Public Enemy #1: The recap

Over the past few weeks, OBNUG has been on a journey of contempt in search of this website's most hated villain. We narrowed the nominees down to six scoundrels, each of whom would make a perfect nemesis.

Now things get serious.

Next week, we will crown OBNUG's Public Enemy #1, and we would like your help. Please let us know who you think should be the McShay to our Kiper by either leaving us a comment or shooting us an email at OneBroncoNationUnderGod@gmail.com. Help us decide because we really can't be trusted with big decisions.

Here are the candidates:

Dan Hawkins: a backstabbing phony
"The greatest crime that Dan Hawkins committed was his assault on our trust. When he left to coach the Colorado Buffaloes, he did so in a way that forever scarred how a BSU fan will look at the team."

Colin Kaepernick: a skinny-legged Bronco killer
"Sure, we enjoy pointing out his passing flaws and demeaning his achievements on the football field. But as far as we’re concerned, he started this feud with his impartial supernaturalness."

Sean Renfree: an uninformed 18-year-old
"His spurning of the Broncos, in particular, really gets our goat, especially considering his rationale. Renfree based his decision on Duke's impressive academic record, the promise of playing time, and the experience of new head coach David Sutcliffe. We liken this to choosing a Quarter Pounder based on taste, texture, and presentation."

Robb Akey: a jerk with a mustache
"There are plenty of things to dislike about the man: his attitude, his smugness, the fact that his first name has more "b"'s than the Vandals have wins. But when it comes right down to it, Akey is reviled by OBNUG because of that larger-than-life caterpillar taking residence under his nose."

Mike Prater: a belligerent Vandal homer
"He knows full well that defending the Vandals is a crime against Bronco Nation, and his doing so in the city of Boise only magnifies his betrayal."

Hal Mumme: a self-promoting underachiever
"Couple Mumme's lameness with an undeserved air of importance that his towel-toting exudes and, well, you have made a case for Public Enemy #1."

New feature: the Life Coach

In the spirit of original content, we will be starting a new feature next week: an advice column for Bronco fans! "The Life Coach" will be a forum for questions, concerns, and quandaries relating to the everyday life of a Boise State aficionado. Sure, the column will probably devolve into rampant patting ourselves on the back, but doesn't everything here?

If you want to participate, shoot us an email at OneBroncoNationUnderGod@gmail.com.

Putting the "Fiesta" in "Fiesta Bowl champions"

With the prospect of a long, football-less summer ahead, Boise State players will have a lot of free time on their hands. They can't spend every waking hour in the weight room (freshmen offensive linemen excluded), so they'll need some fun way to bide their time.

Fortunately, the BSU Spanish club has a solution.



Donde esta la biblioteca, Kellen Moore?

Losing lucratively pays off for Hawaii

The Hawaii Warriors, big-time losers in the 2008 Sugar Bowl, will receive $4.3 million from the BCS for their participation in the bowl game. For comparison, Boise State, who appeared in the Fiesta Bowl the year before, received $4.2 million...and the respect and admiration of the entire country.

After expenses, the Warriors should net nearly $2.2 million, which could buy coach Greg McMackin a lot of Cokes! However, it appears cooler, more financially responsible heads will prevail.

UH athletic director Jim Donovan, who inherited a balance sheet with a $4.4 million accumulated net deficit when he took over last month, said he hopes to use $1.5 million to balance the budget for the current fiscal year. Options for the remaining $600,000 to $700,000, if it stays within the athletic department, include reducing the accumulated net deficit, making investments in the athletic department and purchasing video equipment for the football team.

We think some of the remaining money should go to Donovan's "shirt fund."



Hawaii's lucrative failure does not just benefit the Warriors, though. Each WAC school will receive over $400,000 apiece to do with as they see fit. Fresno State will use its share to pay down a budget deficit, New Mexico State will fund the Chase Holbrook for Heisman campaign, and Utah State has plans to bribe opponents into "taking it easy on us this year."

UH gets $4.3M bowl payout[Honolulu Advertiser]

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.

Welcome to the WAC blogosphere, Nevada

If the Internet needs more of anything, it would be WAC football blogs...and free Bronco iVision.

Thankfully, one of those wishes has been granted. Packfan7, often seen leaving hopeful Nevada oratories in OBNUG's comments section, has started a Nevada blog: Pistol Whipping the WAC. We might have gone with "Kaepernick's chicken legs" or "Can't we Ault just get along?", but the Pistol reference is a good one, too.

Here's a sample from the site's first post:

Welcome to the first edition of Pistol Whipping the WAC. My attempt at proving the impossible, that the University of Nevada is in fact a football school that has just been mascarading as an NBA factory as of late.

At least he's being honest with himself.

Welcome, PWtW. We look forward to hearing what you have to say, and we look forward to leaving childish put-downs in your comments section.

[Pistol Whipping the WAC]

Unique Clady perspective from NY Times

Ryan Clady has been all over the news the past few months as the NFL Draft nears and Clady's draft status continues to rise. We have chosen not to post every little mention of Clady because there have been so many, but we found the following story particularly interesting.

Michael David Smith, a reporter with the New York Times, wrote a quick piece on Clady in his blog, and rather than re-hash the same old story, Smith looked at Clady's rise through the lens of the Fiesta Bowl. Here's our favorite line:

If Clady is among the first six players chosen, he’ll earn the distinction of being the highest-drafted player from the 2007 Fiesta Bowl — higher than Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, whom the Vikings selected seventh last year. And that will serve as a reminder that the talent gap between Oklahoma and Boise State wasn’t quite as big as everyone thought.

Exactly. That may be one of the lasting impressions of the Broncos' Fiesta Bowl win--Boise State had a great deal of talent, more than anyone gave them credit for.

Smith also mentioned Clady's forgotten role in the Statue of Liberty play, sealing off the edge. That's a good enough excuse for us to post the video again!



A Boise State Fiesta Bowl Hero... [New York Times]