Boise State Football

At the end of the 2012-2013 college football season, Chris Petersen was commended for his terrific coaching job after leading Boise State to a 11-2 record, a third consecutive MAACO Bowl Las Vegas victory and a share of the Mountain West Conference title.

This commendation was clearly well deserved due to everything that Petersen and his coaching staff had to deal with last season.

Replacing quarterback Kellen Moore and running back Doug Martin on offense seemed to be the most important tasks for 2012, but that was really only scratching the surface. In addition to Moore and Martin, the Broncos also had to replace tight end Kyle Efaw and offensive tackle Nate Potter, two less well-known but still integral pieces to the offense.

Patching the holes left from the departure of Shae McClellin and Billy Winn on the defensive line was going to be similarly important, despite the fact that the 2012 Broncos appeared to be pretty solid defensively heading into the season.

To top it all off, the Broncos would need to get it together right from the beginning, as the season opening game saw trip to East Lansing to take on the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans.

Fast-forward seven months, and the Broncos are preparing for the 2013 campaign behind an experienced quarterback, a plethora of receiving targets to throw to, and a defense that appears to be set at every position other than cornerback.

On top of all that, the basketball team is playing pretty well, too.

Life is pretty good right now if you’re a Boise State fan.

With Joe Southwick behind center, one of the most improved quarterbacks in the entire nation as the 2012 season progressed, the Broncos have a capable passer who can also escape trouble with his feet much better than the revered Moore could.

Southwick’s experience as a starter should result in much better decision-making early in the year, which could result in an offensive unit that is humming by mid-September.

Although D.J. Harper won’t be taking the heat off of Southwick this year, sophomore back Jay Ajayi proved last season he is more than capable of taking over as the feature back in 2013.

Ajayi rushed for 548 yards on 82 carries last season, and even had a better yards-per-rush attempt average (6.7) than Harper (5.0). Expectations for the sophomore will be high, as Coach Petersen likes to get the offense going on the ground first, but things have worked out pretty favorably for Boise State running backs the past few years.

However, the previously mentioned receiving corps is arguably the most talented unit on the entire team. Five of the top six players in terms of receiving yards return to the team, including Matt Miller, a second-team All-MWC performer.

The combination of size and speed that Boise State’s receivers possess should give them an advantage against just about every secondary they face in 2013.

While the offense will get most of the glory, especially if it can recapture some of the magic that the 2011 squad was able to display, the defense should once again be solid.

Although the Broncos must replace J.C. Percy and Tommy Smith at linebacker, the team should be okay with Blake Renaud assuming a starter’s spot. Renaud has the chance to be Boise State’s next workhorse and leader on the defense.

The only area that could give the Broncos major trouble in 2013 is the defensive secondary, where the team must replace standout seniors Jerrell Gavins and Jamar Taylor. However, it would be incorrect to assert that the Broncos do not have talent at the position.

Boise State did a nice job landing two potential starters in JUCO players Mercy Maston and Cleshawn Page. Both Maston and Page could become the starting cornerbacks for the Broncos this season, and both also received attention from Division I schools in high school.

Assuming that the defense holds up and doesn’t experience too many issues against the passing game, the 2013 Boise State Broncos will be a very dangerous team.

But as always, expectations will be high. Extremely high.

Luckily for Petersen & Company, that’s okay. They should be high, because this team has enough talent to run the table this coming season.

Boise State fans can unapologetically expect big things from this team. While the schedule is fairly difficult (essentially all of the team’s biggest games are on the road), the 2013 Broncos are more talented than the 2012 version.

Not having to break in a new quarterback will do wonders for the offense as well, especially early in the year.

And while 11-2 was definitely something to be proud of, it isn’t as if the 2012 team shattered preseason expectations. Bettering that mark this coming season is definitely feasible.

So, perhaps the question isn’t “do the Broncos have the talent to go undefeated?", but rather “should fans expect an undefeated season?”

Of course, the distinction between the two isn’t really necessary. Because the answer to both is a confident “yes.”

When it was announced that the NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed a new rule that would stop Boise State from wearing all-blue uniforms at home, Bronco fans were left shaking their heads.

However, the NCAA has decided not to approve the new rule after all. The article written by Greg Johnson on NCAA.org states:

In other action, the oversight panel denied the Football Rules Committee’s proposal to require an institution’s jersey or pant color to be different from the field of play, citing concerns that it did not enhance the image of the game.

There were, however, some uniform rules that were passed. For instance, teams will not be able to allow "multiple players from the same team" to wear the same number.

Also, numbers on jerseys will have to "have clearly visible, permanent Arabic numerals measuring at least 8 and 10 inches in height front and back." The rule goes on to state that the numbers "be of one solid color that itself is clearly in distinct contrast with the color of the jersey."

So, Boise State will have to adjust their multiple-color numbers on some of their jerseys. But then again, many other teams will have to do the same thing.

The rules panel also approved the new rule involving targeting and contact of a defenseless player above the shoulders. If a player commits such a penalty, that player will be ejected from the game. The team of the penalized player will also receive an automatic 15-yard penalty.

Another week, another big home-and-home announcement on BroncoSports.com.

This time around it is an even bigger grab, even if it is six years down the road. Boise State University will travel to Tallahassee in 2019 to take on Florida State. In return, the Seminoles will come to Boise in 2020 according to the article.

The guaranteed monies announced are $400,000 per team, and it will be the first time these teams will meet on the football field.

Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle is quoted in the article as saying:

Scheduling a home-and-home series against a perennial top-25 program like Florida State is another step in growing our football program

With the signing of Florida State this week and last week's announcement about signing a home-and-home with Virginia, Boise State seems to be shifting its focus when landing new games. Bigger games against better quality opponents from large markets.

Those reasons are some of the key things that led Boise State to attempt a move to the Big East originally. It looks like the Broncos still will seek that kind of exposure, and the fans of Boise State will certainly be excited about it.

By the 2020 season you have to believe Bronco Stadium will be expanded even more, and the crowd will most likely be sold out and energized. In the mean time, the announcement has to excite the fan base, boosters, players, recruits, coaches and anyone else associated with the Broncos.

Expect more of these kind of announcements from the school, and expect the scheduling philosophy to benefit Boise State's progress and exposure.

Spring means two things to a college football fan: an increase in the temperature outside and an increase in the temperature on the football field, signifying things heating up as players and coaches get down to business preparing for the upcoming season.

As we draw nearer to the beginning of spring practices, the reality will begin to set in for both fans and coaching staffs across the country that these 15 practices and intrasquad scrimmage are a chance to find out the weaknesses of their team just as much as they are to tout the strengths.

Boise State’s 2013 spring game will take place on Saturday, April 13.

That means that in a little over a month, Chris Petersen’s biggest worries about his current team will be magnified at Bronco Stadium.

But what exactly are Coach Petersen’s biggest concerns about the 2013 Broncos squad?

The offense is actually shaping up to be pretty solid. With Joe Southwick’s improvement at the end of 2012 and a plethora of returning targets for him to throw to, the offense could be humming as early as mid to late September.

Even the running back and offensive line positions, which must replace starters, don’t look to be in terrible shape, thanks to key reserves from the 2012 team who appear to be capable of stepping right in as starters this coming August.

Clearly, it’s not the offense. However, there are some things that are probably nagging at Coach Petersen already, if only because he's so good at preparing his players for the upcoming season.

Not all of Petersen’s concerns are associated with specific positions on the field. Thanks to the way the 2013 schedule shapes up, the head man will have to prevent his players from the mind games that can derail a team as well.

Here are a few of Coach Petersen’s biggest worries, in question form, heading into spring practice.

Will the Cornerback Position Be a Liability on the Defense?

No one took Jerrell Gavins and Jamar Taylor for granted at Boise State. But there is a chance that fans will wish the dynamic duo were back for another year if the defense is struggling early in the season.

Other than Fresno State’s Phillip Thomas and Sean Alston, there was no better tandem in the Mountain West at cornerback than Gavins and Taylor. This is evident in the fact that the Broncos were far and away the best team against the passing game in the conference other than the Bulldogs, both of which averaged 163.4 yards per game given up through the air.

Recently, Taylor caught the attention of pro scouts at both the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine by running one of the fastest 40-yard dash times at his position.

Without a doubt, the Broncos will miss the closing speed and defending ability of the two departed seniors.

However, there is hope that the defensive backs on the 2013 team will be able to numb the pain from the loss of those two players.

Boise State did a nice job during the most recent recruiting season to sign a couple of standout junior college players in Cleshawn Page and Mercy Maston. Both players are juniors and were looked at by Division I schools out of high school, and the hope is that if they win the starting cornerback jobs, they will not be surprised by the speed of the college game.

Luckily, in the spring game, Joe Southwick should be able to provide a solid test for the defensive backs. Together, Southwick and the Boise State receiving corps make up one of the better passing attacks the defense will see this coming season, so it will be apparent very early whether or not fans should anticipate problems in 2013.

Still, there has to be some concern from Coach Petersen and the defensive staff about whether or not Gavins and Taylor can be replaced so quickly. It is pretty much a given that teams with capable quarterbacks will look to test the Broncos’ defensive backs early in the game to see how good they truly are.

Hopefully, Page and Maston (or whoever earns a starter’s role) won’t be a glaring weakness on a defense that otherwise looks to be pretty strong. But only time will tell, and until the season begins, it will continue to be one of Coach Petersen’s biggest concerns.

Will the Kicking Game Plague the Team—Again?

In 2010, the Broncos had a chance to run the table during the regular season, but lost to Nevada in the regular season finale thanks in part due to two missed field goals (one in regulation, one in overtime).

In 2011, Boise State was again undefeated, heading into its toughest regular-season game against TCU, but lost due to a missed field goal at the end of regulation that would’ve given the team the win.

In a very cruel pattern of events, it almost seems like Boise State’s kicking game lets the team down when it matters most. No one can be sure where the Broncos would have ended up in either of those seasons had they remained undefeated, but chances are, it would have been somewhere other than Las Vegas.

Looking at the schedule and Boise State’s current roster, it appears as though Petersen’s team, once again, has the chance to run the table during the regular season.

While that’s a nice thought, the heartwrenching thought that goes right along with it goes something like, “what will happen this year that will rob the Broncos of a BCS bowl – or better?”

To combat the recurring issue, the Broncos went out and signed JUCO freshman Tyler Rausa from Riverside City College to compete for the starting kicker position.

Originally a Nevada recruit out of high school, Boise State hopes that Rausa will be able to help the team with consistency inside of 50 yards. The problem for the Broncos’ kickers hasn’t been hitting the long one; it’s been hitting the 25- to 40-yard kicks consistently.

Rausa will compete with junior Dan Goodale, who missed a 36-yard field goal in 2011 that would have beaten TCU. Goodale lost his starting spot in 2012 to Michael Frisina.

Until Boise State finally hits a game-winning field goal, the kicking game will continue to be a sore spot in the eyes of the fans. Also, while this is definitely an area where Coach Petersen will concentrate on in the spring, he can’t really be sure how well his starter will perform in a high-pressure situation until the team is presented with one.

Like the cornerback worries, this is something that will probably continue to keep Petersen up at night all throughout the summer as well.

Does the Team Take Washington as Seriously as It Should?

One of Coach Petersen’s best skills is his ability to prepare his team for its most important games of the season.

However, the August 31 date with the Washington Huskies in Seattle may be a trap game for the Broncos from a mental perspective.

Looking back at this past year’s Las Vegas Bowl, Boise State was in control heading into the half before a couple of close rushing touchdowns by the Huskies closed the gap to 18-17 at halftime. Had it not been for Bishop Sankey’s 205 yards rushing, the Broncos likely would have run away with the game.

That brings up an interesting dilemma: How does one motivate the players?

It is difficult to default to the underdog mentality this time around. Boise State is a better team than Washington. If they are focused leading up to that game, they will beat the Huskies in Seattle.

But it will take all of Petersen’s uncanny ability to ready his team for that to happen, because a lot of the current players probably believe they’re better than Washington, which can be dangerous.

Frankly, it isn’t a huge issue from the outside looking in. The fans believe in Coach Petersen and trust that his team will not come out flat in the season opener. At the same time, Petersen is probably wracking his brain trying to figure out ways to motivate his team, so that he doesn’t have to deal with that issue.

The tone is set in the spring practices. So while the fans may not be all that worried, Chris Petersen is definitely worried about how his team views the Washington Huskies.