but he has the heart of a champion with the way he continuously comes through down the stretch of ball games. He rarely makes a bad throw and he always comes up big when the chips are down. 

He always looked for Pettis in the red zone; with him now gone will he favor his tight ends? I would surely say that Kyle Efaw will be his go-to guy in the third down situations (Tyler Shoemaker also) because of his hands, strength and size. 

Moore may not look like a top notch athlete but he escapes pressure with quick feet alongside his savvy pocket presence that is comparable only to Andrew Luck. 

Kellen Moore, more importantly, is the reason why college sports and college football is one of the best sports to follow. He may not be the top NFL prospect or even become a full-time starter at the next level, but he is the main reason why college football is amazing, with his will to lead his team to victory. 

Best Coach in America?

Moore also does it with a state of grace, as he seemingly never showboats or ever shows up his own teammates. As a matter of fact you could almost call him an assassin because of how silent and deadly he is as a passer. Very nonchalantly, he delivers time after time.

That is the book of head coach Chris Petersen. The guy is a flat-out winner and has won more ball games the past five seasons that any active coach in America, posting a 61-5 record.

He is simply unbeatable overall, especially at home, as he has literally never lost a home game at Bronco Stadium (32-0) in his five seasons. 

Petersen is also far from your average coach. He strives for perfection and always has something to work on, regardless if they are playing Virginia Tech or the University of California-Davis (his alma-mater).

The Muscle Hamster!

The backfield has star senior back Doug “The Muscle Hamster” Martin who has turned into an absolute workhorse. Martin could be an under the radar Doak Walker finalist this season, running being a terrific offensive line.  

He did not do much in the opener against Virginia Tech as he only toted the rock 12 times for 83 yards. The man who broke loose before getting injured was DJ Harper who went off in the opener with a 71-yard TD run. 

Coming off a torn ACL has made it a tough off-season but most expect Harper to be back near 100 percent in time for the opener in Atlanta against Georgia.

Dan Paul will be leading the way at fullback and with Martin and Harper carrying the load things should be fine on the blue carpet this season.

Brotherly Love

The loss of Titus Young and Austin Pettis is a loss of a boatload of playmaking. Young was a field stretcher that made huge catches in clutch situations (see Nevada ending). 

Pettis had a huge game against the Hokies in the opener and went off against Utah in the season finale, also known as the Maaco Bowl. 

I could not find a better 1-2 duo in America last year at wide receiver, and Kellen Moore will certainly miss their ability to find yards after the catch.

Stepping in those brand new shoes will be Kirby Moore, Chris Potter, Geraldo Boldewijn and Tyler Shoemaker. Shoemaker is a solid third-down, possession receiver who has seen plenty of action with the starting rotation. 

Boldewijn saw a lot of action as a backup and is similar to Pettis where has can command double coverage a lot of the time when he goes across the middle.

The tight ends must step up and become studs and the main culprit we are talking about is the man who made the big catch against TCU in the 2010 BCS Fiesta Bowl, Kyle Efaw.

Throw in Gabe Linehan, who is a solid red zone target, and you have a receiving corp that is balanced and tough to go up against. 

The key to look for is Moore to Moore, because that brotherly connection could be deadly. 

Boise Beasts

They have dramatically improved through the years on the defensive side of the football, and it starts up front in the trenches. They had arguably the best front four in the nation a season ago and there is not one man that does the work alone.

They have four talented players that could start on any team out there—Billy Winn, Tyrone Crawford, Chase Baker and Shea McClellin are four bad dudes to mess with. Winn won the Defensive MVP in Boise's 26-3 MAACO Bowl victory and is an impact player.

Crawford replaced Ryan Winterswyk who was a solid three year starter for the team. Baker and Winn will combine this season in what could be the best interior defense in the nation.

Yes, you heard right me right, a team formerly from the WAC and now in the Mountain West could possess the best interior defensive line in the country.

They do not possess spectacular/elite quickness off the edge with Crawford and McClellin, but they are  both smart, strong, instinctive players who will be playing on Sundays.

Deep Secondary

Expect the LB’s to feed off the pressure that the front four puts on the opposition.

Byron Hout is coming off a broken foot and should pick off right where he left off a season ago. Aaron Tevis and J.C. Percy will be seeing the field with their 4-2-5 base defense.

They rotate plenty of linemen and linebackers into the game so everybody stays fresh for the fourth quarter.

The secondary is easily led by George Illoka who is a one-year starter, but a two-year experienced All-Conference player. He has deceptive speed and he is expected to play one hell of a center field on that blue turf.   

Brandyn Thompson is gone so expect Illoka to receive plenty of help from Jamar Taylor, Jerrell Gavins, Hunter White, Ebenezer Makinde, Travis Stanaway, Cedric Febis and Antwon Murray to step their games up. This team is loaded with depth, so if one man is not getting the job done, do not assume they don't have anyone to help fill any void. 

Questions and Concerns

So, the crucial question we all ask is, do they have a kicker this season that can bury a game winner? Can freshman Jake Van Ginkel be the man to get the job done? If not, will the Broncos lose another nail biter? 

Perhaps this is a team that won’t have any or many close games and they won't need to worry about a big kick?

Also, were Young and Pettis amazing or was it really Moore who made them look good? Those questions must be answered when the season kicks-off against Georgia. 

Drama's Forecast

The schedule is not too daunting despite opening up in Atlanta against those Bulldogs. The SEC atmosphere will be waiting for the Broncos, but luckily this Georgia team have a few questions of their own to answer.

Still, Boise State’s strength is stopping the run and Georgia’s strength is that as well. The back four of the secondary is a bit weak and Georgia would need AJ Green to fully take advantage of that.  Two weeks later, if they do come out victorious in Atlanta, comes a solid Tulsa team that has a high octane offense itself.

Having home cooking certainly is a positive thing as they later take on the TCU Horned Frogs in a rematch of the 2010 BCS Fiesta Bowl, which the Broncos won.

This time around there is a bit more on the line: a lock for a BCS Bowl most likely, the Mountain West conference championship and more bragging rights for being the best non-BCS team. In Chris Petersen Bronco nation trusts.

RETURNING STARTERS: 8 OFFENSE/ 8 DEFENSE

PROJECTED RECORD: 12-1, 8-0 (Includes Bowl)

PROJECTED FINISH: First in Conference

BOWL PROJECTION: BCS National Championship