EA Sports Sees Broncos Beating Wolfpack, Tide Rolling Tigers

Well, at least one group's computers think Boise State deserves the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings. Unfortunately, those machines don't have any say in the process.

They belong to EA Sports. The video game-maker simulated the Broncos' upcoming match up against the Nevada Wolfpack using its NCAA Football 2010 (an EA Sports game). And - surprise, surprise - Boise State won that virtual match up, 48-23.

Even more encouraging for Bronco fans, Alabama beat Auburn in another simulated game, making it very likely that Boise State would take the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings and get to play for a national championship.
Bronco fans will be sure not to get ahead of themselves. None of this is real, of course. Video games aren't exactly credible sports pundits.

But that won't stop Boise State fans from hoping EA Sports' fantasy becomes reality.

Nevada football: Pack's defense says this year versus Boise State will be different

Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette Journal reports on why Nevada believes this year will be different.

The not-so-secret reason behind Boise State's dominance of Nevada the past decade is this: the Broncos have had a good defense; the Wolf Pack hasn't.

During Nevada's current 10-game losing streak to Boise State, the Wolf Pack has allowed an average of 50 points per game and never held the Broncos to fewer than 38 points.

But the Nevada defense believes this year will be different no matter how explosive and efficient Boise State's offense is as the teams prepare for their showdown Friday night at Mackay Stadium.

"When anybody questions what you do as a man, you've got to step up," Wolf Pack defensive tackle Brett Roy said. "I think we've proven in the past couple games in the last year that we've had a turnaround in our mentality. Everybody can see it. Now we can win games with our defense. We can stop big play-makers. We're very comfortable against offenses."

Not many teams have been comfortable against Boise State's offense this season. The Broncos are second in the nation in points per game (47.9) and fourth in yards per game (528.8).

"They're quite dangerous," Roy said. "The thing I see the most is they never mess up, and when you mess up, they exploit you. We've got to find our holes and stop those and find their strengths and attack those."

Boise State's strengths start with its passing game.

Kellen Moore is first in the nation in passing efficiency and he's throwing to a pair of wide receivers who will likely be on NFL rosters next year in Titus Young and Austin Pettis, who have a combined 1,676 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.

The biggest improvement in Boise State's offense this season has been the addition of the deep ball.

Moore has completed 11-of-13 deep throws to Young for 548 yards and seven touchdowns and his 10.4 yards per attempt is the best mark in the country.

That's why Pack cornerback Isaiah Frey said limiting the big plays is the key to slowing down Boise State.

"As we've seen last week against Fresno, they feed off big plays, especially to those receivers," Frey said. "If we can limit those, we can get a good game going."

Another key will be putting pressure on Moore, who has been sacked only five times this season.

The Wolf Pack's 30 sacks this year are the second most in the WAC (behind only Boise State). Nevada will need a big game out of All-WAC defensive end Dontay Moch.

"His quickness side to side will get you in the run game as well as the pass game," All-WAC offensive lineman Nate Potter said of Moch. "He's a strong guy and he can get it done that way also."

Boise State coach Chris Petersen said he's seen a vast improvement in Nevada's defense this season with the addition of first-year coordinator Andy Buh.

The Wolf Pack is allowing 21.7 points per game this season after allowing 28.5 per game last year. The Pack also has created more turnovers this year (22) than it did in all of 2009.

"Their scheme is different for sure and they understand it well," Petersen said. "They have another year of maturity and they've won a bunch of games and are playing with confidence. They believe in what they're doing."

And even though Nevada hasn't faced an offense like Boise State's this season, Roy said the Pack will be plenty confident Friday night.

"This year we have immense confidence going into the game," Roy said. "We're at home. We don't lose at home. We've been groomed for this moment."

How the Ducks matchup against Auburn, TCU and Boise State

Oregonlive.com asked it's readers to rank which team would give the Ducks the most trouble.

 

The results:

 

Boise State: The Broncos defeated the Ducks the past two years. 57.44%

Auburn: The SEC is no joke and the Cam Newton could run wild. 26.79%

 

TCU: The Horned Frogs' defense could slow down Oregon's spread-option. 15.77%

Here's a early look at how the Ducks stack up against like championship game opponents:

Oregon vs. Auburn: Auburn need only win its final two contests, including the SEC championship on Dec. 4 to reach the BCS title game.

Athlete for athlete the Tigers present the toughest challenge for Oregon and no team is more battle tested against ranked opponents.

The SEC has five other teams ranked in the Top 25. Auburn has vanquished all except No. 9 Alabama, the Tigers' opponent Friday.

Auburn would put plenty of strain on an Oregon defense that has allowed 3.43 rushing yards per carry and ranks 25th in rushing defense (126.3).

The Tigers rank third in the nation in rushing (307.9 yards per game), slightly ahead of Oregon, which ranks sixth (291.1).

Auburn runs its own version of the spread offense while relying heavily on quarterback Cam Newton who leads the team with 1,297 yards rushing with 17 touchdowns and has thrown for 2,038 yards and 21 touchdowns with only six interceptions.

As close to a one-man show as there is in college football, Newton does receive help from the running back combination of Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb who have combined to rush for 1,542 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Defensively, the Tigers have been more prone to giving up points than the Ducks. Auburn ranks 60th in scoring defense (24.91) while Oregon ranks 11th (17.2).

Auburn has proven vulnerable, winning five games by eight points or less including three by a field goal whereas the Ducks have had only one opponent come within 10 points and that was during a 15-13 win last week at California.

Oregon vs. Boise State: The Broncos, who play Friday at No. 19 Nevada, likely need Auburn or Oregon to lose in order to receive an invitation to Glendale.

Should they face the Ducks there, the matchup would come with plenty of story lines.

No team since late 2007 when Oregon lost three quarterbacks to injury has had more success against Oregon's offense than the Broncos, who defeated the Ducks 19-8 to open the 2009 season.

In that game Boise State attacked gaps on defense forcing the Ducks to run laterally while making quarterback Jeremiah Masoli attempt to beat them with the pass, which he could not.

Since then, the Ducks have piled up points at an impressive rate and lead the nation this season averaging 50.7 points per game. Meanwhile, the Broncos returned a bulk of their defense this year and in the past two seasons have held 10 opponents to 10 points or less with four shutouts.

The defense is led by safety Jeron Johnson and defensive end Ryan Winterswyk, both considered to be NFL Draft prospects by NFLDraftScout.com

The knock against Boise State is its schedule. The Western Athletic Conference has not traditionally stacked up against the SEC or Pac-10 in terms of depth. Consequently, many question the validity of Boise State's record on a national level despite the Broncos ranking second in both scoring offense (47.9) and total defense (229.2).

But Boise State has traditionally performed well against BCS programs and quarterback Kellen Moore likely could dominate anywhere. Moore this season has completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 2,921 yards and 28 touchdowns with five interceptions.Oregon vs. TCU: Like Boise State, TCU is relying on Oregon or Auburn to lose in order to receive a national title berth. But the Horned Frogs, No. 3 in the BCS, also must be concerned with Boise State, No. 4, because it could move past them with a win over Nevada.

Should the Horned Frogs sneak into the title game against Oregon it would set up a matchup of the top offense and defense in the nation.

The Horned Frogs lead the nation in total defense (223.18) and scoring defense (10.91).

But, like with Boise State, many question TCU's strength of schedule. The Horned Frogs have held eight opponents to 10 points or less with their best win coming 47-7 over No. 23 Utah.

On Nov. 13 TCU squeaked past San Diego State 40-35 raising questions about the Horned Frogs' ability to control an offense such as Oregon's.

Moore Named a Finalist for O’Brien and Maxwell Awards

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore received more national recognition for his record setting season, Monday (Nov. 22) afternoon, as the redshirt junior has been named a finalist for both the Davey O’Brien Award and Maxwell Award.

Moore, a Prosser, Wash. (Prosser HS) native, has enjoyed another incredibly successful season as the Bronco signal caller. He currently leads the nation in passing efficiency (188.84) and ranks third overall in completion percentage (71.8). Moore has completed 201-of-280 passes for 2,921 yards and 28 touchdowns, with just five interceptions.

Playing in his third season as Boise State’s starting quarterback; Moore has already etched his name at the top of several career school records. So far this season Moore has broke the school record for career passing yards (9,943), touchdowns (92), completions (759) and 200-yard passing games (31).

Moore is one of three finalists for the O’Brien Award, which annually honors the nation’s top quarterback. Rounding out the trio of finalists are Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Auburn’s Cam Newton. The finalists were selected by The O’Brien National Selection Committee, with a fan vote also contributing for five percent of the total vote. Committee members were asked to consider quarterback skills, academics, character, leadership and sportsmanship in their selection.

Fans may now vote for the O’Brien Award winner as often as once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. Fan voting will conclude at noon (CST) on Dec. 5th.

Moore, Luck and Newton are also the three finalists for the Maxwell Award, which recognizes the top overall player in college football each season. The Maxwell Award winner will be voted on by FBS head coaches, members of the Maxwell Football Club and sportswriters and sportscasters from around the country.

The winner of both the O’Brien and Maxwell Awards will be announced at 7 p.m. (ET), Dec. 9 (Thursday), at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN. Moore is the first Boise State player invited to attend The Home Depot College Football Awards Show since 2004 when former Bronco place-kicker Tyler Jones was named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award.

Boise State travels to Reno, Nev. this Friday (Nov. 26) for a pivotal matchup with No. 19 Nevada, in a game that holds WAC Championship implications. The Broncos and Wolf Pack will kick-off at 8:21 p.m.

(MT). The game is set to broadcast on ESPN.

Kellen Moore and Nate Potter Named Second-Team Academic All-Americans

Kellen Moore and Nate Potter not only excel on the football field at Boise State University, they also do the same in the classroom as both were named today (Tuesday: Nov. 23) to the 2010 ESPN Academic All-America football team as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Moore and Potter were both named to the second team at the quarterback and offensive line positions, respectively. This is the first time either student-athlete has received a national academic award.

A junior from Prosser, Washington (Prosser HS), Moore is majoring in communication and has a 3.39 grade-point-average. Moore will graduate with his undergraduate degree from Boise State next month and then enter graduate school for his final year of eligibility at Boise State.

Potter, a senior from Boise (Timberline HS), has a 3.70 GPA and is majoring in History. He is scheduled to graduate May of 2011 and also enter graduate school at Boise State for his final season of eligibility.

Moore and Potter have twice (2008 and 2009) earned all-academic honors from the Western Athletic Conference.

The honor for Moore and Potter marks the first time since defensive tackle Andrew Browning earned second-team academic All-America honors in 2006 that a Boise State football player has been named to a national all-academic team.

Chris Petersen Named a Finalist for Eddie Robinson Award

The Football Writers Association of America, in conjunction with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, has announced its eight finalists for the 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and Boise State University head coach Chris Petersen is among the group.

Petersen joins Wisconsin's Bret Bielema, Auburn's Gene Chizik, Michigan State's Mark Dantonio, Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, Oregon's Chip Kelly and TCU's Gary Patterson.

The winner will be announced on Dec. 6 (Monday) at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Petersen was also a finalist for the award in 2006, 2008 and 2009. 

The FWAA award is named after the late Robinson, a coaching legend at Grambling State University of 55 yards. He has more Division I victories (408) than any other coach in the history of college football. The FWAA has presented a national coach of the year award since 1957, and named the award in Robinsons honor in 1997.

In his fifth year directing the Bronco program, Petersens overall record is 59-4 for a 93.7 winning percentage. He has guided Boise State to three Western Athletic Conference championships and two victories in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

 

This year he has once again positioned the Broncos as one of the top teams in the country. Undefeated at 10-0, Boise State is ranked No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches, Associated Press and Harris Interactive polls. The Broncos are fourth in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings. Boise State also has the longest winning streak in the country at 24.

Quintin Mikell Bleeds Blue

Courtesy: Inside The Eagles

Tonight as Boise State takes on Fresno State, Quintin Mikell will be watching.  His alma mater has a chance at a national championship, sitting fourth in the BCS rankings.  Boise State seems primed to leapfrog #3 TCU if either #1 Oregon or #2 Auburn drop a game.  Mikell is optimistic and believes the Broncos are deserving of a chance at a national title.

“I think so,” Mikell said. “It’s going to be, in my opinion, I think Auburn’s going to lose. It’s going to be Oregon versus Boise State for the national championship. We should get a shot.”

If things play out according to the former Bronco’s plan, who would win the title game?

“What do you mean who do I have? How dare you?” Mikell countered with a big smile.  The Eagles safety remains a big Boise State fan.  Mikell said he tries to get back to Boise once a year for a game, although this year he was only able to make it down to Washington, D.C. for Boise State’s tilt with Virginia Tech, a 33-30 win for the Broncos.

To an extent, Mikell is partially responsible for the opportunity the Broncos have.  Mikell still sits second on the school’s all-time tackles list with 401, and he was part of the first team to be ranked nationally at Boise State, finishing the 2002 season 12-1 with a 34-16 win over Iowa State in the Humanitarian Bowl.  The Broncos ended the year 12^th in the Coaches Poll and 15^th in the Associated Press’s rankings.

Now, eight years later, Boise State has continued to build on its success with two appearances in BCS Bowl games and two victories. Boise State beat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl and TCU in the same game last year.

“It’s crazy,” Mikell said. “When I first went there, I knew that they had a good base to build a good program. They had nice facilities, a good city and all of that stuff. I didn’t think it would jump as fast as it did to the level its’ at. But that’s all about Coach Pete, he did it.  Hopefully they can keep him around there.”

Head coach Chris Petersen was the offensive coordinator during Mikell’s days in Boise, but took over in 2006 when Dan Hawkins left for Colorado.  He’s since gone 58-4 and been hailed as one of the top coaches in college football.  Despite all of the accolades heaped on this year’s Broncos, Mikell believes the 2002 squad would have beaten the 2010 incarnation.

“Oh I think so,” Mikell said. “If you look at that team, the team that they have now and the team that we had, it’s pretty much a mirrored team.  We had a very good quarterback in Ryan Dinwiddie, we had a good secondary, good d-line, o-line, good receivers.”

Dinwiddie completed 65 percent of his passes that year for 2,283 yards, 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in nine games. Through nine games this year, Kellen Moore has connected on 72 percent of his passes for 2,588 yards, 24 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.  The ’02 squad ran the ball a bit better, but it’s impossible to know how those Broncos would have performed against tougher competition.  Their only loss was on the road at Arkansas, which was the only BCS conference opponent on the schedule.  These days, the Broncos schedule tougher and the buzz they’ve created has helped non-power conference teams get a shot at BCS games.

“I just think that people are starting to pay more attention now and give us our due,” Mikell said  “But I always say though, our team could have beat this team, this Boise State team. Everybody says this is the best Boise State team ever, but I feel like our team could beat them.”

That, we’ll never know.  In a few weeks though, we’ll know whether this year’s group gets an appearance in the national title game.  If they do, you know who Quintin Mikell is picking.

Here is a real good article about Boise State written after the beatdown against Fresno

Courtesy of the Fresno Bee's Matt James:

As one parent of a Fresno State player said the day after, you can't really appreciate this year's Boise State team until you see it in person.

It is ruthless. Eye-catching. It is General Patton looking dynamite in an evening gown. It is some combination of an IRS auditor and Cirque du Soleil.

Mike Tyson would say the Broncos' offense is impetuous and their defense is impregnable, and he would be right on both accounts. They are, in every sense, ferocious.

The Broncos beat Fresno State 51-0 Friday night, and afterward Pat Hill started to say that the score wasn't a true reflection of the actual game and he couldn't even get through it before he corrected himself.
Even in a college football coach's vulnerable, emotional moments, he couldn't spin what had happened.

"We've played some good teams before," Hill said. "We have never been manhandled like that."
This is a program that has gone to Ohio State, to Tennessee, to Oklahoma, to USC, to LSU, to Oregon, to anybody-anytime-anywhere, and the most overmatched it has ever been was on a Friday night in Boise.
The Broncos' quarterback is a Heisman candidate who makes every throw to every receiver, even into impossibly tiny slivers of space along the sideline. When his team needs 5 yards, he throws for 6. When it needs 15, he throws for 16.

Boise State has the best combination of two receivers of any college in America. Period. Its kicker made a 50-yarder on a cold, icy night. Its defense held a good Fresno State offense to almost nothing. A few token first downs.

This is a Fresno State team that was getting votes in the Top 25 poll earlier this season, you'll remember, and against Boise State it didn't even attempt a field goal.

If they play a national championship without Boise State in it, the nation should look away in protest. Oregon's offense isn't fast enough to run away from the Broncos. Auburn better hope its controversial quarterback stays eligible, because without him the Tigers would be 10-point underdogs to Boise.

Every part of the current system is set up to keep the establishment in power, and yet the Broncos accelerate against the tide. The best football team in America plays in a conference that is imploding underneath it.
After watching Boise State for an entire game, your neck hurts from all the head shaking. Surely there is trick photography or holograms at work, but I checked every corner of Bronco Stadium. They keep it all hidden well.

It sounds strange, but you almost wish Fresno State could keep it closer so the Broncos would at least have to use their A material. Chris Petersen only used one trick play Friday, which is like going to see Denis Leary and he doesn't even bother getting angry.

Petersen even joked that quarterback Kellen Moore's 11-yard rush on third-and-10 (of course it was) should win him the Heisman. Local writers weren't sure which to be more shocked about, that Petersen uttered the word "Heisman" or that he let the armed guards surrounding his personality relax long enough for a joke.
Everyone in Boise might be smiling, but it's not a feel-good story anymore. It's not the team that upset Oklahoma. This is a brutal, unforgiving force, void of vulnerability.

Football fans in the South like to say that Boise State would never survive an entire season in the SEC, and to them I say: This is not the season to test that theory.

Broncos To Play Georgia In 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

The Atlanta Journal Constitution confirms that Georgia and Boise State will meet in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome, it will be announced on a 3 p.m. conference call today.