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]

OBNUG Hall of Fame: automatic inductees

Congratulations to the honorary inductees of the first OBNUG Hall of Fame class.

• The 1980 Division I-AA national championship: historical, unprecedented, neat.
• The day Boise State joined Division I-A: important, momentous, huge.
• Fiesta Bowl hook-and-ladder: unexpected, exhilarating, life-altering.
• Fiesta Bowl Perretta TD pass: gutsy, unconventional, brilliant.
• Fiesta Bowl Statue of Liberty: outstanding, sneaky, perfect.

Voting was close for the automatic entries: 52 percent "yes" to 47 percent "absolutely yes." Thank you to the hundreds who voted even though there was little to vote for. We'll have another nominee next week.

OBNUG Hall of Fame: honorary inductees

Throughout the history of the Boise State football program, there have been several defining moments that will forever be a part of BSU lore. And by several, we are thinking of three.

The following moments have earned themselves honorary induction into the OBNUG Hall of Fame thanks to their monumental importance in shaping the Boise State football program. We’ll be skipping out on a podcast this week, but please feel free to vote in the poll at the sidebar.

Here are the honorary candidates for the OBNUG Hall of Fame:

1. The 1980 Division I-AA national championship
   Over the past five years, revisionists have called a number of different games the “biggest game in Boise State history.” There was the Fort Worth Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, and there were even regular season matchups against Nevada and Fresno State that earned the distinction. Hello! Boise State played in a national championship game! It doesn’t get any bigger than that!
   The future of Boise State football is indeed bright, but the past had its moments, too. The 1980 national championship is more than deserving of a spot in the OBNUG Hall of Fame, and it is deserving of more credit than it receives, too. Tons of teams spend their entire existence trying to win a championship, and Boise State has already accomplished the feat. If you include the junior college title in 1958, they’ve accomplished the feat twice.
   Fan appreciation can be fleeting, but the 1980 national championship game can rest assured that the OBNUG Hall of Fame is forever (until our server gives out).
   
2. The day Boise State joined Division I-A
   If you looked back to a single moment that changed the fortunes of the BSU football program more than anything, it would probably be the jump to Division I-A. Ever since 1996, when Boise State left the Big Sky and joined the big boys in the Big West (“big boys” being a relative term), things have been different around here.
   The move was the start of the groundswell of Bronco Nation. The move led the way for Boise State to improve facilities, budgets, and competition. National success and the scorn of Trev Alberts would have never been achieved had the Broncos remained stagnant in Division I-AA, and any future success can be attributed to the way the team and the school has transitioned to a spot alongside the best teams in the country.
   
3. The Fiesta Bowl
   What more can we say about the Fiesta Bowl? To be sure, it is a game that no Bronco fan will ever forget, but even more so, it is a game that no casual football fan will ever forget. We can’t remember any of Toledo’s greatest games, but Toledo fans certainly remember the Fiesta Bowl.
   The staying power of the Fiesta lies in the three plays that Boise State needed to win the game. The hook and ladder, Perretta to Schouman, and the Statue of Liberty will forever be part of college football history, so we are inducting each into the OBNUG Hall of Fame. The Broncos would have never got to overtime without Jerard Rabb’s hook and ladder touchdown. They would have never recovered from Oklahoma’s overtime touchdown without Perretta’s fourth-down TD toss. Ian Johnson would have never proposed had it not been for Statue Left. And who knows what Chris Myers would have done after the game.

The face of Boise State's football program

ESPN began a poll in April to decide the face of every college football program in the country. We thought it might be fun to check in to see how things are going.

Boise State has received 66 suggestions so far, and the blue turf and the Fiesta Bowl seem to be the favorites. Of course, there are plenty of other choices, too.

sroake1
dan hawkins

This one must have been posted in 2004.

drays2004r
The face of the program is clearly Zabransky. He typifies what the Broncos are all about...A team that gets disrespected but constantly finds a way to get the job done in convincing fashion. He's just a winner.

Zabransky is a winner, except in most big games, in the state of Georgia, and in the Humanitarian Bowl.

2244curt
Gimmick plays and a schedule filled with cupcakes every year.

Might the last part of this be a nomination for Gene Bleymaier?

The Vandals are having a much more difficult time coming up with a face of the program, as referenced by the tens of people weighing in at ESPN.com. So far the choices appear to be Dennis Erickson, Mark Schlereth, and the great John Friesz. We just found reason #437 not to be a Vandal fan.

Face of the Program: Boise State [ESPN.com]

OBNUG Hall of Fame: Tadman inducted!

Congratulations to Marty Tadman on the induction of his Fiesta Bowl performance into the OBNUG Hall of Fame. On a similar note, thanks for nothing, whoever messed with our poll the first time.

The first inductee in the 2008 Hall of Fame class certainly had to earn his way in. After a narrow loss on his first nomination, some tears from the OBNUG staff, rumors of conspiracy, and a re-vote, Tadman's Fiesta Bowl made the cut, garnering 87% of the vote.

Tomorrow we'll have the next candidate for induction. Thanks to everyone who voted, and double thanks for voting "yes."

Re-vote! The fix was in for Marty Tadman

Conspiracy theorists are buzzing...at least those conspiracy theorists who care about Boise State blogs.

Was Marty Tadman's Hall of Fame vote tampered with? Did a rogue Tadman-hater stuff the ballot box? Did we horribly underestimate Vandal alumni?

When we checked the results on Monday, we were surprised to see that Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance had been denied induction. We figured that our love for Tadman had blinded us to the fact that his Fiesta Bowl was not as awesome as we thought. Apparently, we figured wrong.

Alert reader J Harry notified us of some shady dealings during voting. We'll let J Harry explain:

When I looked at the percentages, his approval for induction was well over 70%. As I was on, frequently refreshing the page, I literally saw his score drop, one percent at a time. I feel strongly that one person was probably voting repeatedly to get the total under 70%... otherwise it would have been well above the cut-off.

Great work, J Harry! You may have just earned yourself a Hall of Fame nomination in a few years. Apparently, someone wanted Tadman out, and they were willing to refresh our homepage often enough to see it done.

We feel that it is only fair to do a re-vote for Tadman. The poll will be back up later today, and we'll hold the voting through Monday morning. To make sure that our readers really do want Tadman in the OBNUG Hall of Fame, we are requiring 80 percent of the vote for his induction.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for voting (once).

Wednesday: Links with hype

Story of the day

Several non-BCS running backs to watch [Rivals.com]

Rivals came up with a list of the top non-BCS running backs in the country, and if you look purely at the numbers, we think it is obvious which one is best.

The former Fiesta Bowl hero leads all active running backs in career rushing yards (3,418) and tops all active players in rushing touchdowns (45).

Ian Johnson stands out from the rest of the pack on his career totals alone, but the story focused on Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher, who sounds like he'll be a handful when the Broncos visit Hattiesburg. In all, four of BSU's 2008 opponents made the list, including Deonte Jackson (Idaho), Luke Lippincott (Nevada), and Ryan Matthews (Fresno State).

Let's hope our run defense really has gotten better.

Other links:

Utah State QB heading to BYU [Herald-Journal]
He must have seen the light on his Mormon mission.

Boise State's Fiesta Bowl third in clutchness [Pronounced like...]
But #1 in our hearts.

Non-Saturday games sure are annoying [FOX Sports.com]
Boise State fans hardly even notice any more.

HOF: Tadman's Fiesta Bowl falls short

The people have spoken, and they do not feel the same way we do about Marty Tadman.

Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance was the first nominee for the OBNUG Hall of Fame, a shoo-in as far as we were concerned, but he failed to earn the required 70 percent of the vote for induction, falling two percent short at 68 percent.

Were it up to us, Tadman would have been a sure-fire inductee, and he probably would have the Hall of Fame named after him. However, we value the opinion of our readers, and we appreciate you guys letting us know what you think. The OBNUG Hall of Fame will, apparently, be the toughest ticket in town.

Thanks to the hundreds who voted. We'll have the second OBNUG Hall of Fame nominee for you next week.

Monday: Links with America

Story of the day:

J. R. Simplot (1909-2008) [Associated Press]

Idaho lost one of its most successful and recognizable businessmen today when Jr. Simplot passed away in his home. He was 99.

While this news item is not expressly about Boise State, Simplot did have a soft spot in his heart for the Broncos, as explained by a story from the Tri-City Herald.

In his 90s, he seldom missed a Micron board meeting and was often seen about town, at events from Boise State University football games (he routinely bet $10 on the Broncos) to Art in the Park.

Betting on the Broncos? No wonder people considered him to have a brilliant business mind.

Other links:

Peak Broadcasting's BSU network [Idaho Press-Tribune]
You're welcome, Pocatello.

Don't expect BCS changes by 2018 [ESPN.com]
But do expect hover-cars.

Give Greg Graham an extension! [Parsing the WAC]
His players graduate!

None of BSU's Fiesta plays make list of memorable moments [ESPN.com]
And we're done reading ESPN.com forever.

Why is this year different for Fresno State? [Fresno State football blog]
"Because it is," says Fresno State fan.

Fiesta Bowl can't catch a break

What has happened to the 2007 Fiesta Bowl? Less than two years ago, it was the greatest college football game of all-time. Now it is not even the greatest BCS game in the last five years?

The 2006 Rose Bowl was fun to watch and all, but it could not even compare to the overall drama and impact of the '07 Fiesta. It's like Matthew McConaughey and the Applewhites are running this thing!

Fortunately, there is still time to right this wrong. Click here to vote in the poll. Then, when you are finished voting, refresh the page and vote again. We can't let the Fiesta Bowl go down without a fight!

(While you're in the voting mood, feel free to give us your thoughts on Marty Tadman's OBNUG Hall of Fame induction.)

Friday: Links with PDA

Story of the day:

Stewart Mandel gives BSU its due [SI.com]

A reader notified us of Stewart Mandel's latest mailbag at SI.com, and boy are we glad he did. Mandel was asked why he didn't believe Fresno State was BCS material, and his answer was both refreshing and obvious.

Because Fresno State is the Clemson of mid-majors: A big tease. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Pat Hill fan, but how many times have we seen this movie before? The Bulldogs go out and slay a giant or two, jump up into the polls -- then lay an egg in conference play.

Zing! Good one, Stewie!

Even better, Mandel offers a far more reasonable option for a WAC BCS team.

Let's be realistic here. If you had to pick one WAC team to not only win the conference but crash the BCS, are you going to go with notorious choke artist Fresno, or Boise State, five-time league champion prior to Hawaii's crown last season. Boise plays tough non-conference games at Oregon and Southern Miss but gets both the Bulldogs and Warriors at home.

How great is that! Welcome to Bronco Nation, Mr. Mandel!

Other links:

More Boise State love from ESPN [ESPN.com]
Dinwiddie, Fiesta, Statue Left, and the '04 and '06 Broncos. This article nearly brought us to tears.

Dennis Dodd's coach hot seat ratings [Sportsline.com]
Coach Pete = safe. Robb Akey = worried.

NFL Bronco roll call [Fight Fight BSU]
Wish it were football season already.

The letter Z in moderation [Democrat Herald]
Pro: "Zabranski." Con: skillz and boyz

"Sweet Feet" Clady? [Idaho Statesman]
Anti-playoff opinion [Online Athens]

Thursday: Links with self-confidence

Story of the day:

Get rid of the redshirt [ESPN.com]

Big XII commissioner Dan Beebe has proposed a plan to give all college football players five years of eligibility by getting rid of the redshirt. Too little, too late for Marty Tadman, we're afraid.

Beebe said that college football differs than other sports because of the widespread practice of redshirting freshmen.

"The thought would be why we would give them an extra year in that sport," Beebe said. "But you're talking about a sport with more redshirts than any other sport. And it's a sport where youngsters play a physical, very tough game with a lot of hard practices."

We couldn't agree more with this proposal. The only question is what would the fifth year of eligibility be called? Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior...gentleperson? Re-senior? Esquire? Hopefully, Beebe has an answer.

Other links:

Respect for the hook-and-ladder [ESPN.com]
The top coaching decision in BCS history is Circus. No. 3 is Statue Left.

Chris Petersen cracked the Top 10 defining BCS coaches [ESPN.com]
We are also ecstatic that June Jones did not make the list.

Ian Johnson: captain of longevity [Dave's blog]
Yes, it does feel like Johnson's been around forever.

Do not get in a car with Gerald Alexander [Fight Fight BSU]
New conferences for college football [Minister of Information]

OBNUG Hall of Fame podcast

We are taking this Hall of Fame business pretty seriously. How seriously? Podcast serious!

Behold the first ever OBNUG podcast! Nick and I sat down to dish on Marty Tadman, Fiesta Bowl rankings, and listening to Idaho Sports Talk in hell. We presented the case for the induction of Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance (click here for more), and then we got bored and talked about other stuff.

Technically, it is not the greatest sounding podcast. I sound like I'm in a wind tunnel, Nick sounds like he's yelling, and the letter "p" might burst your eardrum. Give us time; we'll get it right.

Enjoy and don't forget to vote for Tadman's Fiesta Bowl performance!

HOF Discussion: Marty Tadman's Fiesta Bowl Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

HOF nominee: Marty Tadman's Fiesta Bowl

To vote for Marty Tadman's Fiesta Bowl, use the poll on the sidebar. Voting will take place through the weekend, and nominees need 70 percent of the vote to gain induction.

Was the OBNUG Hall of Fame built with Marty Tadman in mind? Quite definitely, yes.

Anyone who spends five minutes with us knows that we are enthralled with Tadman up to and over the point of obsession. We feel that he was one of the greatest Boise State players of all-time, and he is a close, personal friend (in the alternate reality in which we live). Tadman's heroics over the course of his career speak monuments to his ability, leadership, and smarts, and picking just one Tadman moment for our first OBNUG Hall of Fame class was difficult.

But not impossible.

The Fiesta Bowl was one of the greatest moments in Boise State history, and it was fitting that one of Boise State's greatest players had one of his biggest games. Tadman showed up when it counted most, and without him, our collection of Fiesta Bowl t-shirts would be much less cool.

His solid, all-around play served merely as context for his two spectacular, timely, heads-up interceptions. The first stopped a drive; the second gave the Broncos breathing room (Jared Zabransky, obviously, hates breathing room).

After the Broncos jumped out to a 14-0 lead, Oklahoma started its comeback. The Sooners cut the lead in half, and on their next drive, they looked poised to strike again. Tadman, however, had other ideas. He picked off Oklahoma QB Paul Thompson in the end zone to kill the drive.

Later, with the Broncos holding on to a 21-10 lead midway through the third quarter, Tadman struck again. A Thompson pass headed for the flat was tipped by Korey Hall and picked by Tadman, who ran untouched into the end zone. The pick-six gave Boise State its biggest lead of the game, and it put the Broncos in great position to win.

Tadman's Fiesta Bowl picks were things of beauty, and his overall play spearheaded an aggressive, unheralded defense. The beauty of Boise State's victory was not in the trick plays or gimmicky offense. The real value was that the Broncos belonged on the same field as a Big XII team in every facet of the game.

We have Marty Tadman to thank for that.

Tuesday: Links with patience

Story of the day:

Fiesta Bowl needs our help [ESPN.com]

Once again, the greatest D-1 moment in Boise State history is having its value determined by ESPN.com visitors. The Worldwide Leader has a poll up right now to decide the best BCS bowl game, as part of their week-long look at the non-playoff system.

During its first decade of existence, the BCS provided many memorable games that had no championship implications. What college football fan can forget Boise State's trickery against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl or Michigan edging Alabama in overtime in the 2000 Orange Bowl?

We're a little upset that they even put a game like Michigan-Alabama in the same sentence as the Fiesta Bowl. In fact, other than the peak of Vince Young's career in the Rose Bowl versus USC, there are no other serious contenders in this group of games. There really shouldn't even be a discussion.

Regardless, we voted at least seventeen times last night.

Other links:

ESPN.com writer is an idiot [ESPN.com]
The Fiesta Bowl as the third-best BCS game? Get real.

Ian Johnson poster boy for manly crocheting [Iowa State Fans]
Also, poster boy for national television engagements.

Merritt close to qualifying for U.S. Open [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Must...fake...interest...in...golf.

Montana State expanding stadium [Dailey's Bottom Line]
Is it wrong to be jealous of a 1-AA school?

Boise State in the H-Bowl again?! [College Football News]
Being the fourth alternate for the New Mexico Bowl doesn't make things any better.

Monday: Links with seniority

Story of the day:

BCS projections from the past [Fox Sports]

Pete Futiak at FOXSports.com has projected the matchups for every BCS game this fall, and his pick for the national title game has major deja vu vibes.

FedEx BCS National Championship: Ohio State vs. Florida

Not again!

Even worse, Futiak failed to mention any non-BCS conference team in his predictions. No BYU, no Fresno State, and no Broncos. See if we ever read FOXSports.com again (for the first time).

Other links:

Boise State's bloated 2009 QB class [Fight Fight BSU]
We hope these hot QB recruits rank high in benchwarming.

Fiesta Bowl finish loses another highlight contest [Webzini]
Somewhere, Bob Stoops sneers and rubs his hands together.

Jerard Rabb finishes up his degree [Idaho Statesman]
Drisan James lateraled Rabb's diploma to him.

BSU men's track wins title [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Golfer Merritt loses in playoff [Idaho Press-Tribune]

BCS Stays The Same, No One Surprised

To no one's real surprise, it announced yesterday that the BCS system will not change. In fact, ACC commissioner and BCS chairman John Swofford stated:

I believe the BCS has never been healthier in its first decade

Of course, when something starts so low, it can only go up.

11 conference commissioners met along with Notre Dame's president to discuss the BCS. SEC commissioner Mike Slive proposed the plus-one system but did not receive any serious.

Karl Benson had this to say about the plus-one system:

It wasn't in opposition to the plus-one. It was that the existing system
and the existing format was working fine.

Well, that's debatable. Also:

No matter how much you tried to create a system that guaranteed one vs.
two, there's always going to be arguments and debates over who is No. 4 and who
is No. 5.

That's true, however, any chance to include more deserving teams in the opportunity to play for a title is never a bad thing. Lastly, Benson said he would propose a plus-one format because:

It's much easier to get to No. 4 than it is No. 2

And that seems to be the crux of the issue.

Now we're not as bent out of shape about this decision as fans of some other programs (like Auburn). As good as the 2006 Boise State team was, they were not in the top 4 after the regular season.

The thing that is the most frustrating thing about this, is that the college presidents and commissioners are depriving fans of the same experience that the NCAA basketball tournament delivers. Some would argue that Boise State upsetting Oklahoma was the perfect end to the season and that having to play in a playoff would rob us of that satisfaction. I would disagree. The only downside of that Fiesta Bowl win for me, is the thought of unrealized potential of that 2006 team. How good were they? Could they have beaten Florida? Most would say probably not, but the lack of a definitive answer will always bother me.

BCS will not change current non-playoff system [ESPN.com]
Murphy: NCAA once again chooses money over crowning a football champ [IdahoStatesman.com]

Putting the "Fiesta" in "Fiesta Bowl champions"

With the prospect of a long, football-less summer ahead, Boise State players will have a lot of free time on their hands. They can't spend every waking hour in the weight room (freshmen offensive linemen excluded), so they'll need some fun way to bide their time.

Fortunately, the BSU Spanish club has a solution.



Donde esta la biblioteca, Kellen Moore?

Unique Clady perspective from NY Times

Ryan Clady has been all over the news the past few months as the NFL Draft nears and Clady's draft status continues to rise. We have chosen not to post every little mention of Clady because there have been so many, but we found the following story particularly interesting.

Michael David Smith, a reporter with the New York Times, wrote a quick piece on Clady in his blog, and rather than re-hash the same old story, Smith looked at Clady's rise through the lens of the Fiesta Bowl. Here's our favorite line:

If Clady is among the first six players chosen, he’ll earn the distinction of being the highest-drafted player from the 2007 Fiesta Bowl — higher than Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, whom the Vikings selected seventh last year. And that will serve as a reminder that the talent gap between Oklahoma and Boise State wasn’t quite as big as everyone thought.

Exactly. That may be one of the lasting impressions of the Broncos' Fiesta Bowl win--Boise State had a great deal of talent, more than anyone gave them credit for.

Smith also mentioned Clady's forgotten role in the Statue of Liberty play, sealing off the edge. That's a good enough excuse for us to post the video again!



A Boise State Fiesta Bowl Hero... [New York Times]

Let it go, Oklahoma. Let it go.

The state of Oklahoma continues to be haunted by the Sooners' Fiesta Bowl loss to the Broncos. Now, they are taking solace from Arena Football 2 wins.

It wasn't what you'd call payback for Boise State's 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma.

But the Tulsa Talons' 65-28 Saturday night win over the Boise Burn did send a message back to Idaho that the Sooner State knows more than a little something about the game of arena football.

"It was nice to pay them back a little and redeem the state," said Talons jack linebacker Jamar Ranson, and he's not even an Oklahoma Sooner fan. Ransom played for rival Oklahoma State.

Touché. Looks like there's only one way to settle this: civil war.

Talons torch Boise [Tulsa World]