Phil Steele's messed-up All-WAC team

Phil Steele, one of the more famous names related of college football preview magazines, has released his picks for the WAC's all-conference teams. And boy did he pick some doozies.

First, allow us to disagree with a number of items:

• Kyle Brotzman: 4th team kicker
• First team defense: no Broncos
• Second through fourth team offense: no Broncos
• No Jeron Johnson
• No Titus Young
• No Vinny Perretta
• No Richie Brockel

At least Steele found Ian Johnson's name while he was figuring, in vain, the distance between his rear end and a hole in the ground. In all, Boise State had three first team members (Andrew Woodruff and Jeremy Childs joined Johnson with that distinction), and one second team member. That is exactly one more than Utah State and two less than Idaho.


In addition to egregious mistakes on the Bronco front, we had some nits to pick with the rest of Steele's reality-challenged opus. But the greatest one might have been the horrible future he predicted when he named NMSU QB Chase Holbrook to the first team.

Needless to say, we will not be purchasing Steele's print publication.

Phil Steele's 2008 WAC all-conference [Philsteele.com]

Coach Pete not abandoning traditional snaps

Boise State coach Chris Petersen sat down to talk with the Statesman's Chadd Cripe, and in between long paragraphs of cryptic coachspeak, he dropped this nugget of relief:

Q: You also experimented with more shotgun snaps. Will that continue?

A: "We will do maybe more of it, but we will not be exclusive. That's not us. We don't like to be exclusive any one thing. We still feel it's important for this program to be under center."

Finally, our nightmares of shotgun snaps going over quarterbacks' heads will cease!

Coach Pete spent the rest of the interview discussing how he hoped that everyone would be in great shape this fall and come in ready to work (we think he was looking at J.P. Nisby when he said this). There was no mention of who he thought the starting quarterback would be, which comes as a surprise to no one except the Idaho Press-Tribune's Phil Dailey.

Catching up with Coach Pete [Idaho Statesman]

Boise State spring football awards

People have recapped spring football and graded spring football, but no one has yet to make up arbitrary awards for spring football. That's where we come in.

In honor of the many noteworthy performances from the past few weeks, may we present OBNUG's 2008 spring football awards.

Most likely to succeed: DE Ryan Winterswyk.
This half-man, half-monster wreaked havoc in the backfield all spring. If only he could face freshman offensive tackles all the time!

Most likely to have a bandwagon named after him: QB Kellen Moore.
Moore's spring performance made Bronco fans downright giddy with delight. Can you say "man crush"? Half of Bronco Nation can (and has).

Most likely to see playing time as a true freshman: S George Iloka.
The tall, lanky safety made the most of his opportunities this spring, and to think, he's only 18! Our greatest accomplishment at 18 was going undefeated in Madden.

Most likely to replace Marty Tadman (on the field, not in our hearts): S Jeron Johnson.
Tadman was the heart and soul of the defense, and we think that Johnson has what it takes to fill the void. Johnson can walk on water, right?

Most likely to score a billion touchdowns: WR Titus Young.
Young is fast, athletic, and an impossible match-up for every corner in the WAC. He might score a billion touchdowns against Utah State alone.

Most likely to be Ian Johnson's backup: RB D.J. Harper.
If you had asked us this question prior to spring football, we would have shouted "Doug Martin" and maybe giggled a little. And while Martin is indeed a beast, Harper blew us away by his power and elusiveness. Color us impressed.

Most likely to change positions: QB Nick Lomax.
Lomax's immobility will cost him in the QB battle, so we can see him taking the high road and switching positions of his own accord. Our guess? Personal protector to Brad Elkin.

Most likely to wrestle a bear and win: DL Sean Bingham.
He wrestled John Gott, who looks like a bear, and won. We don't see how a real bear would fare any better.

Most likely to stop disappointing us: LB Derrell Acrey.
Acrey, who has long been listed as a breakout candidate, narrowly edged out "rugby punts" for this award.

Most likely to not talk to the media: QB Bush Hamdan.
A winner for the second year in a row! Congrats!

Most likely to drive us mad: the "Q."
Considering our reaction to being under center (elation) compared to that of being in the "Q" (queasy), we think this abbreviated shotgun could be trouble, especially if snaps continue missing their mark.

Offense wins Blue-Orange game

The Boise State offense got back on track tonight in the Blue-Orange game. Freshman QB Kellen Moore had another fine performance, leading several long drives, and Doug Martin scored the only touchdown of the evening on a short TD run.

We were very pleased with how the Broncos looked. The defense showed some good signs, basically shutting down the running game. All four QBs made one or two good plays when they had their chance. And we even finagled our way into the scrimmage without paying.

Here are some of our first impressions:

• Either our kick return is great or our kick coverage is awful.
• Kellen Moore to Titus Young looks awfully good. Young beat Cedric Febis down the sideline and Moore hit him with a beautiful over-the-shoulder rainbow. Good stuff.
• Jeremy Childs made an appearance on the sideline.
• Bush Hamdan showed great mobility, although he took off a few times when he still had plenty of opportunity to throw. He either went through his reads too fast or got antsy.
• The tackling was stellar from the defense. On multiple occasions, there was one man left between the ball carrier and the end zone, and the defensive player made a sure tackle.
• D.J. Harper may be the hardest back to bring down on the team.
• The D-line continues to get great penetration. Shea McClellin and Chase Baker had especially good nights.
• There were fewer bad snaps from the shotgun, although several still either rolled back to the QB or went over his head.
• It was nice to see the Broncos run some traditional sets instead of all shotgun and "Q".
• Doug Martin as the goalline back could be groundbreaking.
• A chant of "Paul J" started late in the scrimmage.
• Brock Jaramillo nailed both of his field goal attempts, and he looked good doing it.
• Moore's first drive of the scrimmage showcased his ability to scramble and make plays. It was fun to watch.
  

New coordinator brings fun to SoMiss offense

Change is in the air for the Southern Miss offense.

New offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, previously at Oklahoma State and Florida, has installed an up-tempo, spread attack that puts a premium on freewheeling and a kibosh on fullbacks.

It’s not that Fedora’s system is totally alien. It’s built on concepts that are becoming more familiar. Even the New England Patriots ran a version of the spread offense last season. But there are new assignments, new ways of thinking and everything has to be done at a fast pace and with no huddle.

Sounds like WAC football.

The departure from the Golden Eagle's staid approach to offense is expected to revitalize a program that has seen its support dwindle in recent years. While the new run 'n gun might be fun to watch, we don't expect any of the bells and whistles to throw the Broncos off when they visit Hattiesburg in the fall. It won't be anything they haven't seen before.

Fedora to unveil new So. Miss attack [SI.com]

Bronco video extravaganza

From Boise State fan Heath, here are some pretty awesome videos. Go Bronco multimedia!

BSU offense


BSU defense


Thanks, Heath.

BSU's new offensive look

Word from Boise State spring practice is that the Broncos are implementing Nevada's "Pistol" offense into the playbook. This makes OBNUG feel weird.

The Broncos spent most of the first week of spring ball experimenting with formations and plays that are a combination of Boise State staples, the hip spread offense and — here’s where it gets uncomfortable — the rival Nevada Wolf Pack’s pistol offense.

Go ahead, Chadd Cripe. Tell us more.

The Broncos will place a tailback behind the quarterback in a one-back formation like Nevada. However, they also will put a fullback beside the quarterback for a unique two-back look.

Or, the Broncos might put a tailback or two beside the quarterback in the shotgun formation — setting up the spread option — or place the tailback behind the quarterback and offset like Florida.

Throw in wide receiver Tanyon Bissell or wide receiver Vinny Perretta at quarterback, and things get truly funky.

The goal for the Broncos is to retain their power-running plays while using the shotgun, which allows the quarterback to scan the field and direct the offense more easily than getting under center.

OK, we're sold.

We really like the options that this offense presents. You are a genius, Chris Peterson! A genius! This new formation (which BSU coaches call the "Q") could be an exciting twist to the traditional power runs and shotgun plays. You have our blessing, Boise State coaching staff.

Boise State tinkering with offensive formations... [Idaho Statesman]