2008 Boise State Broncos Preview

The Broncos failed to win the WAC in 2007 after taking five straight conference titles, but they still seem like the conference’s team to beat. They have lost only twice in WAC play over the past six seasons — that’s a 46–2 record — and they return the players who scored 491 of their 551 points last season. Still, this team faces questions — a new quarterback, four new starters on the offensive line and worries about a defense that allowed four opponents to score at least 30 points last season. And it’s a young team, with at least as many sophomores as seniors projected to be in the starting lineup.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Broncos

Boise State is loaded with the players who can make an offense explosive — guys like tailbacks Ian Johnson and Jeremy Avery and wideouts Jeremy Childs and Titus Young. However, the Broncos have question marks at quarterback and offensive line, the two positions that must be sound for an offense to work. Meanwhile, the youthful yet experienced defense needs to overcome what was a severely disappointing conclusion to last season — porous performances in losses to Hawaii and East Carolina. Coaches used spring ball to knock the players out of their comfort zone and make clear that things need to change this year for the Broncos to reclaim the WAC title they won every year from 2002 to ’06. The Broncos will play at a quicker tempo, and the defense has been implored to become more physical. If the players respond, the Broncos have a chance for another special season. Fresno State and Hawaii must play in Boise, where the Broncos haven’t lost a WAC game, and the most serious threat on the non-conference slate is a Sept. 20 visit to reloading Oregon. And in a quirk that should help the young Broncos, they only play four games in the first six weekends — giving them plenty of time to learn from early-season mistakes.

Quarterbacks

Senior Bush Hamdan and freshman Kellen Moore emerged as the leading candidates in spring ball. Hamdan, who was the leader going into fall camp last year but lost out to then-senior Taylor Tharp, would be the safe choice. He’s steady and experienced with a strong arm — an arm he showed off with a 71-yard touchdown pass last season. Moore, though, has the big upside because of his youth. He’s only 6'1", but the record-setting lefthander from Prosser, Wash., has football savvy and has become a leader in the huddle with his hard work and easy demeanor off the field and competitive streak on it. Moore, a coach’s son, set a state record with 173 touchdown passes in high school. The other quarterbacks on the roster, sophomore Mike Coughlin and junior Nick Lomax, will need to make major strides during the offseason to push for the job.

Running backs

The Broncos enter the season with four tailbacks who probably could start in the WAC. Senior Ian Johnson, who finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2006, is the FBS active career leader in rushing touchdowns (45) and total touchdowns (46), and he’s second in rushing yards (3,418) among active players. He is thicker this year, which should help prevent the internal organ injuries that have sidelined him the last two seasons (partially collapsed lung in 2006, bruised kidney in 2007). He will be pushed for playing time by small but wickedly quick sophomore Jeremy Avery, who was the team’s Hawaii Bowl MVP; sophomore D.J. Harper, who decimated Fresno State last season as a true freshman and ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash last winter; and redshirt freshman Doug Martin, whom defensive teammates called the best running back they faced last year when he was on the scout team. The only issue: how to spread the carries. “They are going to help us tremendously,” coach Chris Petersen says, “not only on offense, but on special teams. There’s just a good bunch of athletes there and we’ll figure out a way to get them all on the field.”

Receivers

Every player with more than 10 receptions last season returns, led by record-setter Jeremy Childs. Childs shattered the school record with 82 catches last season despite being suspended for the bowl game. He also was suspended for the spring but is slated to return to the program this summer. He will be surrounded by an abundance of talent. Austin Pettis and Titus Young were reliable playmakers as true freshmen and should be more dangerous with a year’s experience. Senior Vinny Perretta, who missed nearly all of last season with a shoulder injury, returns to his all-purpose role — as a wide receiver, tailback and trick-play quarterback. And former tight end Julian Hawkins is a big-bodied threat on third downs. Several role players will fit into the passing game, along with tight end/fullback Richie Brockel (four TD catches last year) and a trio of receiving tight ends. “This is probably one of the best groups of (wide receivers) from one through 10 that I’ve ever been around,” wide receivers coach Brent Pease says.

Offensive linemen

The Broncos have dominated the WAC over the past six years in large part because of their offensive line. That trend will be tested this year, with four new starters, including two freshmen and likely an untested sophomore. The only returning starter is Andrew Woodruff, who moves to left guard after one season at right guard and one at right tackle. The 336-pounder is the only imposing presence on what is a rather lean line. The other starters likely will be freshman left tackle Nate Potter, freshman center Thomas Byrd, senior right guard Jon Gott and either sophomore Kevin Sapien (a converted guard) or sophomore Matt Slater (a walk-on) at right tackle. The youth likely will lead to some breakdowns, but the Broncos coaches hope that the players’ fitness level will allow them to wear down defenses with a quickened pace instead of brute force.

Defensive linemen

Spring injuries restricted the progress of this group, which should be solid. Ends Mike T. Williams and Ryan Winterswyk, who combined for 11.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for a loss on the weak side last year, will start on opposite sides this season. Freshman Jarrell Root, who missed most of the spring, and senior Steven Reveles, who missed all of it, are expected to provide depth. Tackle is more of a mystery. Senior Joe Bozikovich, who missed most of spring, is a returning starter. Senior Sean Bingham moved from end to tackle and had a nice spring, while promising freshman Billy Winn sat out with an injury. Senior Phillip Edwards also has starting experience.

Linebackers

Coaches weren’t happy with the production last year at linebacker, traditionally a considerable strength for the Broncos. They pushed the linebackers to improve through spring ball and shuffled some assignments — inserting highly touted sophomore Derrell Acrey at middle linebacker, moving senior Kyle Gingg back to the weak-side job he held in 2006 and relegating senior Dallas Dobbs, who was the team’s most productive linebacker last year on the weak side, to a backup role in the middle. Senior Tim Brady remains at strong-side linebacker, but he will get a fight for the job from freshman Aaron Tevis. Coaches also expect a couple of incoming recruits to compete for playing time immediately. The changes and competition seemed to help in spring ball. “I’m excited that those guys have made the gains,” defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox says. “We expect them to continue that. We’re still going to push them.”

Defensive backs

The Broncos expect to start three sophomores and a junior in the secondary, with contributions likely from a couple of freshmen. That makes this the youngest position on the team but not the least experienced. Junior cornerback Kyle Wilson has started for a season and a half, and sophomore safeties Jason Robinson and Jeron Johnson each started at times last season. Sophomores Brandyn Thompson and Keith McGowen will compete for the second corner job. True freshman safety George Iloka is an interesting wild card. The 6-3, 199-pounder graduated from high school a semester early and was impressive in spring ball. Defensive backs coach Marcel Yates says “the future is bright” for his group, but that’s not his focus. “I don’t look at it like I accept going through growing pains because they’re young,” Yates says. “I’m going to coach them up hard every day, and I expect them to be even better than the guys who were here in the past.”

Specialists

Sophomore kicker Kyle Brotzman was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist last season and should be a contender for the award again this season. He only missed two field goals last season — a 51-yarder that was blocked and a 49-yarder that fell just short, in part because of a bad snap. He expects to be stronger this year, which should help him deliver on long kicks and pin opponents with better kickoffs. The question is whether Brotzman will need to serve as the punter again this year. He stepped up when true freshman Brad Elkin struggled last season, but the Broncos hope to make Elkin the regular punter this year. The return men will be a mixture of running backs and wide receivers, none of whom have much experience.

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