Thursday, March 13, 2008

No joke: Utah State raises ticket prices



The Utah State Aggies, fresh of of three home wins in the past three years, have jacked up ticket prices for next season's home games. Sometimes, these jokes write themselves.

For years, Aggie fans have been told that tickets to USU athletic events are “a bargain” compared to other Division-I schools. With the latest increase at USU, however, that’s not true.

In Utah, for example, season tickets to the University of Utah and BYU can be obtained for less than the cheapest tickets at USU. It’d be hard to argue that given the quality of those programs, better football bargains couldn’t be found south of Cache Valley.
We do not expect the next great business mind to come from Utah State.

Aggies pricing loyal fans out of market? [Herald-Journal]

OBNUG roster update: Quarterback

Spring football gets OBNUG in the mood to speculate, so over the next few weeks, we will be making blind guesses as to who will be starting for the Broncos in the fall. We’ll do it position-by-position. Today: Quarterbacks.

Boise State football starting quarterback

Ideal candidate: Tom Brady

Worst candidate: Jason Street (the wheelchair version)

Contenders: Bush Hamdan, Nick Lomax, Mike Coughlin, Kellen Moore

OBNUG pick: Kellen Moore

That's right. We said it. Kellen Moore, all 180 pounds of him, is our pick for starting quarterback. How did we come to this decision? Easy; we couldn't pick between Nick Lomax and Mike Coughlin.

Will Boise State join Cinderella in NCAA Tourney?



This past weekend, George Mason won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament and is bound for the Big Dance! OBNUG has been a big fan of George Mason ever since they took out the a full page ad in the Idaho Statesman, wishing us luck before the Fiesta Bowl (see above). It's good to see them back where they belong.

And it would be great if Boise State could join them. Today, the Bronco men's basketball team gets its chance in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament.

After a disappointing finish to the regular season, Boise State fell to a #4 seed and will face #5 Hawaii at noon today. Losing at home on senior night cost the Broncos the top seed, but it also hurt the team's credibility with fans. Probably the two biggest moments on Boise State's basketball floor (Tyus Edney's gamewinner for UCLA and Hampton upsettting Iowa State) didn't even involve Boise State, but a win for the WAC title could have changed that.

So, how good is this Broncos team? They won a very respectable 22 games in the regular season and finished 12-4 in the WAC, but they failed when it mattered most. The last time that I remember a Boise State team having a shot at making the NCAA tournament was Roberto Bergersen's squad back in '99, so this year's group doesn't exactly have history on its side.

We'll find out what these Broncos are made of over the next few days.

UPDATE: The Broncos beat Hawaii 80-74 and advance to play the winner of Utah State and San Jose State. BSU overcame an eight-point halftime deficit.

No spring practice yesterday

The Broncos took a break from practice Wednesday, so there is nothing new to report. Unless you want rumors, in which case we hear that Nate Potter put on 30 pounds overnight, Kellen Moore has a third leg that he pulls out when he needs to scramble, and the Broncos will be playing on a blue synthetic yarn field knitted by Ian Johnson. But those are just rumors.

We'll have an article up in a bit about the men's basketball team.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

New beverage helps improve underdog-ness


ReddRox, a Boise-based energy drink company, is out to turn the Gatorade world on its ear...with the help of the Boise State football team.
Gary Craner, Boise State University head athletic trainer, says he has seen good results with athletes who have tried the drink. Craner said it's always a challenge to get athletes to drink enough water but that hasn't been the case with ReddRox.

"We started putting ReddRox in the water and the players started drinking a lot more," Craner says. "As a result the student athletes have experienced little cramping that normally takes place when athletes don't drink enough water."

For now, the energy supplement comes in powder form, intended to mix in with water or a Fun Dip; but in the future, the company plans to produce its own bottled beverages. Whatever it is, it must be working because Boise State athletes are often the best conditioned players on the field. Perhaps it's the active gardening ingredients.
(ReddRox) found the answer in a South African plant that natives refer to as "red bush" and that local athletes were using as a hydration drink. They developed a way to crystallize the African red bush into granules that are 100-percent water soluble.

ReddRox is naturally caffeine free, and contains no sugars, calories, additives, preservatives, oxalic acid or colorants and contains the antioxidants of green tea without the unpleasant diuretic effect. But the key is that it adds back the natural minerals and electrolytes needed for hydration.

One thing that it does not add back is taste.

We remember when coaches thought drinking pickle juice before a game and popping M&M's at halftime was a good idea. Man, we're old. And still a little sick to our stomachs.

The Big Water Cover-up [MarketWire]
RedRoxx Website [RedRoxx.com]

Nevada QB struggles against Nevada defense



The Nevada Wolfpack held their first scrimmage of the spring last week, and in the midst of encouraging signs comes the stat line of starting QB Colin Kaepernick:

Kaepernick 2-of-9 for 26 yards, 0 TDs, 0 Int
This will just further serve to promote the theory that Kaepernick is not a quarterback, but rather a running back who happens to take snaps.

The team was encouraged with the rushing of RB Luke Lippincott and the receiving of WR Marko Mitchell, both of whom seem to have been in mid-season form. Lippincott caused the Broncos trouble last year, and it looks like he will be a handful again.

Good signs in first spring scrimmage [Nevada athletics]

An open letter to Titus Young's 40 time



Dear Titus Young's 40 time,

Where are you? You have 4.23 seconds to show yourself or we're beating down Chadd Cripe's door to find you.

Sincerely,
OBNUG