Wednesday: Links with thumbs up

Story of the day:

Summer conditioning: let the side aches begin [Idaho Statesman]

Success takes time off for nobody, which is too bad for the summer vacation plans of Boise State players.

The Broncos kicked off their eight-week summer training schedule that is equal parts preparation and muscle torture. Strength coach Tim Socha is in charge of the conditioning, and the Statesman reports that there is 100 percent participation from the team.

"This is a big deal for (the players)," Boise State strength and conditioning coach Tim Socha said. "This is to us - to me and to them - the start of their season. We come in in the summer and they know they've got eight weeks of hard work to get ready."

He wasn't kidding about hard work. Take a look at one of the more demanding exercises:

Former strength coach Jeff Pitman made the "decks" famous - a workout during which the players ran/walked/crawled to the top of Bronco Stadium. In 2005, the players did 20 decks in one workout by the end of the summer.

Socha, who replaced Pitman in May 2006, put his own twist on the decks. He staggers the players' starting spots based on body type, so linemen don't have to climb as far as running backs, and he times them - the goal is 10 seconds per climb.

Ten seconds per climb! We get tired just thinking about that.

The workouts will be four days a week for about two hours each session, and they'll involve equal parts weightlifting and running. Players also plan on holding their own player-led practices about three times a week, and those will involve lying around and trying to catch their breaths.

Other links:

Summer conditioning video [Idaho Press-Tribune]
Boise State voyeurism at its finest.

Hamdan speaks! [Idaho Press-Tribune]
The IPT's story about summer conditioning is rife with quotes from QB Bush Hamdan, a notorious media avoider.

Vlade Divac: humanitarian [Idaho Statesman]
A flop for every child.

Hawkins' tour across Colorado [Post Independent]
Why? Because it's Division I football! It's the Big XII!

Hawaii starts season early [Sporting News]
Like 6:30am Hawaii time early.

HOF nominee: Dinwiddie's 3 quarters vs. Fresno

This week's OBNUG Hall of Fame nominee is brought to you courtesty of Bronco fan Jason Haberman. Visit his blog at www.jasonhaberman.com. Praise his diction and vocabulary. And join him in recognizing one of the best performances in Boise State history.



When I was asked to contribute a nomination to the prestigious OBNUG Hall of Fame I was torn. Having been a Bronco fan since birth, I wondered, who should I choose. What performance did I think was worthy of being nominated?

Maybe I should recognize all the destruction that LB/DE Eric Helgeson leveled on the Big Sky in the late 80s. Do I go back to that magical '94 run where QB Tony Hilde and RB KC Adams and company ended "The Streak" and made it all the way to the national championship game? What about QB Bart Hendricks and his 77-yard scamper in that Humanitarian Bowl versus UTEP? I was very close to choosing LB Korey Hall versus Oregon State in 2004 with the volleyball interception (one of his three that game) and subsequent bull charge down the sideline for the score.

However, there is but one performance that I witnessed that was so amazing that there was no way I could ignore it: Ryan Dinwiddie versus Fresno State, October 18, 2002.

Let me set the scene. Dinwiddie was our prolific passing leader coming back for his junior season after lighting up scoreboards and record books the previous year. Hopes were high. We opened the season with the usual drubbing of Idaho, which set the stage for Boise State's big trip to SEC country to face the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Well, that game didn't quite turn out as well as we would have liked. In fact, it was a disaster. Dinwiddie was sacked early in the game and broke his ankle in the process. The day just got worse from there, and we lost 41-14.

But worse than losing the game was losing our all-everything gunslinger. In came untested senior B.J. Rhode. Talk was, if we could get a split of the four games that Dinwiddie was going to miss, then we could still be in contention for the WAC title.

Rhode did more than split. He excelled. He took the reigns, and in those four games the BSU offense put up point totals of 35, 63, 58 and 52 in four consecutive blowouts. This got the locals talking: "Should Dinwiddie be the starter when he comes back?" "B.J. has earned the right to keep playing." So on and so forth.

We had Fresno in our building for a Friday night ESPN showdown for what could decide the WAC championship. The fans were pumped. This warm evening was the first game that the entire record crowd was completely decked out in orange, all 30,924 of us. Something special was about to happen. You could feel it.

Rhode started the game, but we all knew Dinwiddie would play. The real question was, how much, and would he be rusty?

Rhode engineered a 13-point cushion playing the entire first quarter. But Dinwiddie jogged out in the second quarter and answered every doubter. He simply put on a clinic. He was absolutely on fire. His final stat line says it all: 19 for 22, 406 yards and 5 touchdowns. In less than three quarters! Boise State set a school record for yardage with 688 yards that day; Brock Forsey pitched in 132 yards of his own. Dinwiddie averaged over 21 yards per completion. One in every 3.8 pass attempts ended with a touchdown. That is domination.

I haven't even gotten into his innumerable Boise State records or his setting the NCAA career passer efficiency rating record.

Dinwiddie owned Fresno that day. And in my mind, his performance is worthy to be a sure-fire OBNUG Hall of Fame inductee.

Tuesday: Links with recruiting

Story of the day:

Welcome, Malcolm Johnson [OregonLive Blog]

The big recruits just keep coming.

Boise State got a verbal commitment from Barlow High (Oregon) RB Malcolm Johnson, one of the top-rated running backs in the state.

"I really wanted to commit early and then focus on my senior year," Johnson said.

We really wanted you to commit, too.

Johnson's junior season numbers were outrageously great and not at all congruent with the offers he had received.

Johnson, who led Oregon’s Class 6A in rushing with 2,514 yards last season, chose the Broncos over offers from Portland State and Air Force.

Hmm, Portland State, Air Force, or five-time WAC champion and national darling Boise State? We like that our recruits can problem solve, too.

Other links:

Wolfpack players not above Reno DUI law [Deadspin.com]

Well, at least they're getting national media attention.

Colt Brennan throwing for Redskins [Redskins.com]
We don't really have a joke for this one.

Fresno season hinges on injuries [Fresno State blog]
...and on actually beating teams on the WAC schedule.

New CB recruit a Scandrick clone? [Dave's blog]
Hello, shirtless wind sprints!

Oregon prep RB commits to Broncos

Oregon three-star running back Malcolm Johnson (Barlow High, Gresham, Ore.) has given his verbal commitment to Boise State. Rivals.com was first to break the story, and with follow-ups from the Idaho Statesman and Fight Fight BSU, we know it to be true.

Thanks for a heads up email from one of our loyal readers. We'll have more on Johnson tomorrow.

Let's get this 2009 recruiting class wrapped up before August!

Malcolm Johnson [Rivals.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]

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."

Monday: Links with obscurity

Story of the day:

Fresno recruits another Carr [ESPN.com]

The WAC just wasn't the same without a Carr at Fresno State.Derek Carr, younger brother of overhyped Fresno star David, will be joining the Bulldogs after high school, and opportunistic WAC defenses couldn't be happier.

Derek Carr, brother of David, the first overall player selected by the Houston Texans in the 2002 NFL draft, told us recently his older brother had a major influence on his quarterback development, which is obvious by his quick release and sound mechanics.

The elder Carr also taught little bro how to take a sack 76 times in one season.

We project Derek will blossom in the latter half of his college career like his brother and fit just as smoothly in the Bulldogs' system.

...never winning a WAC title.

Other links:

Welcome back, Drew [Fight Fight BSU]

LaTech looking at 3-star QB [Scout.com]
Is his campus visit similar to a pity date?

Yet another preseason blogger poll [cidsports]
And yet another "Fresno State in Top 25."

BSU starting a softball team [Press Tribune]
We would have preferred a second football team