The Life Coach believes that there are no stupid questions, just stupid Vandal fans who ask questions. His purpose is to shepherd Bronco Nation to the calm waters of illumination, guiding them through their perfunctory problems with grace, flair, and competent advice. Got a question for the Life Coach? Email him at OneBroncoNationUnderGod@gmail.com.
Life Coach,
I'm curious. If the Broncos are running the "Q" offense, then what offense is Louisiana Tech running?
Intrigued in Idaho City
Good question, friend. Louisiana Tech's offense is the Chinese character for slothfulness, which looks kind of like a panda captaining a sailboat. Occasionally, they'll switch to running the “lowercase u” offense: an obvious homage to the fact that their offense always comes behind BSU’s.
Dear Life Coach,
Do you have Oregon tickets?
Desperate in Driggs
I am one of the lucky few to have some Oregon tickets, and I didn’t have to be a prominent BSU booster or win a ticket in the lottery, either. How did I do it? Let me tell you.
I guess Phil Knight and Nike thought it would be a good idea for Oregon to wear a different jersey design for each quarter during the game, so they had a contest for fans to send in their design ideas with the winner getting tickets to the game. Lo and behold, my design won! So I will be there on the 50 yard line to see the Ducks in their tapestry green with ruffles and lace. What a third quarter that will be!
If you still need tickets, I hear they might be looking for an overtime jersey design.
Mr. Life Coach,
If KTIK stands for “the Ticket,” then what does KIDO stand for?
Sincerely, Bob Behler
If KTIK is the “the Ticket,” then KIDO should have the nickname of “the Program.” If KTIK can get you in the door with “the Ticket”, then KIDO would be the “the Program” that you get at the door that gives you all of the information for what is going on there. KIDO is newsy like that.
Although, if this nickname sticks, they will probably have to change their call letters to KPRG, which doesn't quite roll of the tongue as easily.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Life Coach: the ABC's of LaTech's offense
Thursday: Links with consistency
The Pittsburgh Steelers cut former BSU quarterback Jared Zabransky on Wednesday, just five months after picking him up as a free agent. The Steelers' drafting of former Oregon QB Dennis Dixon spelled Zabransky's doom. Dixon is a one-of-a-kind clipboard holder.
Now the question is where will "Z" land next? The way we see it, he has plenty of options.
- Another NFL team. Zabransky could take the place of an injured third-stringer during the preseason. Or he could start for the Vikings pretty much tomorrow.
- The CFL. Canadian football is like graduate school for Boise State players.
- The Boise Burn. The Burn have never turned down a former Boise State quarterback (Nick Lomax, take heart).
- Ryan Clady's entourage. Perhaps Clady needs an NCAA Football 2008 playing partner.
- An area Pioneer Title. Brock Forsey should know some people.
Other links:
Warriors - Brennan = suckiness [the Big Lead]
Replacing a Heisman candidate is hard. Will Tyler Graunke be dying the Hawaiin islands into his hair?
Bronco coaches courting a 15-year-old [Sammamish Review]
There is no age limit on success...obviously.
Who says BSU has too much money? [Warrior Quotes]
Hawaii's athletic budget trumps Broncos by several hundred C-notes
A Marty Tadman video? [YouTube courtesy of Bronco fan Heath]
We know how we're spending our three-day weekend
Boise State is a six-touchdown favorite over Idaho State [Scott Slant]
Yet somehow, we still like those odds.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
HOF nominee: Ian Johnson's Oregon State romp
Once again, we are privileged to feature the written-word stylings of Drew from Fight Fight BSU. A Boise State diehard and an occasional mascot interviewer, Drew has the honor of introducing the final nominee in the inaugural OBNUG Hall of Fame class: Ian Johnson's five-TD game against Oregon State.
We were sitting in the stands at Bronco Stadium on the night of September 7, 2006, and some rowdy Oregon State fans nearby were reveling in the Beavers’ fast start. Oregon State’s Sammie Stroughter had just returned a Boise State punt for a touchdown to put the Beavers up 14-0 in the first quarter, and a cocky OSU fan stood up and announced, “All day, baby. All day." The mood in Bronco Stadium echoed the lackluster play of the Broncos to that point.
Then something happened. My wife and I weren’t really even paying close attention as the Broncos hadn’t given us much to cheer about as of yet, but a loud cheer was starting to emanate from the crowd. I looked up to see the sophomore running back that everyone had been high on in spring ball slashing past two Beaver linebackers and outsprinting Oregon State’s secondary for a 60-yard touchdown. The crowd was on their feet and life seemed to be coming back to the sluggish-looking Broncos.
“Who was that?” my wife asked.
“Ian Johnson," I replied. "He’s supposed to be a good one."
Not even I knew how good Johnson would be on that September night...or how good he would be that whole year. Nobody knew, at that moment in the first quarter when the Broncos made it a one touchdown game, that Ian Johnson was going to be something special, perhaps even the greatest Bronco running back of all time. But by the end of regulation, we knew.Johnson came into his own that night, patiently following blocks, keeping his feet churning for extra yardage, showing explosive acceleration and determination. He was the feature back that everyone had been waiting for, and he didn’t just upstage the Beavers that night--he embarrassed them on national television.
Johnson rushed for 240 yards on 22 carries and scored five touchdowns against the Pac-10’s Oregon State. 240 yards on 22 carries?! Yeah, that is almost 11 yards per carry--11 yards per carry against an Oregon State team that defeated USC that same season.
None of Ian’s touchdowns more exemplified just how good he was that night than his third TD. Ian got the ball at about the four or five yard line and was hit at about the two. He was pushed back about a yard before surging forward again as Oregon State defenders piled on, trying in vain to stop him as he eventually carried the whole stack of ‘em into the endzone.
Around the time Ian scored his fifth TD, putting Boise State up 42-14, the Oregon State fans sitting nearby started to quietly head for the exits. I don’t know what came over me, but I stood up and shouted after them “All day, baby. All day.”
Ian has had some impressive and heroic games since that night. Certainly he is en route to be the greatest Bronco running back ever, but on September 7, 2006, Ian was simply amazing.
Voting for Ian Johnson's Oregon State romp will take place through next week. Use the poll in the sidebar to cast your vote.
Wednesday: Links with anticipation
Got any holiday plans, Weber State? If not, then there might be a desperate lower-tiered bowl that wants to speak to you.
We found a lot of gems in the Missoulian's series on the University of Montana's chances for a move to Division I-A, but none of the tidbits were as strange and embarrassing as this one.
Last fall a lower-tier bowl called the Big Sky Conference to inquire about inviting one of its teams. We are not making this up.The obvious question is which bowl was doing the inquiring. There are only a few small-time West Coast bowls that would have been interested in a Big Sky team, and yes, the Humanitarian Bowl would probably be on that list. Any guesses would be pure speculation. That said, we are looking at you, Emerald Nuts San Francisco Bowl.
“It kind of caught us by surprise,” said Montana athletic director Jim O'Day. “But I think it's something that might have to happen.”
The story was somewhat of an admonishment of Division 1-A's lax standards on bowl eligibility. How great would it be to see a 6-6 Minnesota lose out to an Alcorn State? Is this why NCAA administrators are so hesitant to go to a playoff system?
Other links:
A great recommendation from a Behler peer [Gazettenet]
Wonder if this guy was on Behler's resume reference list.
Ian Johnson gets a 93 from EA Sports [Vetzballin]
Tim Tebow and his 99 rating: "Hmm, that's cute."
Dan Hawkins and the Buffs a team on the rise [SI.com]
Stewart Mandel has his eye on them.
Toughest video game rebuilding projects [Bleacher Report]
Good to see the WAC well represented.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Bob Behler reaction...with perspective!
Welcome to Bronco Nation, Bob Behler.
The long local nightmare that was the Peak Broadcasting radio search is finally over, and now that the dust is settling, we are starting to get a feel for the new guy, Bob Behler. We know that he is from the University of Massachusetts. We know he has done March Madness and a few big-time sporting events. But there is still so much we don't know about the guy. For instance, who is his favorite character on LOST? We'll have to check Brian Murphy's blog in two months to find out.
Our immediate observation is that he seems like a great candidate. The immediate observation of most Bronco fans is that he is not Paul J. That he can be both a great candidate and not Paul J. Schneider is a blessing and a curse, but we feel that a few years down the road, the former will be much more apparent than the latter.
What gives us our blind hope? Mostly Behler's photo. Merely looking at Behler, it appears he oozes professionalism. We feel like we should not go up and talk to him unless we are wearing a cardigan and drinking something named after a golfer. And good thing, too, because Boise State deserves someone of Behler's caliber who will handle the radio position with class, talent, and expertise. Will there be duck au gratin in the broadcast booth? Maybe. Will we hear the word "conflagration" during a BSU blowout? Don't be surprised. One thing's for sure is that Chris Fowler will no longer be the most nattily dressed man in the media room when ESPN comes to town.
Taking a step back from the situation, there are a lot of interesting subplots to notice.
1. Replacing Paul J in the minds of Bronco fans will not be easy.
Hours after the Statesman posted a Behler story, there were 50 comments discussing, to a varying grammatical degree, the merits of Behler versus Paul J. For every fan that is happy to see Paul J sail off into the sunset (and take his broadcast mistakes with him), there are two who cannot even fathom having any other voice on the radio.
2. The effusive praise of Behler from UMass fans.
If the heartfelt reaction from Behler's former listeners is any consolation, Bronco fans are in good hands. We have yet to come across anyone who thought poorly of him.
It won't be the same without him, the ultimate pro and was in my opinion
the best we ever had in my 40 years following UMass. Best of luck Bob
you will be sorely missed!
Bob - If you see this thanks for all of your hard work. You behind the mike enhanced UMass sports for me...whether I was there or not. You'll be missed. Enjoy the potatoes.3. Behler was third on Peak's list.
We're not sure which is a worse offense--that Peak was forced to settle for its third choice or that an announcer of Behler's caliber was third on the list to begin with. We mentioned earlier today that Peak will be interviewing two candidates for the color commentator position; shouldn't they get three just to be safe?
4. When will Behler's first broadcast be?
Everyone has written about Behler's first broadcast at the season-opener on August 30, but we are not naive enough to think that we won't hear Behler's voice before then. Peak would be doing a disservice to fans if they did not broadcast at least the final fall scrimmage. Although, on second thought, doing a disservice to BSU fans is what Peak seems to do best.
Another recruit?! California tight end commits
The recruits just keep on coming.
Trevor Peterson, a tight end from El Dorado High School in California, has given a verbal commitment to the Broncos, according to Scout.com. The 6'4", 220-pound senior-to-be recorded 964 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and he chose the Broncos over Oregon State, Utah, UC Davis, and Harvard. We wonder if the Bob Behler announcement sealed the deal.
Trevor Peterson [Scout.com]
Peterson was named offensive MVP on last year's team, according to the school's website. Also according to the website, Peterson wants to go to Cal-Berkeley. Let's hope his commitment sticks.
Tuesday: Links with welcoming
Peak Broadcasting and BSU announced yesterday that Bob Behler will be the new Broncos play-by-play man. Who will be doing the color commentary? The Statesman has some info.
Peak Broadcasting will interview two potential color analysts for Boise State radio broadcasts Tuesday, Peak general manager Kevin Godwin said Monday afternoon. Godwin said the list is not limited to former Boise State players.Oh, good, if Peak is interviewing candidates on Tuesday, then we should have an answer by Labor Day. At least we weren't given empty promises and loose deadlines.
Let the speculation begin for a color commentator to join Behler in the booth. Our money is on a return of Jeff Caves, but we wouldn't fight it if J Bates got the call instead.
Here are some more links to Behler stories:
Audio of Behler: football, basketball
Statesman profile
Bronco Country thread
Idaho Press-Tribune
KTVB.com
Most Valuable Network
Other links:
Mr. Irrelevant lives it up [the Big Lead]
Watching musicals at the Playboy Mansion is David Vobora's idea of a good time.
Dave Southorn tours the Stueckle Sky Club [Dave's Blog]
And writes his name on the inside of a bathroom wall.
WAC tidbits for a long offseason [Pugs, ponies, and preps]
Not so much "tidbits" as "Google facts."
Encouraging Boise State preview [Red Zone Report]
Anything that has the Broncos on top of the WAC is okay by us.
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