Boise State Football

Boise State is getting close to finishing its new football complex at Bronco Stadium. It is the latest in stadium improvement projects that have been occurring in Boise for the last seven years.

Last season Bronco Stadium opened to the public with expanded seating. It went from a capacity of 33,500 seats to 37,000 seats.

At the time there was a bit of buzz by fans around the community that the administration didn't go big enough. From the outside looking in, it might have appeared that hitting the 40,000 mark would have been easy enough and a better statement.

However, the administration seems to have had a firm grasp on their numbers because, according to the Idaho Statesman, in 2012 the stadium didn't witness a capacity crowd even once. 

The Thursday night game against BYU came the closest, with an attendance of 36,864. Even if all the tickets were sold, a handful of fans chose not to show.

After the BYU game, the San Diego State game had an attendance of 36,084 and the UNLV "blackout" game had 36,012 fans filling most of the seats in their dark attire.

The home game against Fresno State was next with an attendance of 35,742, and that was followed by the Miami, Ohio game with 34,178 fans. The Colorado State contest drew the smallest home crowd, with 33,545 faithful fans.

The numbers don't add up to expectations

The attendance numbers have to concern the leadership at Boise State, and you wonder if the numbers will get any better with a home schedule in 2013 that has fewer interesting opponents for the Broncos.

One thing that a move to the Big East would have done, at least for one season, is create some interest and bring in teams like Rutgers and Cincinnati. After that, however, a newly created American Athletic Conference in 2014 probably would have had even fewer interesting games than currently on the schedule for Boise State.

The home opener in Bronco Stadium in 2013 is Tennessee-Martin, and you have to wonder how many tickets are going to be sold and how many fans are actually going to show up for that one.

The second home game should be a great game, and a decent sized crowd should be on hand when Boise State takes on Air Force Friday, Sept. 13th. It will be an ESPN game, which usually brings out a rowdy and sizable crowd. 

Will it be a capacity crowd? If last season is any indication, the answer is no. If BYU didn't fill the seats, it is hard to believe an Air Force game will.

Still, it is all in the hands of the fan base.

Attendance must improve to continue the program's progress

The Boise State football program has done a tremendous amount for the community of Boise and the state of Idaho. The fan base has also done an amazing job supporting their team. But, more support is needed if they want to help elevate the program even higher.

The university could probably do some things to help the situation. Perhaps bigger family discounts for multiple ticket purchases, a reorganized student section and of course better home games on the schedule would all help.

The latter is the hardest thing to do, but it seems that the school is doing all it can to land excellent out-of-conference opponents to come visit The Blue. However, that is easier said than done.

Other practical things that could be done are things that are already in the works. A bigger and more advanced video screen and new sound system would help the stadium experience greatly.

The rest of the 2013 season

After the Air Force game, the most intriguing home game for the Broncos is Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 19th. Nevada always draws a crowd, but again, will it be a sellout?

Southern Miss, Wyoming and New Mexico round out the home schedule. All of those games will be difficult to draw a crowd, especially the Cowboys and Lobos games, considering they will be held in mid and late November.

It might help if Boise State is in a BCS run, but that may not be enough if temperatures are icy.

If nothing else, the 2013 season will be gut check time for Bronco Nation.

The team should be very good, and challenging for a BCS game is a real possibility. However, will the seats be full to see it all transpire?

If Bronco fans step up and the university does what it can to make sure they can, sellouts would go a long way in elevating the entire program.

If Boise State wants to continue its historic rise it will take a complete team effort. The football team itself, the administration and the fans will all need to do their part to make it happen.

The 2013 season could be a pivotal year for Boise State football.

Yes, they lost the game 28-19, but the Boise State defense did some very good things on Saturday. In fact, they dominated some key elements of the game.

After losing so many starters from last year's squad, most fans probably thought the defense would be far behind come spring time.

Gone from last year's team are two of the best cornerbacks to ever suit up for Boise State in Jerrell Gavins and Jamar Taylor. Gone also is the dominating combo of linebackers J.C. Percy and Tommy Smith.

The Broncos also lost key members of the D-line and a few key backups.

However, if you watched the spring game, you probably realized that Boise State is not hurting for defensive talent.

In fact, there were some pretty incredible displays Saturday.

Defensive Secondary

For starters, the cornerback situation was the biggest concern for most going into the spring. Gavins and Taylor were incredible, and nearly impossible to replace.

However, players like Chaz Anderson, Deon'tae Florence, Cleshawn Page and Donte Deayon are stepping it up, and in the spring game they looked quite capable.

Are they up to Taylor and Gavins' level?

No, not yet, but they are doing some really good things. On the day, Donte Deayon led the group with five tackles and an interception that he promptly ran back for a touchdown.

It was an impressive play, and his coverage most of the day was equally impressive.

Darin Barrett had four tackles while Cleshawn Page and Deon'tae Florence added three each. However, the most impressive thing that all of them did was display solid pass coverage most of the day.

They were also aggressive, fast and swarmed to the ball.

Starting safety Jeremy Ioane didn't dress for the Broncos, but Chanceller James, Dillon Lukehart, Taylor Loffler and Ebo Makinde all stepped up and had some good moments.

It looked to the naked eye that the speed and talent are there for the Broncos secondary to continue having success in 2013.

Linebackers

What do Blake Renaud, Ben Weaver, Travis Saxton, Andrew Pint, Darren Lee and Dustin Kamper have in common? Well, besides the fact that they are all linebackers for the Broncos, they all looked good on Saturday.  

The best performance of the day for linebackers went to Blake Renaud. He led the team with eight tackles and looked dominant at times. He was everywhere on the field and looked hungry on every play. 

Travis Saxton and Ben Weaver had seven tackles each, and both of them look to be ready for serious playing time this fall. They were aggressive and looked very comfortable out there.

Darren Lee and Dustin Kamper each had a couple of plays where they showed promise.

Overall, if this game was any indication of how the linebackers are going to play this fall, it means good things for the Broncos and their fans.

Defensive Line

Demarcus Lawrence is just a beast on the defensive side of the ball. On the day, he had seven tackles, one of those for a loss and a sack.

However, he may have some company in the "beast" category.

JUCO transfer Deuce Mataele made his Blue debut by making several fans say, "Who was that?"

Six tackles, a couple of them brutal and two of them for a loss, made Boise State fans take notice. There has been a buzz about him around town, but to see him in action had to validate the rumors for many.

Deuce Mataele is going to do good things for the Broncos.

Sam McCaskill, Beau Martin and Armand Nance had their moments, as did Tyler Horn.

Horn actually intercepted a pass on the day. Something that Michael Atkinson would be proud of. However, Horn didn't make it to the end zone.

Still, it was an impressive display.

Depth

The Broncos look like they have a very good defense once again. However, as most fans know, it usually comes down to depth.

Last season, key losses like Michael Atkinson hurt Boise State down the stretch. To make another BCS run in 2013, the health of the defense will matter.

There were players who sat out Saturday's contest. Linebacker Tyler Gray was a notable absence, as was defensive end Kharyee Marshall and the previously mentioned Jeremy Ioane.

One of the best cornerbacks the Broncos have was out as well. Bryan Douglas is expected to be a starter this fall, but had an injury this spring. All indications are that he will be ready by the time the season rolls around.

If Boise State can stay healthy on defense, the 2013 version may be as good as the 2012 version. No one is crazy enough to say the Broncos will be better, right?

Boise State has a history of good running backs. It seems like the Broncos know how to pick them.

Well, that streak appears to be continuing.

Jay Ajayi is a 6', 222-pound sophomore running back that Bronco fans are very excited about. He was the backup to D.J. Harper in 2012, and he was a capable one at that.

On the season, he carried the ball 82 times for 548 yards with a 6.7 yard-per-carry average.

Fast forward to the spring game, and he hasn't missed a beat.

On the day, Ajayi carried the ball 11 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. However, the stats don't even do his performance justice.

Ajayi is powerful, fast and frankly intimidating. He makes his presence known and runs downhill better than most.

As the starter in 2013, the Broncos have a very good running back in Ajayi. If he stays healthy, Boise State may put up some huge rushing numbers.

But it doesn't stop there.

During the spring game something else happened. The fans got their first look at JUCO transfer Derrick Thomas.

Thomas comes to Boise via Butler Community College where he did some impressive things. He is similar to size of Ajayi at 6'1", 210 pounds, and just like Ajayi, Thomas runs with power.

He carried the ball eight times during the spring game for 27 yards. He also caught two passes for another 15 yards. On one play, he sidestepped a defender, making him look silly, and then bolted for a few more yards.

He was impressive, and it looks like Thomas is going to be a very good backup to Ajayi. The two of them should make waves in the Mountain West Conference.

A third running back popped up during the spring game as well.

Charles Bertoli is a redshirt freshman out of St. Helena, Calif. At 5'11" and 191 pounds, he is just a bit smaller than Ajayi and Thomas.

On the day, Bertoli ran the ball just five times, but he gained 24 yards. He looks fast and strong out there, and any team that plays the Broncos in 2013 might be facing a very good three-headed rushing attack.

Anyone who watched the spring game at Bronco Stadium could easily see that Ajayi, Thomas and Bertoli all ran with power and speed. They all moved the line of scrimmage at times and proved they could make a move when needed.

This is probably the deepest group of running backs Coach Petersen has had in a while. If you add some plays by Grant Hedrick and Shane Williams-Rhodes in there, opposing defenses are going to be pulling out their hair trying to stop the Boise State rushing attack.

The running backs are a huge story out of the spring game, if not the biggest. It will be intriguing to see if they can carry that momentum into the fall.