WIR: 500 isn't old if you're a tree

Week in Review (WIR) was happy to have another busy week of Bronco football, and with a scrimmage tomorrow night (6:00pm at Bronco Stadium, in case you hadn't heard), the good vibes will continue into the weekend.

Also, the good vibes will continue into Monday, when we reveal our big surprise. Is it an OBNUG video game? Are we joining forces with Murph's Turf? Is this site going public? Stay tuned and find out on Monday.

Here are the best stories from the past week:

• Ryan Clady disappoints Woody Paige.
• First BSU scrimmage in the books.
• Nick Lomax in the QB derby?
• Season previews for Utah State and Nevada.
• Brian Murphy stirs debate.
• Happy 500th post, us.
• Practice going better than the scrimmages.
• Patience for the QB race.
• NFL preseason week two preview.
• Dustin Lapray: grandiloquent.
• What to watch for at scrimmage #2.
• Boise State adds two to schedule.
  

See you at the scrimmage, Bronco fans.

QB battle: Moore vs. Hamdan: Day 12

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 the hype and hyperbole surrounding the Boise State quarterback competition.

Vs.

Tomorrow night we get our second chance to see the quarterback competition for ourselves, but until then, we'll just have to rely on our trusted local media for guidance. Scary thought, huh.

Moore: the People's choice
Hamdan: the Media's choice

Advantage: Hamdan. The media does see practice, after all.

In the lead...Tie. It will make for a more interesting scrimmage this way.

2009 Boise State schedule tentatively finalized

Boise State has released a tentative schedule for next season, and there is no opening week Division I-AA opponent to be found. Doesn't feel right, does it?

The final two pieces to the scheduling puzzle were a visit from UC Davis, alma mater of Coach Pete and a guaranteed 30-point victory, and a trip to Oklahoma to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Here is the non-conference schedule for the Broncos in 2009:

Sept. 5 vs. Oregon, Sept. 12 at Toledo, Sept. 19 vs. UC Davis, Sept. 26 vs. Miami (Ohio) and Oct. 3 at Tulsa.

For those of you counting on your fingers at home, yes that is five straight weeks of football during a time of season when teams usually take a week or two off. Despite playing in consecutive weeks, the schedule is easy enough for the Broncos to sail through undefeated, especially with the experienced team expected to return next fall. Is it too soon to be looking ahead to next season already? Yes. It is.

Broncos announce 2009 schedule [BroncoSports.com]

User's guide for watching BSU's second scrimmage

Tomorrow night's scrimmage will be the last opportunity for Bronco fans to see the team on the field before the Idaho State game in two weeks. And if we've learned anything from weekend and evening scrimmages, the we also know that it will be an opportunity for casual fans to hang out, be confused, talk about other things, and distract us.

We would like to change that. There are far too many important matters to be decided and nitpicked in tomorrow night's scrimmage, and we want our full attention to be on the field, not explaining how down and distance works.

Therefore, we've compiled the following user's guide for Boise State's second fall scrimmage tomorrow night (6:00pm at Bronco Stadium). Print it out if you need it, or bring it along to hand out to the people around you. 

• Kellen Moore is the short, left-handed one.
  
  
• Yes, the giant skyboxes and luxury suites are new.
  
  
• Don't boo if someone forces a turnover. That's a good thing.
  
  
• Ian Johnson will not play every down. This does not mean he is hurt.
  
  
• Jeremy Childs was suspended for academic reasons, not burglary, larceny, underage drinking, dogfighting, grand theft auto, or being too cool for school.
  
  
• Please stop asking us where Marty Tadman is.
  
  
• Do not, under any circumstances, start the wave.
  
  
• There may not be a whole lot of scoring. If this is an issue, we believe Pineapple Express is playing at Edwards at 6:30.
   
• Sure, that pink Kyle Wilson jersey looks good on you.
  

[UPDATE] Camp notes: good-bye East Jr. High, hello interceptions

Update 2:45pm: LaDustin files his report from morning practice. "Dear diary, I saw a fox today..."

The Broncos celebrated their final practice at East Junior High this morning with interceptions and popsicles. The IPT's Dave Southorn has the details.

At the end of the early practice, the offense had to run gassers after the defense held the upper hand most of the morning. Raphiel Lambert intercepted Bush Hamdan, while Travis Stanaway picked off Nick Lomax. Hey, at least everyone got popsicles afterward. Really!

Stanaway was mentioned as one of the standout newcomers who might see playing time this fall, and Lambert was a sensational high school running back who seems to be making a rather smooth transition to the defensive backfield. Coach Pete's bullhorn appreciated their effort.

The Broncos will have one more practice this evening before hitting the field tomorrow night for the team's second scrimmage of the fall. The scrimmage will be tomorrow night at 6:00pm, rather than 7:00pm time that had been previously reported. At least, that's what Judy from the Boise State athletics office told us.

We'll update this post as more reports from practice are filed. We are such freeloaders.

Broncos land 11th recruit, find Arizona enticing

The Broncos have landed their eleventh early commitment of the summer, DE Kharyee Marshall from Washington High School (Arizona). Expect the Statesman to confirm this recruit in late September.

The 6'2", 215-pound Marshall recorded 106 tackles and 16 sacks last year from his defensive end position. Ryan Winterswyk and Mike T. Williams nod in approval.

Kharyee Marshall profile [Scout.com]
This one goes to eleven [Fight Fight BSU]

An open letter to Dustin Lapray

Dear Dustin Lapray,

As diehard Boise State fans and admirers of excessively wordy reporting, let us be the first to say thank you for your informative, expressive, and detailed reports from Boise State football practice. What's that? We're not the first to say thank you? The guys at Bronco Country have already erected a paper mache statue to you in the end zone at East Junior High? Our mistake.

In that case, congraulations on winning over the Bronco Nation fan base in such a short amount of time. By our account, David Augusto is still trying. You have managed to fill a niche that was desperately void up until you and your thesaurus (and your bandana!) came traipsing into town.

RE: the thesaurus, we find it fascinating the words that you have used to describe the Broncos' practices, but we are loathe to admit that we may not know the meanings of some of them. Are the following definitions correct?

• Bellow: the sound John Gott makes when he bends over
  
  
• Inglorious: a euphemism for the Idaho State game
  
  
• Emulate: we believe you meant to write "Are you late"
  
  
• Azure: an adjective used to describe the quarterback situation
  
  
• Collusion: a Kyle Brotzman tackle attempt
  

Any help on these definitions would be much appreciated.

Your writing style is certainly unique to the Treasure Valley sports journalism scene, which is probably why you have been met with so much success in these first few weeks. You write as if the fate of the world depended on your ability to fit as many complex sentences into a single paragraph as possible. Seriously, a 40-word sentence? You are all man, Mr. Lapray.

For sure, the Twin Falls Magic Valley Times News must be thrilled to have you on staff. Who wouldn't love a person who can put the following inside joke about graduation orchestral arrangements into a sentence about Doug Martin and DJ Harper?

Neither has the grace of Ian Johnson, but they both got pop, and circumstance to spell the All-American.

LaDustin, you slay us!

We now must wonder whatever will you do for an encore. Your practice prose has been remarkably outstanding, so we are anxious to see what you will do during the football season. Will we be treated to an extemporaneous essay on the virtues of the "Q" offense? Will you write a play based loosely on the Oregon game? Your audience waits on pins and needles and quick-reference dictionaries.

Keep up the good work, DL.

Bellow.

Sincerely,
OBNUG

Ps. Please stop with the vague injury updates (ex. Jeron Johnson may or may not have hurt his foot). We'd hate to have BSU campus security forcibly remove you from practice.

Morning paper: Boise State football links 8/15

The Broncos had an afternoon/evening practice last night, and Dustin Lapray has some details on what went down. Specifically, he points out that Travis Stanaway and Daron Mackey are two newcomers who are getting Coach Pete's attention and that Bush Hamdan should win the starting quarterback job. Sigh. We thought you were different, Dustin.

Here is some more reading material for your day.

Camp notes from the IPT [Press-Tribune]
Two sentences is better than no sentences.

Coach Pete immortalized in Twin Falls newspaper [Times-News]
We would run through a brick wall for him, and we don't even know him.

Tickets still available for home games [Dave's Blog]
The LaTech is not all that popular. Imagine that.

Reggie Larry to start career in Cyprus [KTVB.com]
Good luck in South America...or Europe..or wherever Cyprus is.

Cal Poly could possibly join the WAC [KVNU]
They would immediately be the seventh-best team.

Nick Saban named most powerful coach in sports [Forbes]
USU's Brent Guy named weakest?

Season tickets arrive [Fight Fight BSU]
No wonder the line was so long at Dairy Queen last night. Celebrate!

Odds of winning at Oregon [What If Sports]
Computers say Broncos have 41% chance. Kellen Moore's left arm says otherwise.

Aaron Tevis playing time update [Statesman]
May get to rush the passer in special packages. Fine by us.

Linebackers in focus [Statesman]
Broncos focus on finishing [Press-Tribune]
Chris Carr turning heads in Tennessee [Tennessean]

QB battle: Moore vs. Hamdan: Day 11

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 the hype and hyperbole surrounding the Boise State quarterback competition.

Vs.

Coach Pete spoke about the quarterback race yesterday, but not in the way that anyone had hoped.

Petersen said he didn’t learn anything new about the quarterbacks competing for the starting job, senior Bush Hamdan and freshman Kellen Moore. They continue to split time with the first team.

As much as we want to know who the starter will be, we know that the Bronco coaching staff is doing the right thing by waiting as long as it takes to make sure they pick the right guy. In the meantime, we can keep getting our hopes up that maybe we'll have an answer soon. Like tomorrow?

Offensive coordinator Brian Harsin said the race was similar to last season with both quarterbacks basically in a dead heat, including a so-so first scrimmage. Like last season, the competition will continue for another week at least.

Bummer.

Moore: taught Coach Pete nothing in the first scrimmage
Hamdan: also taught Coach Pete nothing in the first scrimmage

Advantage: Rosetta Stone.

In the lead...Moore. Day 11 of the quarterback competition just happens to match his jersey number. Serendipity?

Morning paper: Boise State football links 8/14

Woodruff named camper of the day [BroncoSports]
Take that, defensive line!

Recap of evening practice [BSU blog]

It's almost as if you were there.

Sean Bingham and the D-line [Statesman]
The Statesman's position-by-position preview begins.

Jamar Taylor spotlight [Statesman]
Happy to be in Boise so he won't "get in trouble."

Bart Hendricks asks the obvious [ISZ]
O-line should be focus of debate, not quarterback.

It's not easy being a walk-on [Press-Tribune]
Scholarships get the chicks.

Nevada to face BYU in 2010 [ESPN.com]
Oh yeah? Well, Boise State plays Toledo, so there.

Hitting QBs in practice sounds like a bad idea [SI.com]
GaTech QB Josh Nesbitt agrees.

Hawaii QB decision looming [Star Bulletin]
As is the potential for a five-win season.

[UPDATE] Camp notes: 85-yard TD pass and a Doug Martin sighting

Update: Dustin Lapray has filed his camp report. Tally-ho!

The Broncos are back on the practice field today (Thank goodness! Don't ever leave us again!), and they seem to have recovered well from a listless scrimmage. Touchdown bombs, interceptions, and false starts: at least it wasn't boring.

From Dave's Blog:

There were a heck of a lot more big plays than in recent practices. The defense dominated the first set of 11-on-11, but the offense played well in the middle part of practice, highlighted by a great 85-yard touchdown from Bush Hamdan to Vinny Perretta. That being said, the defense saw a pair of interceptions from Cedric Febis and Kyle Wilson in the final few minutes of practice

One of the picks was thrown by Hamdan, just in case you were getting your hopes up that someone was pulling away in this quarterback race.

While Southorn's report was encouraging, the Statesman's Chadd Cripe brings us some slightly more discouraging news:

Bad snaps, false starts and quick sacks left the offense frustrated.

But it wasn't all bad, right Chadd?

Freshman tailback Doug Martin darted up the middle for 35 yards.

Thanks. That makes us feel better.

The Broncos will have another practice later today, and we'll update this post as needed throughout the afternoon..

OBNUG's 500th post: bring on the carpal tunnel!

We debated for awhile what we would do for our 500th post. A 10,000-word tome on Marty Tadman? An expose into the underbelly of the Boise State ticket office? A Fiesta Bowl haiku? But we decided to celebrate with a small pat on the back and move on to bigger and better Bronco things. Like practices we're not invited to.

We'd like to thank our readers for putting up with our narrow vocabulary that all too often resorts to the word "awesome." We'd like to thank Utah State for their willingness to be the butts of many jokes. But most importantly, we'd like to thank our Boise State Broncos for being the best team in the country to cover and root for. We never imagined that we'd have this much to write about, but we couldn't be happier with the way things have gone for this website. The Broncos will always have our loyalty, long after our keyboards and typing fingers quit working. We've had lots of fun over the past 500 posts, and we look forward to the next 500 (a.k.a. October).

In honor of our 500th post, we'll be revealing a big surprise on Monday (don't worry, we didn't sell out or anything). It will be worth the wait. Stay tuned.

Morning paper: Boise State football links 8/13

No practice yesterday? Coach Pete must be getting soft. The Broncos will return to the field today in preparation for their final public scrimmage on Saturday (7:00pm at Bronco Stadium) and we'll bring you the recap later. Let's hope it involves quarterback separation.

BSU individual game tickets on sale tomorrow [Broncosports.com]
Blowouts guaranteed or your money back.

Derrell Acrey feature story [Times-News]
Twin Falls media expects big things.


WAC travel costs are mounting [Statesman]
As is discrepancy between top teams and bottom teams.

Nevada QB enjoys horses a little too much [ESPN.com]
We did not see this story coming.

Sky club photos [Statesman]
Furniture brought to you by Target sale rack.

Enderle eats up Idaho defense in scrimmage [KTVB.com]
Mmm, second-rate defensive backs.

CBS Sportline writer confesses Fresno love [CBS Sportsline]
Also, feel free not to let past precedent get in the way of your predictions.

Seattle Bowl? No thanks. We're good. [Seattle Times]
Sounds like an excuse to get the Washington Huskies into a bowl.

The official website of Colt Brennan [ColtBrennan5.com]
Feel free to check out the Colt forum. Or don't.

Brian Murphy gets people talking, flaming

Everybody's favorite Statesman columnist is back to what he does best: incite anger.

Murphy jumped on a story on FOXSports.com about the Broncos that we linked to this morning regarding their being ranked as the best college football team from the last decade. The story is really not that big of a deal. FOX Sports didn't write it. Some Bleacher Report guy did. Bleacher Report is an open community for sports writers to give their opinions, and FOX Sports picks up an occasional story here and there.

Nevertheless, Murphy found the story important enough to blog about, and needless to say, he disagreed with it.

Still, it's tough to see how a team with one top-5 finish in the polls and no national titles (Boise State) is better than a team like USC, which won back-to-back national titles in the last decade.


Come on, Fox. This is plain ridiculous.

And then all hell broke loose in the comments section. Here is just a taste of the maelstrom of opinion:

I hate Murphy. Even if you feel that way as a local sports writer you have a lot of hate for our team and it is so easy to see in your writing of them. No one likes you in Boise except Vandal fans!

...and...

I do not know how he still has a job. Move to Moscow or Pocatello. OR if you dont have anyting nice to say just shut up

...not to mention...

You are entitled to your opinion and that is fine, you hate BSU, ok. My point again is that I do not think a local sports writer should have your negative opinion and always express teh negative side and view of our local team that most of us love in our local paper. He doesn't fit. I should not get angry every time I have to read his negative views of our team in MY LOCAL PAPER every day. You say then don't read it. It is one of the only things I have to keep up on my team. Most of us want a writer that gets us excited about our team and points out the positives. That is the point.

...and one more for good measure...

PLEASE STATESMAN PLEASE READ THIS. Give us a writer who gets excited about our local team and get us a writer who is excited about writing about them and actually likes them. Get rid of this bum. You would be doing us and from his writing I believe him a favor by doing so.

There were plenty more where that came from. At the time of this post, Murphy's article had racked up 56 comments. To put that in perspective, Chadd Cripe openly solicited comments about the quarterback race in a blog post last week. He got 46 replies.

Fortunately, some good came of this. One level-headed commenter set Murphy straight and gave everyone hope that there is a better alternative out there.

Murph, I am sure you read these comments. Understand that I don't live in Idaho. I live in St. George, UT. There is nothing in the way of Boise State coverage down here. I look to the Statesman to keep me informed. While I applaud you for remaining objective and fair most of the time, I have to agree with the masses this time. You purposely are misleading your readership with this blog entry.


For the rest of you out there who feel like I do, there is a little known website out there that I've found has all the Boise State information one could want. It's called 'One Bronco Nation Under God' and you can access it at www.obnug.com.


I wouldn't be one bit surprised if Murph found this FoxSports.com piece by going to OBNUG himself and seeing the link that was posted this morning.

Glad to see this whole thing could come to a fair and just conclusion.

Boise State #1 football team over last decade? [Murph's Turf] 

Update: Murphy has been compelled to respond.

QB battle: Moore vs. Hamdan vs. Lomax(?): Day 9

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 the hype and hyperbole surrounding the Boise State quarterback competition.

Vs . Vs .

Guessing who the starting quarterback will be based solely on the media reports from practice is hard. So with the Broncos' first public scrimmage in the books, we finally have some biased personal opinion to throw into the mix.

There was no clear-cut winner in the quarterback race yesterday. There was really no clear-cut winner of anything. But one thing's for sure is that whoever gets names the starter will have to be good at scrambling, making plays on the run, and handing the ball off.

The Moore vs. Hamdan debate, at least for one day this fall, should make room for Nick Lomax. The hard luck junior had the best efficiency rating out of the three QBs, which should earn him at least a mention in the competition conversation. Although, running against third teamers would make anyone look good. Right, Kevin Sapien?

Moore: 9-of-22 for 137 yards and a touchdown. Looks very much in control of the offense. Seems to always come up big in game situations. Goes through his reads too quickly. Moves well. Has big-play potential.
Hamdan: 5-of-15 for 48 yards. Feels pressure and moves well within the pocket. Throws with confidence. Forces balls into tight spots. Tends to lock on to receivers. Smells like a leader.
Lomax(!): 7-of-9 for 68 yards. Owns the third-team defense. Is tall. Delivers the ball on time and with accuracy. Has virtually no chance of being starting quarterback.

Advantage: Moore.

In the lead...Moore. The freshman jumped over the senior in our minds with his performance in the first scrimmage. He seemed to handle his situations the best out of all four quarterbacks, and he made the right decision on almost every play. With the line the way that it is, Moore looks the best under center because so much of his potential is on the run, outside of the pocket. Hamdan is just a bit behind, but all could change over the next five days.

First scrimmage short on excitement, long on potential

The Broncos' first scrimmage of the fall went about as planned, provided you were planning on few big plays, lots of missed blocking assignments, and absolutely no idea who will be the starting quarterback in 18 days.

The reports from the media kind of made it seem like the end of the world out there, but it's not like Jon Gott was taking his shirt off or anything. Then the newspapers might have had something to complain about. From what we saw of the scrimmage, it looked pretty similar to one of the lackadaisical scrimmages from the spring, except it was hotter. And Bob Behler was there.

Are we panicking? Of course not. If anything, we are stoked because we got to see the Broncos play for the first time in months. They'll have all the issues ironed out by Saturday (the next scrimmage), and we'll be in for a good show.

Here are some observations from the first scrimmage of the fall:

• Blitz!

The Boise State defense was coming early and often for a good portion of the scrimmage. Let's hope we see this same aggressiveness during the season. The linebackers and defensive backs for the Broncos are some of the most athletic guys on the team, so it makes sense to put them in position to make plays. Derrell Acrey, we're looking at you.

• Johnson!

The Johnson who stood out in yesterday's scrimmage was not the one you might expect. While Ian Johnson had a decent enough afternoon, safety Jeron Johnson really shined. He had a number of big hits on ball carriers and receivers, and he looked solid roaming the secondary.

• Blocking!

The final numbers for the running game were 122 yards on 52 carries. And it looked like it. If you enjoy watching running backs blast into piles of big bodies, then this was the scrimmage for you. On the one hand, the defensive line did a good job holding the line of scrimmage. On the other hand, the offensive line did a bad job of creating running lanes, opening holes, or doing its job.

• Indecision!

We would bet large sums of money on the fact that Coach Pete and his staff are not making any quarterback decision following this scrimmage. First off, they love to tease us. Secondly, no one separated themselves far enough to make the decision easy. One interesting subplot from the scrimmage was the time that walk-on QB Drew Hawkins spent under center. We really don't need a five-man quarterback race right now.

• Heft!

There are some big freshmen out there. Specifically, we noticed Faraji Wright enveloping people, and we were shocked to see how big Byron Hout's arms were. Along the line, there are several new players with some much-needed size, including Wright, Joe Kellogg, and others. The future looks bright...and beefy.

• Drops!

Wide receivers dropped an awful lot of passes yesterday, which will probably be the first and only time that will ever happen. As an aside, it sure was nice to see Jeremy Childs lining up alongside Titus Young, Austin Pettis, and Vinny Perretta.

Morning paper: Boise State football links 8/12

There is plenty to talk about regarding the first scrimmage of the fall, and before we get into our take on things, let's hear what the Internets have to say. Aren't we gracious?

Fall scrimmage reports

• Moore vs. Hamdan vs. everyone else still up in the air [Fight Fight BSU]
• QB stats and Coach Pete audio [Dave's Blog]
  
• Gassers do not sound like fun [Bronco Beat]
• Taylor Tharp and Coby Karl were there. Party! [Press-Tribune]
  
• Did Dustin Lapray just start his post with a bandana story? [BSU Blog]
  
• Photos and feedback from the scrimmage [Statue Left]

Hop on the D.J. Harper bandwagon [Statesman]
We're already on it, but thanks anyway for the invitation.

The O-line has some work to do [Press-Tribune]
Rushing for 2.3 yards is far too San Jose State-ish.

von Oelhoffen released by Eagles [Statesman]
Carson Palmer's knee laughs an evil laugh.

Boise State best team of last decade [FOX Sports]
We'll take it even if it's only FOX Sports who's giving it.

Injuries strike Vandal line [Statesman]
Good thing they have depth. Oh wait. Never mind.

Week One predictions [What If Sports]
Boise State should be safe.

Boise State scrimmage: questions that need answering

The Boise State Broncos will take the field later this afternoon for the first scrimmage of fall camp, and we could not be more excited. We could also not be more curious.

Over the inexorably long summer, we had plenty of time to sit around and think up open-ended questions about the Broncos upcoming season. And with practices being closed to the public, we have had to cobble together answers based on spotty play-by-play from the local media.

Not today. This afternoon we will finally get a chance to put the pieces together for ourselves about this 2008 Bronco team. Here is what we'll be looking for:

Will Ian Johnson's backup be D.J. Harper or Jeremy Avery? One of these two should be in line to get the scraps of Johnson's carries, and thus far through the first week of camp, they seem to be pretty even. Harper and Avery? Avery and Harper? We'll see in a little bit.

Can we forget the whole "Q" formation ever happened? The Broncos' spring surprise was a version of Nevada's pistol that looked pretty cool right up until the snap when everything fell apart. For that matter, what will shotgun snaps look like? The Boise State centers have had all summer to perfect the art of throwing footballs between their legs, so there should be some improvement. We're willing to reconsider the "Q," but the Broncos are going to have to do an awful lot of convincing.

Do you think we'll recognize Jeremy Childs? Absence makes the heart grow fonder...at least that's what we told ourselves when the girls we liked wouldn't return our phone calls. Childs has been off the field for what seems like an eternity. It will be the highlight of our August to see him running routes beside Titus Young, Austin Pettis, Vinny Perretta, and others.

Could Mike T. Williams and Ryan Winterswyck get sacks on every play? We're pretty sure they could if they wanted to. Out of all the Bronco storylines going into this year, these two defensive ends are the ultimate headliners. Hyperbole alert: they could be the greatest pass rushing duo that the WAC has ever seen! We are literally giddy with excitement.

Which Kyle Brotzman will show up? In spring practice, we saw the inaccurate, complacent Kyle Brotzman, but we really want to see the precise, confident Brotzman from a season ago. We'll attribute the spring misses to Brock Jaramillo's extortion tactics. Let's hope things are better today.

Will Dustin Lapray be wearing a derby with a feather? The Magic Valley Times journalist/poet/worsdworth writes like he has been transported out of 17th century literature, and his BSU blog reads more like a Shakespearean play than a football practice report.

Oh, and we may be a little interested in seeing some of the quarterbacks throw.

Before you head to the scrimmage, make sure to print yourself a roster.

Morning paper: Boise State football links 8/11

Happy Monday, Bronco fans. Today is the Broncos' first scrimmage of the fall from 3:00 to 5:30 this afternoon at Bronco Stadium. We'll be there, so feel free to come say hi. We'll be the ones with the Marty Tadman life-size cardboard cutout.

Saturday camp recap [Dave's Blog and Bronco Beat]
Ugh, two-a-days.

Sunday camp recap [Dave's Blog and Bronco Beat]
A Drew Hawkins TD run? We have no idea what is happening with this QB race.

Campers of the day [BroncoSports.com]
Spoiler alert: Martin, Mackey, and Brockel.

Dave Southorn's mohawk update [Dave's Blog]
This is probably what we would do if we had media credentials, too.

No Nate Potter vs. Idaho State [Press-Tribune]
Arthroscopic knee surgery for the new OT.

More no-huddle is fine by us [Press-Tribune]
So long as the no-huddle does not involve the "Q."

Hamdan love from the Statesman [Statesman]
Does Chadd Cripe have a crush?

The story behind the jersey numbers [Press-Tribune]
Coach Pete used to wear #9, which is our new favorite idea for a personalized jersey.

Interesting Jarrell Root story [Statesman]
Taking on Clady in practice couldn't have been easy.

Ian Johnson feature at [Pro Football Weekly]
It's like January 2007 all over again.

Robert Smith has lost his mind [PWtW]
ESPN "analyst" picks Kaepernick as Heisman candidate.

SMU ticket sales up by 50 percent [Dallas Morning News]
Hawaii ticket sales down by 50 percent?

WIR: Bronco Nation rejoice, football returns

Week in Review (WIR) had a wonderful summer vacation, thanks for asking. But now there's work to do. First off, about the weekend. The Broncos will be practicing Saturday and Sunday, and here are some places to go if you need a fix of Bronco news. (We're pretty sure you could have found these on your own; we just like mothering you.)

• Dave's Blog
• Bronco Beat
• BSU Blog

This week was the busiest yet at OBNUG, as we cranked out 26 posts in five days. Hello, early onset carpal tunnel syndrome! Here are the best posts from the last week:

• Camp notes from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and today 
• WAC quarterbacks falling like flies.
  
• Zabransky not as clutch as people remember.
  
• The Statesman surprises.
  
• Fresno State team preview.
  
• WAC teams are unusually happy.
  
• Hawaii's season preview.
  
• Preseason football should be fun.

We'll see you bright and early on Monday morning. Have a good weekend, Bronco fans.