[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..

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]

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.

Spring football recap: Day One

Boise State football practice was the place to be Monday afternoon as the Broncos kicked off spring ball. Bears coach Lovie Smith as well as BSU alumni Ryan Clady, Orlando Scandrick, Daryn Colledge, and Ryan Dinwiddie were on hand to watch the first practice of the 2008 Bronco squad.

Chadd Cripe reports that the emphasis on tempo was noticeable throughout practice, and the players seemed to buy into the new approach.

Petersen made sure his push for a quicker pace at practice was understood from the start. When players ran to form a huddle around him after stretching, he made them do it again.

They hadn't moved quickly enough.

The rest of practice was crisply run, with little wasted time and the offense cutting back on huddles.

"Everybody in the country is going to show up in spring ball and have a good first day in terms of effort and attitude," Petersen said. "The whole trick is to be consistent and persistent every day."

Also encouraging was the fact that three Boise State running backs finished among the best conditioned athletes on the team in a new system designed by strength coach Tim Socha. Ian Johnson, D.J. Harper, and Doug Martin were three of the five players to reach the highest level of the conditioning program. Harper ran a team-best 4.43 40-yard dash.

First impressions from BSU's first practice [Idaho Statesman]