Boise State scrimmage #2 recap

The Boise State defense came to play in the Broncos' second scrimmage. The offense? Not so much.

The only touchdown of the day was scored by freshman Matt Kaiserman near the end of the scrimmage, and the offense looked very little like the explosive group seen at the first spring outing. Are we worried? Absolutely not! We loved what we saw from the defense, and we can't wait to see how the unit does during the season. Here is some more detail from the scrimmage:

• All four quarterbacks played much more evenly than they did in the first scrimmage. Moore came back to the pack a little, and Coughlin and Lomax stepped up their games. As a whole, though, there were very few fireworks.
• Hamdan and Coughlin made some nice throws on the run, moving out of the pocket.
• Austin Pettis and Titus Young have soft hands. Both made some strong sideline catches, and each had good grabs on fade patterns during drills.
• The defensive line was downright dominant at times. We took particular note of Phillip Edwards and Sean Bingham. Edwards turned away a shovel pass and wreaked havoc in the backfield. Bingham recorded a sack and blew up several plays.
• There were multiple miscues with shotgun snaps.
• The running backs had few opportunities to shine since there was such little running room. D.J. Harper and Doug Martin moved the pile a couple of times.
• Derrell Acrey had some big hits, and he took an interception to the house during a pre-scrimmage drill.
• Kellen Moore might be staring down his receivers.
• The best plays by the offense were seam routes by tight ends and wide receivers. Julian Hawkins, in particular, looked strong running down the middle.
• Brandyn Thompson sat out, leaving the Broncos without their top two corners (Kyle Wilson is also out for the spring). Still, the offense had trouble moving the ball through the air.
• The front seven were stout, but they failed to force turnovers.
• A lot of credit should go to the linebackers. They were reading plays well and putting themselves in good positions.
  
• Four words: Doug Martin. Short Yardage.
  

WIR: Radios and scrimmages

Week in Review (WIR) feels that the big news about the Boise State radio contract has taken quite a bit of attention off of the Broncos' spring practice. This afternoon is the second public scrimmage, and it seems to be flying under the radar.

Not our radar. We have had this date circled since it was announced, and we can't wait to see how the Broncos are progressing. Our prediction: touchdowns, tackles, and turnovers. Not necessarily in that order.

In the meantime, here is the best from the last week.

• Carr going to Titans?
• Hawaii rebuilding with the help of Coca-cola.
• Enjoy Duke, Sean Renfree.
• OBNUG picks linebackers and cornerbacks.
• Beefcake photography courtesy of the Vandals.
• Ellis Powers changing positions.
• Brennan goes under the knife.
• Bronco Nation podcast featuring us.
• Boise State football goes global.
• Blue Turf Towel controversy.
• No more Paul J.; KBOI loses contract.

We'll post a scrimmage recap later tonight, and we'll be back with much more scrimmage talk on Monday. See you then, Bronco fans.

Beat Coach Pete on Saturday

Running? No, thanks. We get winded from typing.

Beat Coach Pete 5k for Student Scholarships [BSU.edu]

Bronco radio job up for grabs

With the apparent ousting of Paul J. Schneider as voice of the Broncos, Boise State fans will have to get used to a new announcing team this season. Peak Broadcasting, the new owner of the radio rights to Bronco football, has yet to decide on who the play-by-play team will be for the 2008 broadcasts, so we feel an obligation to steer them in the right direction. Here is a short list of potential candidates:

• David Augusto and David Augusto. With sideline reporting from David Augusto.
  
• Caves and Prater. No, thank you.
  
• Wayne Dzubak and Father Time. We figure they hang out a lot together.
  
• Larry Gebert and Scott Dorval. Everyone loves a good weather metaphor.
  
• Dave Tester and Claudia Weathermon. Let's hope they don't fight over air time.
  
• A Magic 93.1 DJ and random callers. Bronco games would be played over a backdrop of Rhianna music.
  
• The Power Ball and the Verizon Wireless phone. Perhaps a three-man booth with the Carl's Jr. star?
  
• Brian Murphy and a hungry lion. This partnership might not last long.
• OBNUG. We would definitely make the broadcasts entertaining.
  

Scrimmage today at Mountain View HS

The Broncos' second open scrimmage of the spring takes place today at Mountain View High School at 3:30. For directions, click here.

Living up to the lofty expectations set by last month's scrimmage will be hard to do. QB Kellen Moore had his coming-out party, and the BSU backs looked solid. We'll be looking for improvement from a few key areas this time around, namely blocking, short-yardage plays, zone coverage, and concessions. Seriously, is it too much to ask to get a bag of kettle corn?

Also, we'll be handing out numerical rosters beforehand so that the following conversation doesn't take place again.

Old guy: "Who's 41?"
Us: "That's Johnson."
Old guy: "Johnson?"
Us: "Ian Johnson."
Old guy: "Oh."
Us: (moving to another seat)

See you there (except for you, Old guy).

KBOI loses contract, angers Bronco Nation

Reaction from Boise State fans over the loss of Bronco sports broadcasting by KBOI has been remarkable. Many are not ready to see Paul J. Schneider go; he has been the voice of the Broncos for 35 years.

"It's obviously been a great part of my life," Schneider said. "Obviously I'm closely identified with Boise State. I feel bizarre right now. I kind of thought it was coming, but it's kind of like when you have someone who's not doing good and not expected to live long and when they die, you go, 'Whoa!' And that's kind of where I am.

"I thought I'd do it until I turned into Harry Caray and I couldn't see anymore."

The games will switch from 670 KBOI to 580 KIDO beginning in the fall. Peak Broadcasting, which won the rights over Citadel, does not have as strong of a signal as KBOI did, but Peak won the contract in part due to its reach into markets statewide.

“We have a network that we’ve put in place that we’re going to be working on now that we’re Boise State’s choice for the broadcasts,” Peak General Manager Kevin Godwin said. “We have some great relationships inside and outside the state of Idaho that have shown a lot of interest in airing the football product.”

Many fans want Paul J. to remain the voice of the Broncos, and while Godwin did not rule out the possibility, the odds of Paul J. returning seem slim. Who might replace the BSU legend? Statue Left has posted a poll of possibilities, and we'll weigh in with our choices later today. As for now, we're going to go listen to the radio call of the Fiesta Bowl and take ourselves back to a simpler time.

Peak gets BSU radio rights [Idaho Radio News]
The voice of the Broncos is saddened... [Idaho Statesman]
Paul J. Schneider interview [KTVB.com]