Public Enemy #1: Sean Renfree's case

OBNUG is in the process of deciding who should be this website's most hated villain. We'll be presenting the cases for all of the candidates over the next few weeks. Enjoy.

Sean Renfree

The Duke Blue Devils have won four games over the past four years.

For some reason, Sean Renfree wanted to be a part of that.

The decorated Arizona prep quarterback chose the Blue Devils over a number of other college football teams, including Boise State. His spurning of the Broncos, in particular, really gets our goat, especially considering his rationale. Renfree based his decision on Duke's impressive academic record, the promise of playing time, and the experience of new head coach David Sutcliffe. We liken this to choosing a Quarter Pounder based on taste, texture, and presentation.

• Academics: People do your papers for you when you're a college football star. Just ask Jeremy Childs.


• Playing time: No one in the history of the world has ever wanted additional playing time at Duke.


• David Sutcliffe: Sure he coached the Mannings, but he is also responsible for the last two years of Erik Ainge.

Besides, these reasons pale in comparison to the pros of attending Boise State.

• Winning: The Broncos average nearly a WAC title per Duke win.
  
• Practice reps: Learning from Kellen Moore is a lot more exciting than it sounds.
  
• David Augusto: Ever wanted to be on TV? Ever wanted someone to take you to Shakespeare in the park?
  

Renfree's decision appears short-sighted and misinformed, but instead of feeling sorry for the kid, we feel absolutely no remorse. He had his shot to be a part of something special at Boise State and he threw that opportunity away. When he picked Duke over Boise State (effectively saying "yes" to losing, low completion percentage, and pain, and saying "no" to success, appreciation, and a future), he made a decision that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

The pain of playing quarterback at Duke is temporary.

The scorn of Boise State fans is forever.

Hawaii has issues heading into spring ball

WAC nemesis Hawaii begins spring football practice today, having to break in a new head coach and starting quarterback as well as come to grips with the fact that they were destroyed by a BCS-conference school on a national stage. How is new head coach Greg McMackin coping? Giant glasses of Coca-cola!



In addition to obvious emotional scarring, the Warriors have to deal with the loss of several starters and a change in coaching philosophy.

(McMackin) will keep the run-and-shoot offense, with modifications to take some pressure off the quarterback since Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan won't be back. The Warriors coaches must also determine the best players to fill all four receiver positions and several on the offensive line. Eight starters are gone from the nation's highest-scoring offense of 2007.

Hello, rebuilding!

Warriors open McMackin era [Star-Bulletin]

Friday's scrimmage site announced

A track meet at Bronco Stadium has moved Friday's scrimmage to Mountain View High School in Meridian, home of redshirt freshman WR Tyler Shoemaker. You can find directions here or see below.


View Larger Map

If any Bronco players need rides, our truck holds six, and we own the Space Jam soundtrack.

Boise State will scrimmage at MVHS [Idaho Statesman]

Carr signs offer sheet with Titans

Former Boise State cornerback Chris Carr has signed an offer sheet with the Tennessee Titans, who hope to use him to fill the return duties formerly held by Pac-man Jones. The Raiders have seven days to match the offer.

Carr is Oakland's all-time leader in kick returns, despite having only been in the league three years. Take that, Willie Gault!

Titans sign restricted free agent Carr... [ESPN.com]

Bold predictions for the week ahead

Today is Opening Day in Major League Baseball, and we are excited to see the new names in new places. Guys like Johan Santana, Andruw Jones, Miguel Cabrera, and Torii Hunter could have a big influence on pennant races and division battles. One person not making much news is free agent slugger Barry Bonds. Fortunately, we have the perfect team for him: the Boise Hawks. Memorial Stadium is a hitter's park, Barry!

Here is what we see happening in the next few days.

• In Friday's scrimmage, a beautiful pass from WR Tanyon Bissell will cause BSU message boards to fill up with debate that Bissell should be starting at quarterback. In related news, Nick Lomax will slip to fifth on the depth chart.
  
• Coach Chris Peterson will pull an elaborate April Fool's joke on Bronco Nation, involving the naming of a starting quarterback. Brian Murphy will fail to see the humor.
  
• Bush Hamdan will grant OBNUG an interview request, provided we stop referring to ourselves as a media outlet.

WIR: Thank you, Tad Miller

Week in Review (WIR) sure missed football this week, but the great Tad Miller made the lack of spring practice much more bearable. His interview was just what we needed to get us through until Monday, when the Broncos hit the field again. We plan on talking to him often through the long summer.

• Kellen Moore's coming-out party.
• What about the O-line?
• Vandals start spring football....Fresno, too.
• Tad Miller interview.
• OBNUG's Facebook group.
• The reason behind our distaste for Kaepernick.
• Bronco Nation podcast, featuring OBNUG.
• We pick the starters on the O-line and D-line.
• Another entry in the BSU's QB derby?
• Losing starting to get to Idaho President.

See you next week, Bronco fans.

Coach Pete's spring break plans

The Broncos took time off for spring break this week, and they will resume practice on Monday, leading up to the second scrimmage of the spring on April 4. With seven days off, we are curious to see what Coach Pete has been working on.

Here are our theories on what exactly he might have been up to over the break (listed in order of probability):

• Installing a new offense
• Cloning Marty Tadman
• Reading our interview with Tad Miller
• Finding a way to get Chris O'Neill more touches
• Nicknaming fellow WAC coaches
• Writing a paper for Jeremy Childs
• Stewing over the attention paid to the Bronco basketball team
• Spying on University of Idaho practices
• Naming a starting quarterback

Idaho president sick of losing

University of Idaho President Tim White has high aspirations for his school. Among them? Winning a WAC football game.

White, in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, said a successful sports program is key to the image of his Moscow, Idaho-based school.

"You bet it matters," said White, a former college water polo coach.

Idaho sports has had a troubled decade since moving to the Division I-A ranks, especially in the main revenue sports of football and basketball.

To think that the football program is bringing down the collective image of the University of Idaho is rather unfortunate. That is a lot of pressure to put on Nathan Enderle.

White puts a lot of blame on the coaching turnover.

"There was no stability in leadership," White said. "You can't do anything without that level of stability."

With Robb Akey back for his second season, it appears that White is confusing stability with longevity.

Idaho President pushes sports, law school [Seattle P-I]

Hot QB prospect considers Boise State

Upland (Calif.) High School QB Josh Nunes can have his pick of colleges next spring, and the senior-to-be has Boise State on his short list. Or, actually, long list.

Some of the schools he's considering are: Colorado, BYU, Arizona State, Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Boise State, Utah, San Diego State, Arizona, Notre Dame, Harvard and Princeton.

Wow, we didn't even know some of those schools had football.

Nunes had an excellent junior season, and scouts expect him to blossom in his senior year, which will only be his fourth year playing organized football. He is smart, accurate, and, judging from his picture, an American Eagle employee. Rugby polos and pre-worn jeans on two! Set, hut!

Nunes' decision to consider the Broncos might hinge on the performance this year of Kellen Moore. For comparison, here is a photo of Moore:



Maybe Nunes would be better off at Princeton.

Nunes' recruiting about to boom [ESPN.com]

OBNUG roster update: Defensive line

Spring football gets OBNUG in the mood to speculate, so over the next few weeks, we will be making blind guesses as to who will be starting for the Broncos in the fall. We’ll do it position-by-position. Today: Defensive line.

Defensive Line

Ideal candidate: a mountain


Worst candidate: a girl


Actual candidates: Ryan Winterswyk, Joe Bozikovich, Jarrell Root, Phillip Edwards, Sean Bingham, Chuck Hayes, J.P. Nisby, Mike T. Williams, Billy Winn, Chase Baker, et al

OBNUG’s pick: Winterswyk, Nisby, Bozikovich, Williams

Winterswyk and Williams are fairly obvious choices, although we could see Jarrell Root pushing Williams for playing time. The inside tackles are still very much up for grabs. We’re picking a freshman and a senior; we like Nisby’s strength and Bozikovich’s experience.

Boise State briefs

Here's a quick look at some news items from the past couple of days:


Brian Murphy talks shop with BSU linebackers. [Idaho Statesman]
Breaking news from Murph Turf: the BSU linebackers were not all that good last year.


Hawaii cornerback's girl problems net suspension. [Yahoo! Sports]
The Warriors will be without the services of CB Keenan Jones for the foreseeable future. Would Colt Brennan have let this happen? We think not.


Nevada's quarterback race gets ESPN's attention. [ESPN.com]
The Wolfpack QB duo of Kaepernick and Graziano were featured on the front page of ESPN's college football section for the past two days. Does the Worldwide Leader know they don't play for Fresno? Usually that type of honor is only reserved for over-hyped Bulldog news.

OBNUG podcasts the Broncos

We had the privilege of being part of a BroncoNation.net podcast, debating the debate about the QB debate. It made more sense on paper.

The podcast is up now on BroncoNation.net. Please check it out. Thanks to JT Ray and the guys at Bronco Nation for having us!

The culture of the BSU quarterback [BroncoNation.net]

Public Enemy #1: Kaepernick's case

OBNUG is in the process of deciding who should be this website's most hated villain. We'll be presenting the cases for all of the candidates over the next few weeks. Enjoy.

Colin Kaepernick

Contrary to popular belief, Colin Kaepernick does not draw our ire because of his fascinating, frustrating romp through the Boise State defense in last year’s epic Bronco-Wolfpack thriller.

He draws our ire for not doing the same to Hawaii.

Nevada had the Warriors on the ropes, taking leads in the third quarter and late into the fourth quarter. A Hawaii loss could have meant a shared WAC title for the Broncos, and all Kaepernick had to do was not be human. Instead, he turned in this pedestrian stat line:

Kaepernick 9-20, 134 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 11 carries, 23 yards

Where was the breakaway speed? Where were the elusive open-field moves? Whenever Kaepernick had a chance to make a play in the Hawaii game, he didn’t.

On the contrary, whenever he had a chance to make a play against the Broncos, he did. In fact, he made plays even when plays weren’t needing to be made. He made plays on top of plays, and his plays were plays that played the Bronco D in ways they’d never been played before. We remember; how could we forget?

Kaepernick 11-23, 243 yards, 3 TDs; 14 carries, 177 yards, 2 TDs

The Nevada sophomore seems to have a grudge against us, which is exactly why he is up for consideration for OBNUG’s Public Enemy #1. Sure, we enjoy pointing out his passing flaws and demeaning his achievements on the football field. But as far as we’re concerned, he started this feud with his impartial supernaturalness.

WAC favorite Fresno finally hits field

Spring practice for preseason media darling Fresno State began today. Impossibly high expectations should follow.

"We are excited to get started," said head coach Pat Hill. "...We are coming off a great season of nine wins and have some great leadership returning. I'd expect this group will pick-up where last season finished and be able to make a run. We are already looking forward to the season opener at UCLA in the Rose Bowl."

This just in: ESPN.com has listed the Bulldogs as the team to beat in the WAC and the PAC-10.

Bulldogs open spring ball [Fresno State athletics]

Facebook just became OBNUGbook

Bronco fans, we are pleased to announced that our humble website now has its own Facebook group! Come be our friend and support the online proliferation of Bronco football! It's a great way to keep up with what is going on here at OBNUG and to connect with fellow BSU fans.

One Bronco Nation Under God Group [Facebook]

B.J. Rhode back with the Burn

Former Boise State QB B.J. Rhode made the final roster for the Boise Burn. Rhode, who found playing at BSU thanks to a Ryan Dinwiddie injury, was with the team last year, and he will be one of the two quarterbacks on the roster when the Burn start their season April 4.

Ah, good old arena football.


Boise Burn set their roster [Idaho Statesman]

Tad Miller interview

Former Boise State OL Tad Miller is busy preparing for the NFL Draft and NFL training camps, but he still found time to chat with OBNUG about football, life, and never blocking for Idaho Vandals. The following is an email interview with one of our favorite Broncos:

OBNUG: What are you doing now in regards to football?
Tad: I'm currently training. Since the beginning of January I've been down in Southern California at a facility called Pro Active Sports Performance. Marty Tadman was down there with me, we were roommates. We trained twice a day, six times a week. We got Sundays off to relax.

Marty and I both came back to Boise for the Pro Day and will probably be heading back down to California to continue training at Pro Active until the Draft (end of April).

OBNUG: If you had to block for an Idaho guy, would you do it?
Tad: No.

OBNUG: Compare Coach Hawkins to Coach Pete.
Tad: They were both great coaches. I highly respect Coach Hawk and Coach Pete. Coach Hawk had a lot more sayings and metaphors, Coach Pete is more to the point. Both styles were very effective and I enjoyed playing for both.

OBNUG: When Dan Hawkins left, did the team feel betrayed? Was there any motivation the following year to show him what he missed out on?
Tad: No, he did what he thought was best for his career, and our team was just focused on playing football.

OBNUG: Aside from the Fiesta Bowl, what was your favorite BSU experience?
Tad: Just being able to play football every week and Clady's Lambeau Leap into the endzone.

OBNUG: What was your worst experience?
Tad: Losing to Georgia in 2005.

OBNUG: Which player gave you the most trouble when you faced him?
Tad: Montavis Stanley from Louisville. It was my freshman year and he was a great player.

OBNUG: Which player did you own?
Tad: I played against too many guys to remember just one in particular.

OBNUG: What do you think of Andrew Woodruff?
Tad: He is one of my best friends, he is also a groomsmen in my wedding coming up in July. He is going to do great this year leading the O-line.

OBNUG: Do you know the other new guys on the line?
Tad: Yeah, they are all good guys and they'll have an awesome year.

OBNUG: Do you stay in touch with the other senior lineman?
Tad: Yes, were all good friends. We all hang out and keep in touch.

OBNUG: Did you have any nicknames for each other?
Tad: No, not really.

OBNUG: Are the Cavenders really twins or are they just one person?
Tad: No, they are twins. They are best friends. Each of them have their own
personality.

OBNUG: What is Tad short for?
Tad: I get asked that a lot. It's just Tad, it's not short for anything. I got the name from my Grandpa.

OBNUG: Do you have any kids? Are you going to make them play football?
Tad: No, I'm getting married July 5th of this summer. Maybe a couple years
after that though. And I'll let them play whatever they want.

OBNUG roster update: offensive line

Spring football gets OBNUG in the mood to speculate, so over the next few weeks, we will be making blind guesses as to who will be starting for the Broncos in the fall. We’ll do it position-by-position. Today: Offensive line.

Offensive line

Ideal candidate: This kid


Worst candidate: Kyle Brotzman


Actual candidates: Andrew Woodruff, Nate Potter, Chris Byrd, John Gott, Matt Slater, Garrett Pendergast, Paul Lucariello, others

OBNUG picks: Andrew Woodruff and John Gott at guard, Nate Potter and Matt Slater at tackles, Chris Byrd at center

Yesterday, we wrote about the importance of the offensive line, especially as it relates to the quarterback position. This group of guys has little experience (Woodruff is the only one with meaningful playing time), but we feel that they have the talent to get the job done for the Broncos. With senior leadership from Woodruff and Gott, things should go smoothly for the underclassmen, and we could be looking at a dominant bunch in a year or two.

Vandals kick off spring ball

Hope springs eternal in Moscow as the Idaho Vandals take the field for the start of spring practice today. BSU's biggest rivals have several things to be encouraged by:

1. No team ever went 1-11 in the spring.
2. They get to play themselves in the annual Black & Gold game.
3. Media attention will be negligible.
4. No one got fired over the winter (though not from lack of trying).

The continuity of a holdover staff is expected to pay dividends for a team in desperate need of an identity.

Akey said the Vandals will run the same offensive, defensive and special teams schemes that were used last season. Idaho finished the year 1-11, including 0-8 in the WAC.

If it's broke, don't fix it.

No, wait. That's not how the saying goes, is it?

Idaho opens spring football today [Idaho Statesman]

Photo courtesy KBCI 2 News.

OBNUG's trip to Birmingham

When Greg Graham shook hands with Rick Pitino before the game, it dawned on me that we were going to have to compensate for more than just size and speed. It showed from the opening tip when Louisville pressed and did not allow the Boise State offense to get into any sort of rhythm all night long. At least, after Louisville's systematic dismantling of Oklahoma on Sunday, our loss seems to look a little better.

All in all, our trip to Birmingham went pretty well. We took a few pictures. Most were before the game. We found it difficult to take more when the game finally got underway.

A big thanks to my friend Chad Uram, a Michigan fan, who made the trip with me and was an honorary member of Bronco Nation for the day and helped me pass out flyers. If you were at the game, I hope a flyer made its way into your hands. We personally handed one to the WAC commissioner, Karl Benson. We also got a compliment from David Augusto.

All in all, the spirits of the Boise State fans were pretty high before the game, and I think we all appreciated the effort by the team. The Broncos might have come out with a little of the deer-in-the-headlights look, but they rebounded to keep the game respectable.

So, how many days until Idaho State?

Clady scores baker's dozen on Wonderlic

Do Wonderlic scores matter? Not if Ryan Clady's muscles have anything to say about it.

Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady had the only disappointing score from the top group of blockers, a 13.

The score is not expected to change Clady's draft status, considering NFL defensive linemen will be demanding the square root of 529 during their pass rush moves. (By the way, the answer is 23.)

Clady's Wonderlic score [Dave's Blog]
NFL teams weigh Wonderlic tests [Chicago Tribune]

WAC spring football roundup

Several other WAC teams have started spring practice, so we thought we would check in with our less-talented conference brethren to see what's happening.

Nevada
Nevada concluded its spring football with the annual Silver and Blue scrimmage on Saturday. Colin Kaepernick rushed for two scores and completed as many passes as he had rushing attempts. Is there a running back debate?

Passing: Kaepernick 5-15, 74 yards, 0 TDs, 1 Int
Rushing: Kaepernick 5-146, 2 TDS; Lippincott 3-12;

Sadly, no.

Kaepernick scores twice [Nevada]

San Jose State
San Jose State's first spring scrimmage was enjoyable...if you find defense and short field goals enjoyable.

The offense scored its only touchdown of the 60-play scrimmage on a 9-yard pass by Myles Eden to running back Cameron Island. Jared Strubeck, who handled all of the kicking responsibilities in the scrimmage, made field goals of 26 and 29 yards.

On the plus side, they found a punter.

Right now, it looks like Jared Strubeck will be our punter," coach Dick Tomey said. "He’s done some real good things..."

...none of which could be quantified by the stat sheet.

Tomey impressed with Spartans' spring football [San Jose State]

Louisiana Tech
LaTech's spring ball is underway, and the Bulldogs are adding a twist to the offense this year...scoring!

The Bulldogs installed portions of the red zone offense...and also worked on maximizing how many points their offense can produce when given the opportunity.

They are currently at 3.5 points.

Bulldogs work red area [LaTech]

Utah State
A little snow couldn't deter the Aggies from starting spring ball. Competition? Yes. Snow? No.

"With the way we get to practice these first few days without pads, it's a lot easier to throw and catch, and it looks everyone will be in position to make the tackle, "USU head coach Brent Guy said.

He went on to add: "It's too bad we eventually have to put on pads."

Spring drills opened Wednesday [Utah State]

Bronco fans asking the wrong question

The debate over BSU's starting quarterback is the most talked about issue among Boise State fans.

But should it be?

Quite frankly, no. Sure it is fun to debate Moore vs. Hamdan, but the quarterback can't do anything without a good offensive line in front of him. This was no truer than in Friday's scrimmage, and while we left feeling good about the future of the team, we also felt that the QB debate pales in comparison to the topic of the offensive line.

Losing five of the top six linemen off of last year's squad hurt more than any other personnel loss (Marty Tadman, you were a close second). Those guys were the heart and soul of the offense, and the team would not have performed as well as it did without the play of the offensive line. Since so much attention rests on the QB position, it is easy to forget that we have four of the most important spots on the team up for grabs. Bronco fans can argue about QBs until they are blue in the face, but it is our opinion that the O-line debate will be infinitely more important.

The Broncos were most successful in Friday's scrimmage when the offensive line gave the quarterbacks time to throw and gave the running backs holes to run through. The Broncos can have all the talent in the world at RB, WR, and QB (and they do), but it won't mean a thing if the offensive line doesn't perform well. Such was the case in the first scrimmage.

Everyone has been quick to praise the performances of Kellen Moore, Titus Young, and the running backs, but there was a large portion of the scrimmage where the Boise State offense did nothing. Plays were stuffed behind the line, QBs were running for their lives, and the Broncos were not moving the ball well at all. The defense dominated for stretches, and the line was mostly to blame.

Things turned around in the second half when the guys up front started performing better. Moore had time in the pocket to find his receivers. Ian Johnson and Doug Martin ran nearly untouched into the end zone. The offense ran much smoother when there weren't defensive linemen in the backfield. Imagine that.

With the big scores late in the scrimmage, it is easy to forget about how disjointed the offense looked at times--a scary thought considering the absence of so many defensive starters.

Does the offensive line have work to do? Absolutely. Does the rest of the team? Sure. But instead of placing so much focus on which quarterback will be taking snaps, perhaps Broncos fans should be more concerned with who will be protecting him.

Bold predictions for the week ahead

With a successful scrimmage in the books, the Boise State football team will be taking the next week off for spring break. Will OBNUG be doing the same? Hardly. But we may take a vacation from jokes at Utah State's expense.

Here is what we see happening over the next few days.

• Message boards will burn up with rumors of Kellen Moore being the 2008 starting quarterback, forcing the BSU coaches to close off the Internet to fans and media.
  
  
• With Boise State students flocking to the sunny beaches of California and Florida, most Bronco players will choose to stay near campus and enjoy the overcast shores of Lake Lowell and Lucky Peak Reservoir.
  
  
• Not content with the number of formations, Coach Pete will spend the week installing Hawaii's spread attack, Fresno State's power formations, and whatever it is that Idaho does.

Boise State scrimmage recap

The Boise State Broncos impressed us Friday in their first scrimmage of the spring. Kellen Moore and Titus Young may have grabbed the headlines, but we saw good performances from many others, too. Here is some extra detail to Friday’s practice:

• Doug Martin took the opening kick out past the 50.
• Bush Hamdan started, and he looked very Taylor Tharp-ish…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He made a few good throws, and he led the offense down the field for a FG attempt. We thought he missed a wide open man on a sweet play-action fake, but he really didn’t get enough action to adequately compare him to Moore.
• The Broncos showed a lot of shotgun and several plays from the new Q formation. A lot of the Q plays were running plays to the backs.
• Nick Lomax looked downright awful evading the pass rush. His fumble was painful/amusing.
• Mike Coughlin was nothing special.
• The defensive line made several plays in the backfield. It was hard to tell who was making the plays, but we know Ryan Winterswyk had an impact.
• Kellen Moore was a breath of fresh air. He handled pressure and ran the offense much better than Coughlin or Lomax.
• D.J. Harper had multiple plays where he refused to get tackled. It looked like the defense had him down, and he would continue to fight for extra yards.
• Kellen Moore’s 50-yard pass to Titus Young was a beauty. He hit him in stride on a deep corner route over double coverage.
• The new Boise State safeties are surprisingly big and tall. There were no rosters available, but we think that true freshman George Iloka was one of the impressive ones.
• Defensive line and linebackers made more plays Friday than they did all last year.
• The D-line got pressure without several starters playing. That is either good news for the defense or bad news for the offense.
• Shotgun snaps might be a problem; there were a few that didn’t get there very fast and fouled up some plays.
• Ian Johnson looked fast on his touchdown run. It was a stretch play from the shotgun, and he went to the house almost untouched.
• Doug Martin’s TD was similar—he took it off the right side of the line and went untouched into the end zone.
• The two Bronco touchdown passes were brilliantly designed plays. Titus Young’s wide receiver screen was perfect, and TE Sean King was wide open on his touchdown grab.

Underclassmen shine in first scrimmage [Idaho Statesman]
New-look Broncos go on display [Idaho Press-Tribune]

Have a good weekend, Bronco fans

We had a lot of fun hanging out here for the BSU game. Of course, we would have more fun had the Broncos not lost by 18. All things considered, though, we are proud that the they got this far, and we look forward to the momentum gained from an NCAA appearance.

We also liked what we saw at the football scrimmage. The team showed some real promise at a variety of positions, and we can’t wait to see how far things have come along at the next scrimmage April 4. Here are the stats from today’s scrimmage:

Passing: Kellen Moore 10-14-0, 114 yards, 1 TD; Bush Hamdan 5-9-0, 61; Nick Lomax 6-9-1 70, 1 TD; Mike Coughlin 3-7-0 29.

Rushing: Ian Johnson 4-70 (TD), Doug Martin 10-59 (TD), Jarvis Hodge 3-57, D.J. Harper 9-40, Matt Kaiserman 4-18, Titus Young 1-9, Tanyon Bissell 1-8, Moore 1-6 (TD), Lomax 4-2, Toshi Franklin 1-(-1), Coughlin 2-(-15)

Receiving: Young 6-109 (TD), Michael Choate 5-33, Ricky Cookman 2-17, Franklin 2-16, Hodge 2-14, Sean King 1-25 (TD), Kaiserman 1-17, Austin Pettis 1-15, Bissell 1-12, Mitch Burroughs 1-7, Chris O’Neill 1-5, Tyler Shoemaker 1-4

Scoring plays: Moore 6 run, Young 14 pass from Moore, King 25 pass from Lomax, Johnson 66 run, Martin 24 run

See you Monday.

Boise State basketball live-blog!!

Welcome to OBNUG's live blog of the Boise State-Louisville NCAA tournament game! Feel free to leave comments or just read along. The photo above is from OBNUG contributor Nick. He's at the game, and we'll be checking in with him throughout. Go Broncos!

Pregame: Nick reports a great atmosphere at the game. Joe Hughes and David Augusto are in the building, and WAC commissioner Karl Benson is bleeding blue and orange tonight. We printed off some sweet signs for fans to hold up. Keep an eye out for lots of orange on your TV screen.

Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are doing the TV coverage. Could it get any better? I think not!

19:42: first points to Louisville.

19:29: first turnover to Boise State.

19:28: first Boise State slighting from Verne Lundquist.

18:32: Crowd sounds decisively pro-Louisville.

17:01: We're not scoring points, but we are collecting Louisville fouls.

16:46: Padgett to the bench. That should help open things up.

15:43: First BSU basket from Thomas. It's about time. Hopefully that will calm the Broncos down; they look like they're playing tight.

13:51: Louisville 13, Boise State 5. The Cardinals are shooting great from downtown. Reggie Larry, summon your super powers and save us!

11:50: Louisville 18, Boise State 13. We're starting to warm up from three-point range. Larry almost tore his leg off, sliding on the giant NCAA saucer logo at halfcourt. My goodness, could that thing get any bigger? The logo, not Larry's leg.

CBS just cut away from the game! Come on! To the Internet!

10:05: Louisville 26, Boise State 15. That lead sure grew fast. (Oh, and CBS is back; thanks Greg Gumbel.)

9:25: Did Matt Nelson leave his game in Boise? He's been a non-factor.

7:31: Louisville 30, Boise State 19. Larry dunk! Bill Raftery approves!

4:56: It will be hard to close that deficit with Louisville shooting the way they are. It will be hard, too, when Padgett returns in the second half.

3:21: Louisville 38, Boise State 24. It would be nice to get this deficit down to single digits by halftime. Of course, we'll have to defend the three to do that.

Halftime: Louisville 44, Boise State 31. With the Cardinals shooting 57 percent from the floor, they look tough to beat. First half highlights: that one Reggie Larry dunk, Verne Lundquist calling Tommy John surgery a disease, and when we weren't behind by double digits.

19:45: And we're back. Our man at the game, Nick, says the BSU fans are still in it. Sounds like a Brian Murphy story to me.

18:00: Louisville 48, Boise State 35. The Broncos almost let things get away from them there at the start, but a nice little run forced Pitino to take a timeout.

15:57: Louisville 54, Boise State 35. The Cardinals are 10-of-17 from three. That's not a three-point percentage; that's a completion percentage.

14:28: Louisville 54, Boise State 40. The first reference to Boise State fans, and it only took 2/3 of the game to get it. Naturally, the reference was to how few of them are in attendance.

12:38: Louisville 61, Boise State 42. The lead continues to grow. Louisville is just shooting the lights out, and we are turning the ball over way too often against their press.

10:03: Nelson has looked better since his slow start, but it's probably too little, too late.

9:34: Larry dunk! Every time Reggie Larry dunks, Bill Raftery compliments the Broncos. That would be two compliments for those of you keeping track at home.

6:41: Louisville 66, Boise State 52. The Broncos have climbed back to within 14 points. It's funny how we look so much bigger against WAC opponents. Faster, too. These Louisville Cardinals are just a different breed.

4:43: And the announcers have delved into football conversation...and they can't figure out the name of the play that one the Fiesta Bowl.

4:13: The lead is 20.

2:55: Louisville 75, Boise State 59. At least the Broncos aren't showing any quit. Good for them.

0:23: This one is just about in the books. Greg Graham just took out his seniors, and Louisville took out its starters.

Final: Louisville 79, Boise State 61. The Cardinals were just on fire tonight. They shot the lights out from three-point range (50 percent), and they played some tough defense. Still, Boise State had its share of good moments, and we certainly looked like we belonged.

We'll have pictures from the game later this weekend, and we'll have some more recap next week.

Boise State scrimmage photos

Here are some photos from the first Bronco scrimmage of the spring. All in all, we came away impressed (with the team, not necessarily the photos). For the first scrimmage, we thought that there were some good signs from the defense, some good signs from the offense, and a glimpse at the greatest rushing attack ever. Hamdan and Moore looked the best out of the two QBs. Titus Young had a great reception on a deep ball from Moore. There are obviously some issues to work through, but that is what the next several months are for.

Basically, we saw nothing that would change our opinion that we are going undefeated.

The full photo album can be found here. We'll have more analysis on Monday, and we'll be back in a little bit with our BSU-Louisville live-blog.

Boise State football links

Here are some links to good BSU stories. Enjoy.

• Vinny Perretta could be seeing duty as a punt returner. In a Statesman article with quite possibly the worst headline ever ("Perretta shoulders adversity"), special teams coach Jeff Choate hinted that he wants Perretta returning punts when he's healthy. Fine by us.
  
• Boise State reeled in another recruit yesterday. Carson (Calif.) High's Jack Sula, a RB/LB who will be playing OLB at Boise State, committed to the Broncos. He was voted the player of the year by his local newspaper, and he turned down offers from Fresno and LaTech among others.
  
• Coach Pete will be racing BSU students, faculty, staff, and members of the community on April 5 in the first Beat Coach Pete 5k race. We would prefer a Beat Coach Pete Madden tournament ourselves.
  
• FOX Sports ranked Boise State #20 in combined rankings for football and basketball.
  
• Kyle Brotzman is hitting the weights to improve his kicking distance...and his odds with the ladies.

Hamdan to start spring scrimmage; world to end

Senior QB Bush Hamdan will get the starting nod in this afternoon's scrimmage, according to offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin. In related news, the sky is falling.

Hamdan, who finished last season as the backup, has had a strong spring so far.

“He’s doing a nice job,” Harsin said. “Right now, until we get into that scrimmage, it’s hard to start making a lot of separation.”

The general consensus among Bronco Nation is that we don't want another first-year senior starting quarterback, so the news of Hamdan's start is a little bittersweet. Regardless, we will support the coaches' decision of a starter, and we'll be front and center at the scrimmage cheering him on.

Harsin did say that the other three quarterbacks should all see action with the first team offense, so we should have a good chance to compare everyone. Let the second guessing begin!

Hamdan will lead off scrimmage [Idaho Statesman]

Bronco video extravaganza

From Boise State fan Heath, here are some pretty awesome videos. Go Bronco multimedia!

BSU offense


BSU defense


Thanks, Heath.

WIR: Football scrimmage, basketball dance

Week in Review (WIR) won't be closing out the week for the first time in this site's brief history. There is a lot more good stuff to come. We'll be back with photos from the football scrimmage this afternoon. Then, we'll be live-blogging the men's basketball game tonight and checking in with our man in Birmingham. David Augusto photos? Perhaps!

• Broncos make the NCAA Tourney.
• Brian Murphy back on bandwagon.
• QB discussion with OBNUG experts.
• Ian Johnson: kick returner.
• Just Q it.
• Nevada QB makes amends.
• Picking runners and receivers.
• Jarrell Root out for spring...but how?
• We're not Dan Hawkins fans.
• Hamdan gets starting nod in first scrimmage.

Come back for more Boise State news and insight later today. Go Broncos!

OBNUG roster update: receivers

Spring football gets OBNUG in the mood to speculate, so over the next few weeks, we will be making blind guesses as to who will be starting for the Broncos in the fall. We’ll do it position-by-position. Today: Receivers.

Boise State football starting receivers

Ideal candidate: a 6'6" Tim Gilligan



Worst candidate: Captain Hook



Actual candidates: Jeremy Childs, Titus Young, Austin Pettis, Vinny Perretta, Julian Hawkins, Chris O'Neill, Ryan Putnam, Toshi Franklin, Tanyon Bissell, Tyler Shoemaker, various others

OBNUG's pick: Childs, Young, Pettis, and Perretta; O'Neill as the traditional tight end

What a stable of receivers. Next to running back, this position is the deepest, most talented on the roster. The starters are pretty obvious (Childs, Young, Pettis), but the addition of Perretta is where things get interesting. Will he be the fourth receiver? Will he have his own special package? Will he start at QB? Who knows? We can't wait to find out.

Tharp competes in Pro Day under assumed name

Former Boise State QB Taylor Tharp ran through drills at Colorado University's Pro Day yesterday. At least we think he did.

Also working out was Boulder native Tyler Tharp, who just finished his career as a quarterback at Boise State.

Tyler?

We feel sorry for Tharp. First, no one wanted to see him throw at BSU's Pro Day. Now, his evil twin brother steals the spotlight in front of scouts at Colorado. Can't he catch a break?!

Dizon dismisses size factor [Rocky Mountain News]

Buster Bronco loses mascot contest

Buster Bronco lost in his bid to become the cover mascot for NCAA Football 09 for the Wii, losing out to Michigan State's Sparty Spartan and his giant fake eyebrows. Keep your kids away from the box art! That's a nightmare waiting to happen.

Over 700,000 votes were cast resulting in a very close race. The final top 10 went as follows: Michigan State, Central Florida, Washington State, Auburn, LSU, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa State, Alabama, Penn State.

We anxiously await Bob Stoop's reaction.

Sparty gets Wii cover [Pasta Padre]

It's that time of year again!

If you're stuck at work today, hopefully you have a login to the wonderful service provided by the NCAA that's pictured above. If you have a really cool office or boss, you can put this on the projector in your conference room without shame. If you don't, well -- they have a boss button that might work. It's definitely worth a try. He'll respect the effort.

Boise State doesn't tip-off until tomorrow night. We'll be there. Look for us on TV. Until that time when Reggie Larry-ness sweeps the nation, we've got this for you. Besides, who doesn't love to wake up to Paul J's voice in the morning?

Jarrell Root: the real story

When news of Jarrell Root's knee injury broke, there was hardly any detail. We knew that he would miss spring ball, and we knew that he would need arthroscopic surgery. Other than that? Who knows!

Well, we wanted answers. And with no one around to provide any, we had to make up our own. Here are some possibilities for how Root got injured:

• Running the "Q" offense
• Being too awesome
• Ryan Winterswyk's jealous rage
• Andrew Woodruff sitting on him
• The real team being more physical than the scout team
• Hypochondriasis
• A clever ploy to get Shea McClellin more playing time

Personally, we like the idea of him being too awesome for his knee. Besides, we hear that awesomeness is a great healing salve. Take care, Jarrell. We'll see you in the fall.

Public Enemy #1: Dan Hawkins' case

OBNUG is in the process of deciding who should be this website's most hated villain. We'll be presenting the cases for all of the candidates over the next few weeks. Enjoy.

Dan Hawkins

Dan Hawkins' crimes against Bronco Nation are almost too numerous to count. Nevertheless, we compiled a short list:

1. Lying
2. Breaking promises
3. Deceit
4. Being a Judas
5. Cody Hawkins
6. Poor coaching
7. Sunglasses

But perhaps the greatest crime that Dan Hawkins committed was his assault on our trust. When he left to coach the Colorado Buffaloes, he did so in a way that forever scarred how a BSU fan will look at the team. He left after promising he would stay. Who's to say the next coach won't do the same?

Bronco fans had seen it all before. Houston Nutt left for a bigger program; Dirk Koetter left for a bigger program. We shouldn't have expected any less from Hawkins based on the past history of Bronco coaches leaving for greener pastures. The difference was that Hawkins made us believe.

He was adamant about staying with BSU and continuing to build on its winning tradition. He suckered an entire fanbase into thinking that he would not bolt with the first chance he got. We thought he would be around forever, and we wanted him around forever.

That is why his departure hurt so bad. When he left for a better opportunity, he left behind people who honestly trusted him, and we still feel the repercussions of his deceit. For instance, we want to believe Chris Peterson's intentions to stay here, but a small part of us will always wonder if we are about to be taken for a ride. In a sense, we will never be able to look at a Boise State coach the same way again, and we have Dan Hawkins to thank for that.

DE Jarrell Root out for spring

News from Boise State's spring practice isn't good for one of the Broncos' promising young players. Defensive end Jarrell Root will miss the remainder of spring ball with a knee injury.

Fortunately, the knee will just need arthroscopic surgery, and Root will be back in time for the fall. We'll have more on Root's injury later in the day.

Root won't go for rest of spring [Press-Tribune]
Root out for spring [Idaho Statesman]
Root lives to fight another day [Fight Fight BSU]

Dinwiddie re-signs with Blue Bombers

Former Boise State QB Ryan Dinwiddie has re-signed with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“Ryan is already familiar with our personnel and our coaching staff, so it was important for us to ensure he remain part of this organization,” said Bomber G.M. Brendan Taman.

“I think he proved last season that he has the skills and the mindset to be a CFL quarterback. The hope now is that he will continue to build on the poise and leadership skills he displayed last season, especially in the Grey Cup.”

Dinwiddie, who started the last season's Grey Cup in place of injured starter Kevin Glenn, had been in contract negotiations with the team for quite some time. Turns out the final numbers came down to neck-beard compensation.

Dinwiddie Returns to Blue and Gold [bluebombers.com]

OBNUG roster update: Running backs

Spring football gets OBNUG in the mood to speculate, so over the next few weeks, we will be making blind guesses as to who will be starting for the Broncos in the fall. We’ll do it position-by-position. Today: Running Back.

Boise State football starting running back

Ideal candidate: This vehicle:

Worst candidate: Ian Johnson 2007

Actual candidates: Ian Johnson, DJ Harper, Jeremy Avery, Doug Martin

OBNUG pick: Ian Johnson

Johnson will win the starting job, but whoever gets to be his back-up will be in good position to replace him next season. We hope it is Doug Martin because we have an unhealthy affection for him and we’ve yet to even see him in person.

Friday's event schedule

Friday is a big day for Boise State athletics with both the football team and the basketball team in action. OBNUG will be at both events, and we'd love to meet you.

• 3:30pm: Spring scrimmage at Bronco Stadium.
• 8:30pm: First-round NCAA tournament in Birmingham, Ala. (tipoff 30 minutes after opening game)

We'll post pictures from the scrimmage and the tournament game as soon as we can, and we'll be live-blogging the TV broadcast of the basketball game. It will be a fun day!

Nevada QB redeems himself

Colin Kaepernick restored the faith of Nevada fans with a four-TD day in the Wolfpack's second spring scrimmage, this after a performance in the first scrimmage that could best be described as "setting offensive football back several years."

The reigning WAC freshman of the year threw touchdown passes of 71, 65 and 55 yards and added a 1-yard rushing score in Saturday's scrimmage, the Wolf Pack's second of the spring.

No word on whether or not the Nevada defense attended the scrimmage.

Non-BCS Notebook [ESPN.com]

OBNUG in Birmingham!

As disappointed as the rest of Bronco Nation was to hear that BSU would be playing its NCAA tournament in the East region and, consequently, in Birmingham, I was a little excited. Being the eastern arm of OBNUG since I live in Nashville, this was a nice surprise. Even more of a surprise, however, was finding out that Boise State would be in the late session on Friday night. Due to the length of the trip and prices of airfare, there were BSU tickets to spare, and I was able to procure myself a pair to the first round game.

So, for those of you able to make the trek or lucky enough to be in close proximity to the game, I look forward to meeting each and every one of you. For those of you who have a job, bills, and a fear of flying, I will attempt to sneak my laptop into the game and upload as many pictures of Billy Packer and Jim Nantz as I can. Go Broncos!

BSU's new offensive look

Word from Boise State spring practice is that the Broncos are implementing Nevada's "Pistol" offense into the playbook. This makes OBNUG feel weird.

The Broncos spent most of the first week of spring ball experimenting with formations and plays that are a combination of Boise State staples, the hip spread offense and — here’s where it gets uncomfortable — the rival Nevada Wolf Pack’s pistol offense.

Go ahead, Chadd Cripe. Tell us more.

The Broncos will place a tailback behind the quarterback in a one-back formation like Nevada. However, they also will put a fullback beside the quarterback for a unique two-back look.

Or, the Broncos might put a tailback or two beside the quarterback in the shotgun formation — setting up the spread option — or place the tailback behind the quarterback and offset like Florida.

Throw in wide receiver Tanyon Bissell or wide receiver Vinny Perretta at quarterback, and things get truly funky.

The goal for the Broncos is to retain their power-running plays while using the shotgun, which allows the quarterback to scan the field and direct the offense more easily than getting under center.

OK, we're sold.

We really like the options that this offense presents. You are a genius, Chris Peterson! A genius! This new formation (which BSU coaches call the "Q") could be an exciting twist to the traditional power runs and shotgun plays. You have our blessing, Boise State coaching staff.

Boise State tinkering with offensive formations... [Idaho Statesman]

An open letter to Brian Murphy

Dear Brian Murphy,

You continue to amaze us.

Days after throwing the Bronco men's basketball team under the bus, you are back on the bandwagon. Who let you on? Was it the FOX 12 News at Nine guy? We knew we should have kept a better eye on him.

Your article about the Broncos' winning the WAC championship was a 180 from your previous stance, and it was dripping with condescension and fragments. But amidst the rambling and feelings, you still found time to slip in a shot at BSU fans:

New rule: The bandwagon is accepting all comers. The first sign-up is today at Taco Bell Arena, where the Broncos will watch the NCAA Tournament selection show.

Doors open at 3 p.m. Bring your dancing shoes. Maybe the fans will fill it up. For once.

Ouch! Touche!

We know you'll be busy patting yourself on the back between now and the Broncos' first game on Friday, and you might not have a chance to put the usual half an hour of time and effort into your column. So we figured we would try our hand at writing your column for you. How hard could it be? Answer: not very. See for yourself:

"Who would have thought that the Boise State Broncos would be sitting in Birmingham, Alabama, about to play Rick Pitino and Co. in the NCAA tournament? Certainly not the media. Certainly not the WAC. Certainly not BSU fans.

Bandwagon.

But here they are. The team that wouldn't quit. Head coach Greg Graham has readied his troops for the greatest moment of their careers and the greatest moment in Boise State basketball history--perhaps even the history of amateur basketball.

Statesman.

The lessons learned through the regular season and the WAC tournament will serve this team well. They will not get discouraged if they get down early. Perseverance. They will not panic in crunch time. Relaxed. They will not be intimidated. Vikings.

This Boise State team is different, and it is a shame that more people don't know about them. But perhaps that is why the Broncos are standing here today: to prove everyone wrong.

Bandwagon again.

When Reggie Larry, Matt Nelson, and company hit the court in Alabama on Friday night, the whole world will be watching. What will that world see? It will see grit and toughness, passion and fire, excitement and courage. The world will see the best Boise State Broncos men's basketball team in ever, and no one can take that away from them.

Murph Turf."

You can thank us later, Brian Murphy.

Sincerely,
OBNUG

Ian Johnson to return kickoffs

From Chadd Cripe's Bronco Beat blog:

His role in the offense might slip this year with three other excellent tailbacks on the roster, but he will return kickoffs and could land roles on other special-teams units, too.

We thought there might be some other candidates for kickoff return duties, but it appears that the job is Johnson's to lose.

Cripe's story had a lot of encouraging news on the Johnson front, including the RB's plan not to injure any internal organs this fall. Johnson seems to have really dedicated himself to conditioning and weight training, which means he could have a great senior season ahead. It appears he's not banking on that plumbing/knitting career to pan out.

Ian Johnson getting bigger [Idaho Statesman]

The Press-Tribune and the Arbiter have a couple stories about the QB race. Here are the links:

Broncos search for next QB [Press-Tribune]
BSU searches for a QB, again [Arbiter]

OBNUG roundtable: QB situation

Last week, we ran a post regarding our choice for the Broncos' starting quarterback this fall. We are as upset as anyone that we have to go through this garbage again, but having four good quarterbacks to choose from isn't the end of the world. What is the end of the world? Another senior, first-time starter. Do you hear us Bush Hamdan?

Two of OBNUG's finest got together last week to discuss our QB dilemma. Here is that conversation:

kevanlee: What Jared Zabransky lacked in game management and smarts, he made up for in longevity. And while this quality was alternately a blessing and a curse ("maybe he'll be better next year" and "I can't believe we have another year of this bozo"), I find myself valuing staying power almost more than anything else in this Boise State QB competition.

Taylor Tharp wasn't a bad quarterback last year. But he was inexperienced, and it showed in big games. Obviously, we are going to get the same deer in the headlights looks from this year's crop, but I would prefer to go through growing pains with the future promise of success.

My heart goes out to Bush Hamdan. I wanted him to win the job last year so badly because I thought he could have been an excellent QB for this year's team. With a season under his belt, people would have been talking about Boise State rather than Fresno as preseason favorites. But now that he still has no experience, I couldn't be more against him starting for BSU this season.

That leaves Coughlin, Moore, and Lomax. While a four-year starter sounds like a great idea, I'm not sure that Moore has even hit puberty yet. We saw a lot of Coughlin last season in mop-up duty, and his running ability is intriguing. There's nothing like a white running quarterback to get the blood pumping.

But my vote goes for Lomax. He has great QB size, and he came in with a lot of hype. I want to see him come through on all that promise, and I want him to have two years to do it.

Nick : The one thing we dealt with last year and are dealing with again this year that I absolutely hate, uncertainty. While I can definitely empathize with Bush Hamdan (I too wanted a strong armed quarterback throwing those out patterns last year), I too would feel much better down the road to see a younger qb take the helm.

Things I can live with? Growing pains from a young qb that will be beneficial down the road. Things that make me want to throw myself off the top level of Husky Stadium? Watching our senior qb throw a pick while attempting to throw the ball away and knowing that next year we will have someone else possibly making that same mistake. With that being said, my vote's with Coughlin. He's almost as tall as Lomax and actually got some playing time last year. Furthermore, he'll be a sophomore and a possible 3 year starter. Other 3 year starting quarterbacks from past Bronco teams? Zabransky, Dinwiddie, and Hendricks. Not bad company.

kevanlee: Here is the thing that really bothers me: we have too many likable quarterbacks. This would be my ideal situation: Lomax starts this year and next year. We get a highly touted quarterback in the 2009 recruiting class, who either backs up Lomax during his senior year or redshirts, then we have this hot prospect for the next three or four years.

But for this plan to work, it means that Coughlin will never see the field and Kellen Moore will never see the field. I want to see what these guys can do with this team, but I don't want to go through first-time senior starting quarterback roulette. It's not fair to us, and it's not fair to the team.

Maybe the problem is the BSU coaches' approach to recruiting. I've heard before that they only want to recruit one quarterback in each class. Why? How about having some competition and not spreading the QB position out so thin. Would there be something wrong with two junior quarterbacks? No. I think they should recruit one really good QB and one really bad one, that way the really good one thinks he's all that and he's full of confidence. Something needs to change.

Nick : I see where you're coming from, however, I understand the approach to recruiting a qb in each class. Things happen, someone might get hurt, someone might get caught with the ganja in his car late at night, so I understand the idea of having multiple qb's spread over multiple years. I guess this comes down to Boise State recruiting good to very good qb's without having one rise above the rest to claim the position.

When Hamdan was recruited, we all heard about the hot qb prospect from Maryland with the strong arm. When Lomax was recruited, his height and NFL pedigree was highly touted. We've all heard similar accolades from Coughlin and now Moore. I guess I feel like if Lomax was going to be a great qb for the Broncos, he would have seized the position last year when it was wide open. My guess is that the coaching staff was hesitant to send a red shirt freshman out there with Coughlin and decided to play it safe with Tharp after Hamdan got hurt and Lomax failed to impress, especially coming off the Fiesta Bowl hype. After another year on the sidelines and seeing some game action, I feel like Coughlin is ready to take the reigns.

Bold predictions for the week ahead

Hopefully, the Boise State men's basketball team can pull some BSU-football magic in the NCAA tournament. We foresee a first-round upset, a second-round upset, and head coach Greg Graham's head exploding.

• Reggie Larry will make a buzzer-beater to send the Broncos to the Sweet 16. Afterward, he will propose to teammate Matt Nelson.
• Vinny Perretta will throw his name into the QB competition after a beautiful halfback pass in the first spring scrimmage. Bush Hamdan will not be available to comment.
• OBNUG will win $100 in its Facebook NCAA Tournament pool, and we will put the money directly into R&D--which is our euphemism for Guitar Hero.

BSU basketball going dancing

Congratulations to the Boise State men's basketball team! With a triple-overtime victory over New Mexico State on Saturday, the Broncos will be playing in their first NCAA tournament since 1994.

The Broncos earned a #14 seed and will play Louisville on Friday. We'll be watching, and calling in sick to work.

Broncos going to the Big Dance [Idaho Statesman]