The most important decision in the history of the world will be made in the next few weeks, and we'll be providing daily updates on all they hype and hyperbole surrounding the Boise State quarterback competition.
Vs.
Boise State football is back, which begs the question: Who will the starting quarterback be? Now that the players are actually on the field, we will be able to track the candidates (Kellen Moore, Bush Hamdan, and to lesser degrees, Mike Coughlin and Nick Lomax) and provide daily breakdowns of where things stand. Today, senior Hamdan takes the lead.
Hamdan: Spent summer vacation organizing softball game and warming up to media.
Moore: Spent summer vacation getting a farmer's tan.
Today's winner: Hamdan.
In the lead...Hamdan. But that's nothing a Planet Beach tanning session can't fix.
Monday, August 4, 2008
QB battle: Moore vs. Hamdan: Day 1
[UPDATE] Camp notes: Childs practices, will miss the opener
The Bronco veterans practiced this morning, and there is plenty of good news to report.
1. Football is back.
This cannot be stressed enough.
2. Jeremy Childs news at last.
Childs practiced with the team today, ending the speculation as to his status for the 2008 season. The Broncos did announce that Childs will miss the team's
3. DJ Harper is for real.
Dave Southorn reports that DJ Harper made his presence felt on the field today. We've had a lingering feeling since spring practice that Harper will be the No. 2 running back this fall, beating out Jeremy Avery. So far we have nothing to make us think otherwise.
4. Walk-ons galore.
There are 18 of them (including Dan Hawkins' quarterback son Drew), and we don't really feel like listing them here. If you want the full list, check out the Chadd Cripe's blog, Dave Southorn's blog, Fight Fight BSU, or the Boise State student directory.
We'll add to this post if there are any other pressing updates later today.
Childs won't play in opener [Bronco Beat]
It has finally begun [Dave's Blog]
ESPN confuses clutchness with popularity
Is Jared Zabransky clutch?
We asked ourselves this question over and over again this weekend, and each time we came to the same conclusion.
No. Jared Zabransky is not clutch.
He is confident, brash, and cocky, but those components have little to do with being clutch and more to do with tattooing your initial on your bicep. Being clutch means showing up in big games every time and not folding under the pressure of the moment. Zabransky may have done this once or twice during his career, but did he do it enough to warrant consideration as "clutch"? We don't think so.
ESPN.com's Graham Watson disagrees. She recently listed the most clutch non-BCS players throughout history, and good old "Z" made her list.
Jared Zabransky, QB, Boise State -- Led the Broncos to a perfect 13-0 season in 2006, including throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.We find it so interesting that Zabransky is remembered as a hero of this game. The national media seems to pick and choose the best parts of this classic game and focus solely on those aspects. "The Fiesta Bowl was great. Ian Johnson asked that hot cheerleader to marry him!" Meanwhile, there was terrific drama, intrigue, emotion, and suspense that gets lost in the shuffle.
Allow us to let the facts get in the way of this discussion:
- Jared Zabransky threw a horrendous interception that was returned for a touchdown that could have very easily lost the game.
- Zabransky took an awful sack while the Broncos were driving for the tying score.
- The hook and ladder was a clutch team play, not a clutch Zabransky moment (deep in routes are not clutch).
- Zabransky did not throw the tying score in overtime. A wide receiver did.
And those moments just describe his Fiesta Bowl. If we are taking this "clutch" debate further, we would also point out the 2005 Humanitarian Bowl and the Georgia game. Oh, the Georgia game! Zabransky proved over his Boise State years that he was a capable, play-making quarterback who could run hot and cold at times. And so long as we are celebrating that Zabransky, then we are all for it.
Besides, if we're going to be sainting Boise State athletes, we would prefer to start with Marty Tadman.
Clutch non-BCS players through history [ESPN.com]
As the WAC quarterbacks turn: Graunke out, McCormick done
Hawaii and Utah State's quarterback competitions are not as competitive any more.
Tyler Graunke, the favorite for the Warriors' quarterback spot, will not be with the team for the foreseeable future, and Jase McCormick, one of several irrelevant contenders for the Aggies, has quit football entirely. Utah State will do that to you.
Graunke, who backed up Colt Brennan each of the last three years, was suspended in the offseason, but he seemed to have his problems worked out and was set to capture the starting quarterback spot. His situation now is pretty up in the air, and will remain that way so long as Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin continues to make broad, generalizing statements.
"Tyler has things he has to work on," McMackin said yesterday in a release from UH. "At this point, he will not practice with the team. Because of privacy laws, I can't comment any further."
Things are much more black and white with Utah State's Jase McCormick. He's got better things to do than lose to mediocre WAC teams week in and week out.
When reached by The Tribune on Saturday, Guy said that McCormick was involved with a few business ventures that he was doing well with.
Also, he was tired of this happening:
The turmoil at Hawaii and Utah State serves to highlight the QB flux across the WAC this season. In addition to the Warriors and the Aggies, there are several other schools with unsettled quarterback situations:
- LaTech: open competition
- San Jose State: open competition
- Boise State: open competition
- Idaho: Nathan Enderle
Graunke left back [Star Bulletin]
Jase McCormick leaves Aggies [Salt Lake Tribune]
Morning paper: Boise State football links 8/4
Brian Murphy on QB competition [Statesman]
Coach Pete and Harsin have been there before.
Chadd Cripe on QB competition [Statesman]
Well, at least the Statesman isn't blowing this thing out of proportion.
Alex Guerrero doing color on Spanish radio [Fight Fight BSU]
Donde esta el futbol? En el endzone! Seis puntas!
Broncos ranked #26 by NYT [New York Times]
A good read, if you're into looking up words in dictionaries.
15 minutes of fame for the laundry guy [Statesman]
No word on the Tide-to-go pen.
Dinwiddie CFL player of the week [CFL.ca]
Bags of milk for everyone!
If Aztecs are out, will Broncos be in? [Union-Tribune]
SDSU may be without stadium, which makes it hard to play football.
Nevada gets QB commit [Gazette-Journal]
See? Early recruits can happen outside of Boise.
WAC recruiting budgets [ESPN]
Blogger is out to get us [Blogger Buzz]
The return of BSU football and OBNUG's new schedule
Welcome back, Bronco football. We have missed you dearly.
Boise State will hit the field for their first practice of fall camp today, and before we know it, August 30th will be upon us. The Broncos practice 20 times in the next three weeks, taking only August 12th and 20th off during that stretch, and they'll have three scrimmages before "preparation" for Idaho State begins.
- Monday, Aug. 11 from 3-5:30 p.m. at Bronco Stadium
- Saturday, Aug. 16 from 7-9 p.m. at Bronco Stadium
- Closed scrimmage at Eagle High School on Aug. 22.
We at OBNUG are even more excited because the return of football means the return of a regular posting schedule. Over the summer, we have reined in our posts (really, we have), but starting today, all bets are off. Remember the days of four and five posts per day? Our social lives do. And those days are back and better than ever.
Keep checking back here for new posts or refresh your RSS reader. We'll be keeping the links around through the season, and we'll even bring back the week-in-review. And get ready for a big surprise in the next couple of weeks. It will be huge! (And no, it is not a Marty Tadman guest post, although we would not be opposed to that.)
Broncos open practice Monday [BroncoSports.com]
Posts
