The tenth verbal commitment for the Boise State Broncos came yesterday from Saguara (Arizona) defensive end Justin Jungblut. The senior-to-be is 6'6", 250 pounds, and he should feel right at home when he hits campus next fall.
Jungblut will join former Saguaro teammate Joe Kellogg on the Boise State roster. Kellogg is a freshman offensive lineman. Jungblut said he had 40 tackles, 15 for losses, and also had two sacks last season.
Jungblut also said that he had, like, 50 fumble recoveries.
Fight Fight BSU has the scouting report on Jungblut, who sounds like a keeper. Don't they all? He spurned offers from Idaho (good choice), Utah, UNLV, Air Force, and Wyoming. Coach Pete's penmanship sealed the deal.
“They did the best job of making me feel welcome, by far,” Jungblut said. “Coach Petersen has written me two letters — hand-written, so I thought that was pretty great.”
For some reason, Robb Akey's singing telegram just didn't do it for Jungblut.
Other links:
USA Today's preseason poll released [USA Today]
Boise State comes in at #34.
Murphy picks best offensive players in WAC [Statesman]
Not surprisingly, no Utah State players make the list.
KTVB 24/7 to air Bronco classics [Bronco Country]
Good luck finding KTVB 24/7.
USC #1 in Rivals countdown [Rivals.com]
Mark Sanchez must know someone at the Rivals office.
Previewing the WAC seems like a good job for an intern. Unfortunately, we do not have an intern. Ugh. Previously: San Jose State. Today: Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech
Motto: Just Dooley it
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are the trendy pick to surprise people in the WAC this season. But does anyone know why?
The Bulldogs certainly don't instill confidence with their outstanding offense. They are not revolutionary in their approach to special teams. Their defense is not suddenly good. No, most people are basing their sudden optimism on two things.
Derek Dooley.
Not sucking as much as usual last year.
Sadly, the WAC has come to this.
Five questions
Taylor Bennett. Thoughts?
If the Bulldogs were going for mediocre, semi-competent, vanilla quarterbacks with so-so arm strength and accuracy, then they hit the nail on the head. In fact, Bennett and last year's starter Zac Champion could very well be the same person, right down to the yuppy first names. But is Bennett ordinary enough?
Not yet, apparently. The Georgia Tech transfer is currently sitting at No. 2 on the depth chart to sophomore Ross Jenkins. Bennett will have to start misreading routes and throwing behind receivers pretty soon if he wants to get the job.
Are you drinking Derek Dooley's Kool-Aid?
Derek Dooley's Kool-Aid is more like a mojito of energy and positivity, and there is plenty for everyone. The head coach/athletic director/campus tour coordinator has Ruston buzzing with the anticipation of a .500 season and a berth in an obscure bowl game. Isn't college football great?
But as far as we're concerned, Dooley's shtick isn't doing it for us. We can't help but get this vibe when we hear his name:
No matter how he spins things, Louisiana Tech will always be Louisiana Tech--that is to say, they will always be mostly above average.So if Dooley has that flavor of Kool-Aid, then we'd be more than happy to drink it.
Describe the LaTech defense using only adverbs.
Disjointedly. Awfully. Tragically. Unwittingly. Openly. Unfortunately.
Will Patrick Jackson matter in three months?
LaTech's senior running back will have to matter for the Bulldogs to be successful. Though he has never rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season, he is always good for about four yards a carry, especially when Idaho is in town, and he and his fellow running backs will be the best part of the offense for the foreseeable future.
The good news is that the LaTech offensive line returns three starters from a year ago. The bad news is that both tackles are gone. Hope you like dive plays. We get the feeling that Jackson will find the going pretty tough this year, and he'll be forgotten about once backup Daniel Porter breaks a few 70-yard touchdown runs. Also, we doubt that will take three months.
What's going to happen when LaTech comes to town?
We don't usually get nervous about Louisiana Tech visiting Boise. That's kind of like the U.S. worrying about border safety with Canada. But this year might be different. Rather than the traditional Saturday kickoff, the Bulldogs will be in Boise on a Wednesday night. And the game is practically in September.
We worry that the Broncos will still be working out the kinks when LaTech comes on October 1st. We worry that Derek Dooley will look into our eyes and see straight to our souls. We worry that the Broncos may only win by four touchdowns.
And then we wake up and realize it was all just a dream. There's really nothing to worry about.
Over/Unders
+/-5, the number of times we fall asleep watching LaTech games this year
+/-0, Derek Dooley's Q rating
+/-450, rushing yards given up to Nevada
+/-11, times Taylor Bennett tries one of these, only with much less success and many more turnovers:
Jumping on the LaTech bandwagon is the new black. "They're cool! They're hip! They are geographically indifferent to their own conference!" Well, we're not buying it.
The reign of Derek Dooley might have gotten off to a good start, but let's look at the facts. In 2006, the Bulldogs finished 1-7 in the conference with losses to Idaho, NMSU, and San Jose State. In 2007, the Bulldogs were 4-4 in the WAC with wins over the same schools. There is a big difference between beating bad teams and being a good team. Basically, all LaTech did last year was win against four of the worst teams in the country, and we have a hard time placing our trust in a program that has, to this point, only proven their lack of awfulness. Beat Fresno State or Hawaii and then we can talk.
Perfect situation:
Taylor Bennett wins the starting quarterback job, the offense finds balance, the defense is allowed a "three-mississippi" head start on all pass plays, the Bulldogs win the WAC and go to the Hawaii Bowl, and Derek Dooley names himself King of Louisiana
Reality:
Taylor Bennett wins the starting quarterback job, proceeds to be not all that good, the defensive line forgets to show up for multiple games, Bulldogs somehow finish 5-3 in the WAC, media members write articles about how right they were in picking LaTech as a sleeper, Derek Dooley gives himself a promotion
Dominique Vinson and other Bronco casualties [Statesman]
As excited as we have been this summer about early commitments, Bronco fans could be just as concerned about the number of players leaving the team. The latest casualty is WR Dominique Vinson, a grayshirt last season who had some exciting expectations this fall. Let's go to the Statesman for the details.
No details of Vinson's departure were available.
Oh.
Vinson's departure adds to the rather long list of Bronco players who will not be back this year (mentioned by us and FFBSU), including some for medical reasons and a few for personal reasons. Depressed yet? If not, then this might do it for you (from the Scott Slant):
Ebenezer Makinde, recruited out of Phoenix as an "athlete" (meaning he'd be plugged in where he fits the best), might be waffling. Tim Schultz (Rivals.com) writes, "Makinde gave a verbal commitment to Boise State at the end of May and while he says he's still committed, he would like to see what options other schools might have to offer to get a feel for whether or not he made the right decision.
Say it ain't so, Ebo!
With all this discouraging news, it would be nice to have something optimistic to talk about. How 'bout a Jeremy Childs update? He is listed on the Boise State roster, which means he is either on the team or that the someone in the BSU administration office does not proofread. At this point, we'll take whatever we can get.
Other links:
Video tour of new Bronco Stadium Sky Club [KTVB.com]
Sadly, it will be the closest we come to getting there any time soon.
Wal Mart does not follow college football [KTVB.com]
But their PowerAdes sure are cheap!
Boise State good at marketing, too [Statesman]
Is there anything our teams can't do?
Not all Idaho players are worthless [Nevada Appeal]
Adam Korby broke the mold.
LaTech could be a sleeper [Times-News]
If sleeper means boring, then yes.
BSU a big game for Southern Miss [EDSBS]
Not losing as badly as last year would be sorta like a win.
The new BSU numerical roster is available on the BroncoSports website, finally giving us a chance to pre-order our Raphiel Lambert replica jersey. Get BroncoShop on the phone, Jeeves!
The biggest change on the updated roster is RB D.J. Harper's switch from #34 to #6--an obvious ode to Denver QB Jay Cutler. Seriously though, Harper will look pretty awesome running over defenders with a single digit on his back.
Doug Martin will indeed be wearing #22, and the rest of the skill position players stayed put with their same numbers. The only other big changes were CB Brandyn Thompson switching to #13 and DT Billy Winn going to #90.
Lambert and the other incoming freshmen were listed, which really makes them feel like part of the team for the first time. Now we actually have an excuse to get way too amped up about them.
Bronson Durrant, OG, #79
Greg Grimes, DL, #68
Byron Hout, LB, #69
George Iloka, S, #8
Tyler Jackson, S, #29
Joe Kellogg, OG, #61
Chandler Koch, TE, #86
Darren Koontz, DT, #95
Raphiel Lambert, CB, #38
Brenel Myers, OG, #64
Chris Potter, WR, #81
Tommy Smith, LB, #33
Tom Swanson, OT, #74
Jamar Taylor, CB, no number
Faraji Wright, OT, #75
Junior college transfer LB Daron Mackey will be wearing #45.
After a summer of rest, the Bronco Nation N.O.W. podcast has resumed. Listen to JT Ray from BNN, Drew from Fight Fight BSU, and Matt Rodgers from Statue Left as they discuss the latest news and information. OBNUG took the Bush Hamdan route and politely declined.
Stream it from the website. Download it to your iPod. Burn it on a disc and take it to a rave. Or do all three.
You may enjoy watching the Boise State Broncos, but the Broncos do not necessarily enjoy being watched.
That is the feeling we get from the release of the Fall Camp schedule. In addition to the common practice of banning the public from regular practice sessions, the team is extending its Joe Schmo prejudice even further. Observe the scrimmage information:
Monday, Aug. 11 from 3-5:30 p.m. at Bronco Stadium
Saturday, Aug. 16 from 7-9 p.m. at Bronco Stadium
The team also will hold a closed scrimmage at Eagle High School on Aug. 22.
Who closes scrimmages to the public? We're actually a little bothered by this, considering that Bronco Nation has been nothing but supportive. We just want to see our team play! We promise to leave the video cameras and Nevada scouts at home this time.
The Broncos will hold 24 practices in the three weeks leading up to the Idaho State game. When Fall Camp ends on August 24th, Boise State will spend the next week getting ready for Idaho State. Not that they'll need a whole week.
Other links:
Top 5 rivalries for non-BCS teams [ESPN.com]
Fresno State-Boise State may be the most lopsided rivalry ever. Unless you still consider Idaho-Boise State a rivalry.
Yeah, another bowl is a great idea [Washington Business Journal]
Congressional Bowl will feature Navy, ACC school, and an ambivalent sigh from the rest of the country.
Exodus from newspapers to online [From the Bleachers]
Little known fact: OBNUG used to have a print edition.
The WAC's hate meter [ESPN.com]
Graham Watson's glass must be half empty.
An epic WAC season? We're not sure about that [Arbiter]
Glad to see college journalists not afraid to make broad blanket statements.
Child-rearing tips from Dan Hawkins [CUBuffs.com]
"Sometimes you’re a potter, other times a blacksmith." Uh...
Will Hoenike finds wormhole in the fabric of time [ISZ]
At least, that's where the last optimistic Vandal conversation was heard.
A new perspective on bowl games [Bowlology]
Would a Boise State-Texas Tech Sun Bowl have ended any better?
Posts
