Broncos Release Depth Chart For Virginia Tech Game

No major surprises today as the Boise State football team released it's depth chart for the Virginia Tech game except at running back. Doug Martin won the starting role at running back ahead of Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper.  However, expect to see plenty of #27 and #6 when the Broncos take on Virginia Tech.

Quarterback is interesting; the coaching staff did not name a clear number 2.

A couple other positions that were being looked at were left tackle where some thought Charles Leno might get the starting nod. Over at corner back, Jamar Taylor beat out Jerrell Gavins in a close fight.  Both should see significant time on the field.

Here's how the depth chart looks with the starters in bold...

OFFENSE

QB - 11 Kellen Moore

         7 Michael Coughlin or 12 Joe Southwick

RB - 22 Doug Martin

         27 Jeremy Avery or 6 DJ Harper

FB -  47 Dan Paul

         42 Jake Hess

Z -     2 Austin Pettis

         20 Mitch Burroughs

         82 Geraldo Hiwat

X -    1 Titus Young

         3 Chris Potter

        18 Aaron Burks

H -   89 Tyler Shoemaker

        34 Kirby Moore

        29 Tyler Jackson

LT - 75 Faraji Wright

        78 Charles Leno

LG - 73 Nate Potter

         55 Chuck Hayes

C -     66 Thomas Byrd

          79 Bronson Durrant

RG -  59 Will Lawrence

          61 Joe Kellogg

RT -  64 Brenel Myers

          72 Matt Slater

TE -   85 Tommy Gallarda

         80 Kyle Efaw

         88 Chandler Koch

         87 Gabe Lineham

DEFENSE

E -   98 Ryan Winterswyk

        96 Jarrell Root or 40 Tyrone Crawford

T -   90 Billy Winn

        43 Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe

N-    97 Chase Baker

        99 Michael Atkinson

        50 J.P. Nisby

SE - 92 Shea McClellin

        96 Jarell Root or 41 Kharyee Marshall

MIKE - 52 Derrell Acrey or 94 Byron Hout

              33 Tommy Smith

WILL - 36 Aaron Tevis or 48 J.C. Percy

S -     23 Jeron Johnson

         30 Travis Stanaway

S -     8 George Iloka

         16 Cedric Febis

N -    17 Winston Veneble

         25 Hunter White

CB   21 Jamar Taylor

          4 Jerrell Gavins

CB    13 Brandyn Thompson

         37 Ebo Makinde

         31 Antwon Murray

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK -   35 Kyle Brotzman

          84 Jimmy Pavel

KO -  35 Kyle Brotzman

          84 Jimmy Pavel

HD -  2 Austin Pettis

P -     35 Kyle Brotzman

          49 Brad Elkin

SNP - 94 Byron Hout

           44 Chris Roberson

KR -   1 Titus Young

          22 Doug Martin

PR     20 Mitch Burroughs or Titus Young

 

Check Out The New Bronco Football Website

Boise State's athletic department has unveiled a website dedicated to Bronco Football.  There are a lot of neat features, videos, pictures and more!

New York Times Says Boise State Will Play Ohio State For Championship Game

First the New York Post, now the New York Times picks Boise State to play for the national championship. Here's the story.

The Times also has a pretty good story about the rise of Boise State and TCU.  The paper also lists QB Kellen Moore as one of it's 5 Heisman candidates (no surprise here).

The Orlando Sentinel picks Boise State number 2 in their preseason top 25.  Here's their write-up on the Broncos.

And Brian Murphy & Chadd Cripe list their great moments in Bronco History mixed with moments in U.S. history to coincide with the trip to our nation's capitol.

New York Post Picks Boise State To Win The National Championship

The Bronco football team is the pick to win the BCS National Championship game, according to the New York Post's Lenn Robbins.

You can read the story here.

The Post also released it's top 25 list with the Broncos at the #1 position.

1. BOISE STATE  

2. ALABAMA  

3. OHIO STATE 

4. MIAMI 

5. NEBRASKA 

6. FLORIDA 

7. WISCONSIN  

8. TEXAS 

9. VIRGINIA TECH 

10. OKLAHOMA 

11. OREGON 

12. TCU 

13. GEORGIA TECH 

14. IOWA 

15. OREGON STATE  

16. AUBURN 

17. UTAH 

18. CONNECTICUT 

19. ARIZONA 

20. NOTRE DAME 

21. SOUTHERN CAL 

22. FLORIDA STATE 

23. CINCINNATI 

24. PENN STATE 

25. HOUSTON

 
The paper also listed 6 "power players" from non-BCS  conference schools to watch in 2010.  Boise State's junior defensive lineman Billy Winn made the list.  The article says, "End Ryan Winterswyk gets most of the publicity, but this former high school wrestler is the stuff Miami and USC turn out."

Winterswyk and Potter Selected to Lombardi Award Watch List

The Rotary Lombardi Award Committee announced its official watch list for the 2010 Rotary Lombardi Award, Friday (Aug. 27), which features a pair of Boise State linemen in Ryan Winterswyk and Nate Potter. 

The watch list is comprised of players who earned All-American honors or first team All-Conference honors last season. Watch list candidates can also be selected through a nomination process. The Rotary Lombardi Award recognizes the top college football player that: "is a down lineman, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who sets up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage."

This marks the second watch list nomination of the fall for both Winterswyk and Potter.

Winterswyk was also selected as a player to watch for the Bronco Nagurski Award following an outstanding junior season playing at defensive end for Boise State. Winterswyk (6-4, 270), a senior from La Habra, Calif. (La Habra HS), finished 2009 with 41 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks. For his role in helping lead the Broncos to a perfect 14-0 record, Winterswyk was named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference for the second consecutive season.   

Potter (6-6, 300), a junior from Boise, Idaho (Timberline HS), is coming off the best season of his collegiate career in which he played to first-team All-WAC honors as an offensive lineman. Potter started the final nine games of the 2009 season for Boise State and was a key contributor on the nation's top scoring offense that averaged 42.2 points per game. Potter was also named to the Outland Trophy watch list during the summer.

The Rotary Lombardi Watch List will be periodically updated throughout the 2010 season until the list is narrowed to 12 semifinalists. The winner will be voted on by the Rotary Lombardi Selection Committee, which is comprised of more than 500 members; all past winners and finalists, all FBS head coaches and a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The winner will be honored Dec. 7-8 in Houston, Texas.

Broncos Start Season Ranked #3 In AP Poll

The Boise State Broncos will open the season ranked #3 in the AP Poll, the highest ranking the team has ever achieved.

The Broncos even received one first place vote, Joe Giglio of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., gave Boise State its No. 1 vote.

Virginia Tech, the Broncos first opponent is ranked 10th, Oregon State open ranked 24th.

TCU, the only other non-AQ team, opens ranked #6.

Broncos Receiving Duo Lands On Biletnikoff Watch List

Titus Young & Austin Pettis were named to the Fred Biletnikoff preseason watch list.

The Biletnikoff Award, which has honored the nation’s top college receiver for each of the past 15 years, is named after former Florida State University All-America receiver and Pro-Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff. The initial watch list features 51 recievers from around the country. The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists on Nov. 15, and again to three finalists on Nov. 22. The 2010 Biletnikoff Award winner will be announced Dec. 9 on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards.

Pettis (6-3, 203), a senior from Anaheim, Calif. (Lutheran HS), is coming off an outstanding junior campaign in which he broke the Boise State single season record for touchdown catches (14). In 13 games of action Pettis was second on the team in receptions (63) and receiving yards (855).

Young (5-11, 175), a Los Angeles, Calif. (University HS) native, enters his senior season looking to build upon an extremely productive year in 2009. Young led the Broncos in receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,041) as a junior, while also finishing second on the team in receiving touchdowns with 10.

Other Broncos on watch lists include quarterback Kellen Moore (Walter Camp, Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien and the Manning Award), offensive lineman Nate Potter (Outland Trophy - best interior lineman), Jeron Johnson (Jim Thorpe Award - best defensive back) and Ryan Winterswyk (Chuck Bednarik - best defensive player & Bronko Nagurski - outstanding defensive player).

Bronco Football To Grace Cover Of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated's College Football Preview Issue will feature Ryan Winterswyk, Brandyn Thompson & Jeron Johnson on the cover.

Kyle Wilson Continues To Impress

Former Bronco standout Kyle Wilson is working with the first team defense for the New York Jets.

Originally projected as the nickle back, Wilson has benefited from the holdout of all-pro defensive back Derrell Revis.

In fact, Dwight Lowrey, who was Revis' backup went to coaches and said that Wilson should be the starter.

Jet's head coach Rex Ryan was surprised by Lowrey's admission but when asked about Wilson he said quote..."that kid has rare ability."

Kellen Moore Adds Two More Watch Lists Nominations

Bronco quarterback Kellen Moore was named to the Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards pre-season watch lists today.

The Walter Camp Award is given to the player of the year and the Maxwell Award goes to the best all around player in the nation.

Moore was named as a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award and the Manning Award last month.

Other Broncos on watch lists include offensive lineman Nate Potter (Outland Trophy - best interior lineman), Jeron Johnson (Jim Thorpe Award - best defensive back) and Ryan Winterswyk (Chuck Bednarik - best defensive player & Bronko Nagurski - outstanding defensive player).

Broncos Get Verbal Committment From Bay Area Linebacker

Blake Renaud, a linebacker at De La Salle High School in Concord, California has given the Boise State football team a verbal committment to join the team for the 2011 season.

Renaud, 6'2" 233lbs, received offers from Minnesota, Oregon State, Oregon and Ohio of the Mid-American Conference.

Renaud said the decision between Boise State and Oregon State was difficult but after considering all his options he felt the Broncos were the better fit and so he committed to Chris Petersen's club this weekend.

Following The Broncos

Here are some GREAT links that I read daily to get news on the Boise State Football team.

Chadd Cripe is the Boise State beat reporter for the Idaho Statesman. 

Dave Southorn is the Boise State beat reporter for the Idaho Press-Tribune. He has covered Boise State football since 2005.

Brian Murphy is the Idaho Statesman sports columnist and he provides his take on sports, especially Boise State football and basketball on his blog.

One Bronco Nation Under God is a Bronco fan's one stop for everything Broncos.  Kevan Lee, Drew Roberts and Nick Kroes post daily...everything from news to opinion to features.  Also, OBNUG lets you make posts as well.

Boise State Voted #5 In USA Today Coaches Pre Season Poll

2010 preseason poll                                       2009 record   Points    Final 09 rank 1.   Alabama (55)        14-0                 1,469            1 2.   Ohio State (4)        11-2                 1,392            5 3.   Florida                    13-1                 1,245            3 4.   Texas                       13-1                 1,240            2  5.   Boise State             14-0                 1,215            4 6.   Virginia Tech         10-3                 1,052            10 7.   TCU                          12-1                 1,051            6 8.   Oklahoma              8-5                   1,035             NR 9.   Nebraska               10-4                 1,001             14 10.  Iowa                      11-2                 952                 7 11.  Oregon                  10-3                 940                 11 12.  Wisconsin            10-3                 778                 16  13.  Miami (FL)            9-4                   728                  19 14.  Penn State             11-2                 508                  8 15.  Pittsburgh             10-3                 492                 15 16.  LSU                         9-4                   476                  17 17.  Georgia Tech        11-3                 455                 13 18.  North Carolina     8-5                   445                 NR 19.  Arkansas                8-5                   438                NR 20.  Florida State          7-6                   374                NR 21.  Georgia                   8-5                   312                NR 22.  Oregon State          8-5                   263                NR 23.  Auburn                    8-5                   260                NR 24t. Utah                        10-3                 169                18 24t.  West Virginia       9-4                   169                22 Six coaches voted the Broncos No. 2. But an equal number, all but one from BCS conferences, voted Boise State No. 10 or lower. One put the Broncos, who finished last year 14-0 and No. 4 in the poll, at No. 13.

Here's an article by USA Today titled: BCS not enough: Petersen has Boise State in national title hunt.  A good read!

Texas Running Back Jay Ajayi Headed To Boise State

Jay Ajayi, a running back from Liberty (Frisco, Texas), has committed to Boise State for the Class of 2011.

Ajayi (6-foot-0, 200-pounds) was also offered by Minnesota, Tulane, Wyoming and New Mexico State.

During his junior season, he rushed for 1627 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The Broncos now have eight pledges.


2011 RECRUITING CLASS
-- QB Jimmy Laughrea, 6-2, 185, Rocklin (Calif.) HS
-- DE Sam Ukwuachu, 6-5, 203, Pearland (Texas) HS
-- WR Dallas Burroughs, 5-8, 165, Rocky Mountain HS (Meridian)
-- DT Jeff Worthy, 6-4, 280, Whittier Christian HS (La Mirada, Calif.)
-- DL Robert Ash, 6-3, 255, Cosumnes Oaks HS (Elk Grove, Calif.)
-- S Taylor Loffler, 6-3, 195, Kelowna (B.C.) Secondary
-- OL Rees Odhiambo, 6-3, 298, Mansfield (Texas) Legacy HS
-- RB Jay Ajayi, 6-0, 200, Liberty HS (Frisco, Texas)

Pre Season Watch Lists

I've been out of town for a while and haven't been able to post any new stories for a while so I'm looking to catch up.

We are at the time of year when post-season award groups release their pre-season watch lists.

We've already gone over Kellen Moore being named to the Davey O'Brien watch list and the Manning Award watch list. Both award the best quarterback in the nation. The Davey O'Brien award has been awarded since the 1930's while the Manning Award dates back 6 years.

Ryan Winterswyk was named to the Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch list. That trophy goes to the nation's most outstanding defensive player.

Jeron Johnson's names appeared on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list that goes to the nation's best defensive back.

Nate Potter got a pre-season nod for the Outland Trophy, given to the top interior lineman in the country.

The Rimington Award, awarded to the top center in the nation, excluded the Bronco's Thomas Byrd. Byrd, who started all 14 games last year, was expected to be an easy selection to the pre-season watch list, and many who cover the Bronco were surprised he was left off the list. However, not being named to the pre-season list does not guarantee a player can't win the award, so a great season by Byrd can and should have his named mentioned with the best in the land.

Other lists due out this month include:

Chuck Bednarik Award

best defensive player

Aug. 9th

2009 winner: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

Walter Camp Award

player of the year

Aug. 9th

2009 winner: Colt McCoy, Texas

Maxwell Award

best all-around player

Aug. 9th

2009 winner: McCoy, Texas

Biletnikoff Award

best receiver

Aug. 10th

2009 winner: Golden Tate, Notre Dame

Ray Guy Award

best punter

Aug. 11th

2009 winner: Drew Butler, Georgia

John Mackey Award

best tight end

Aug 16th

2009 winner: Aaron Hernandez, Florida

Butkus Award

best linebacker

Aug. 16th

2009 winner: Rolando McClain, Alabama

Lou Groza Award

best kicker

Aug. 20th

2009 winner: Kai Forbath, UCLA

Rotary Lombardi Award

outstanding lineman

Aug. 20th

2009 winner: Suh, Nebraska

Doak Walker Award

best running back

Aug. 23th

2009 winner: Toby Gerhart, Stanford