Dan Hawkins was close to having a shrine built in his honor outside the varsity center at Boise State prior to taking over as the head coach at Colorado in 2005.

Everyone loved him at Boise State, nationally he was regarded as not only a great football coach, but a better motivator. He was considered college football's version of Phil Jackson.

Heck, I thought he was a great hire, only doubting...read more

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the USA Today's coaches' Top 25 poll is a joke.

When I think about top 25 polls, there are a few criteria for teams deserving of the honor. How well have they played all season? Who have they beat? How did they win? How did they lose?

A three-point loss to a top 10 team (USC over Ohio State) may not be as bad as a seven-point win (Missouri...read more

First Quarter

Boise State score first: After going three and out on its first drive, the Broncos wasted little time going 92 yards to take an early 7-0 lead.Boise State scored on a 17 yard TD pass from Kellen Moore to Austin Pettis.

Big pick leads to score: Boise State got an interception from George Iloka, two plays later Kellen Moore threw his second TD of the game, this time to Tyler...read more

This is why I love college football. Because every week is so critical and every week brings new drama.

It was a week ago when Boise State was on the fast track to another Bowl Championship Series game. Pasadena? Glendale? Who cares, the Broncos were going to one of the four major bowls. No need to play the other 12 games, right? Not so fast!

Just when Bronco Nation was feeling great about beating...read more

Boise State bills itself as a blue-collar team. The Broncos showed that again Thursday night on national TV in a hard-fought win against a Top 25 team.

But what wasn't workman-like was the actions that led to Oregon's LeGarrette Blount's cheap shot of Byron Hout.

On Friday, Blount was suspended for the season. His career, at least collegiately, is over. By no means am I sticking up...read more

First Quarter

The Broncos forced the Ducks into a thrre-and-out. Since taking the ball, Boise State has marched down the field and are faced with a third-and-goal from the 17.

Broncos miss score

After having the ball on the Ducks' 1 yard line, the Broncos failed to covert on a field goal from Kyle Brotzman from 29 yards out. Score is 0-0 with 4:59 to play in the first.

Second quarter

The...read more

Before I let you all know which way I'm leaning for tonight's game, I've got one thought ...

After driving home from the office early Thursday morning (shortly after midnight), if finally hit me — this really is a big game. Sure it's a big game for BCS reasons, but here's why I know now it's huge in our community.

In all my time driving home from work the night...read more

This is pretty funny ...

New bobbleheads are out!

With the departure of William Love, I will — for now — take over the voting in the Idaho high school football poll. This is the first installment.

Mr. Love was helpful with this week's poll, but It's all me for the rest of the season. Here is the poll, followed by the poll that was submited by the IPT.

Idaho High School Football Media Poll

Preseason

Team 2008 Rec. Pts. (First)

Class...read more

You gotta love technology if you're a sports fan. The upcoming football season has been much more insightful this season because of it.

As a fan of the Big Ten Conference, I feel right at home this season thanks to the Big Ten Network's football tour, a series devoted to all 11 schools with a 90-minute program chock-full of practice segments, player interviews and coaches breaking down...read more

The Western Athletic Conference media preview is now in our rear view mirror, so what did we learn?

Here's a look:

— For starters, we found out Boise State is far and away the class of the conference —I can't recount the many times I heard that the last few days.

At one point, it became a bit over the top. Louisiana Tech head man Derek Dooley made no bones about it, he's...read more

Robb Akey

This season mark year three for Robb Akey on the Palouse. Akey is pumped as usual for good things to happen to the Vandals.

"We're bigger, we're faster, we're stronger," he said.

Akey talked about how the team has more depth than in the past, but still have a few holes they need to fill to be a complete team. Avoiding injuries is also key.

"We got better...read more

Derek Dooley

Derek Dooley leads La. Tech for the third season, one that could be his most successful.

Last year, the team ended with a bowl victory and eight wins. This year, the Bulldogs are expected to finish in the top third of the league.

With many starters back, Dooley said the players they did lose were the "the glue of the team."

With many games on TV this season and three...read more

About one quarter of the questions directed at Karl Benson were about the Mountain West during his forum early Wednesday. It was clear Benson was getting annoyed on the subject, sighting many of the recent stories on Boise State leaving the WAC were not fact based.

"It makes great stories ...," he said.

After all, Boise State and its president, Dr. Kustra, have been fairly vocal about...read more

A few quick notes from Karl Benson

Benson was pretty upbeat on talking about the state of the WAC, sighting the conference has stayed stable for a number of years.

Benson: "... signals a state of stability ... despite chatter and speculation. Five years from now, very likely the same members."

Ironically,ESPN's WAC blogger had a quick story on Boise State leaving the WAC for the Mountain West...read more

Are you ready for some football

For all intents and purposes, our football season here in the Treasure Valley officially starts Wednesday.

That's right, in less than a day, the Western Athletic Conference will open its doors for its annual WAC media preview. This year, it's again in Salt Lake City.

All nine coaches will be on hand with plenty of clichs in tow; each team will also bring...read more

What happens when a TV program gets 39 million viewers? You guessed it, it moves to prime-time on Thursday night —TV's most coveted time slot.

Not only is the NFL Draft moving from the weekend to prime time, it's going from a two-day event to a three-day spectacle.

The first night (April 22) will be a three-plus hour showcase of just the first round. Friday will also be in prime time...read more

The debt to society has been paid. The prison sentence is over.

Now it's time for Michael Vick to get back to work.

On Monday, the former Heisman finalist and All-Pro quarterback finished 23 locked-up months, the final two at home with a tether locked to his ankle.

Now I'm not here to judge him for his inexcusable judgment to kills dogs, he already was after he pleaded guilty to federal...read more

Steve McNair's death was tragic, there's no debate about that. But maybe there will be some good that comes from his murder.

For as long as sports stars have been put on a pedestal, many of them have taken full advantage of it — especially when it comes to infidelity.

The Associated Press recently reported that McNair's death shines light on an ever-present problem with pro athletes...read more

It's that time of year again, and as always, I'm more than happy to share my preseason Western Athletic Conference football vote.

Like usual, the WAC will be separated into three parts: The perennial champs, the contenders and the doormats.

The player of the year awards should be highly contested as well. Let's take a look (teams listed in order of predicted finish).

Boise State:...read more

I've been as critical of Lane Kiffin as anyone, and why not, he hasn't coached a football game yet for the Tennessee Volunteers and he's always in the headlines.

As Sporting News radio host Tim Brando said recently, Kiffin is college football's version on Sarah Palin —they'll both say anything to excite their base.

Since he's been on campus in Knoxville, he's...read more

Do I dislike the new Boise State football uniforms?

Not really.

Do I dislike that the Broncos seem to have more costume changes than a Broadway show?

Pretty much.

Here's why: Are fans supposed to purchase a new replica jersey each season? That's not fan friendly.

I'm pretty sure every kid in the Treasure Valley will want to have a new jersey, fresh with the smaller "piping"...read more

Once again, college football, or at least the coaches, got it wrong.

The American Football Coaches Association has decided to not share their votes with the public, a practice that has commonplace at the end of each season.

It was always interesting to see where the coaches put some of the smaller conference teams such as Boise State, TCU and Utah at the end of the year.

C'mon, coaches,...read more

Sam Keller's college football career didn't quite go as planned.

He was one of the best high school quarterbacks in the nation when he signed with Arizona State in 2003. However, a coaching change led him to transfer to Nebraska, a move that went pretty good, considering.

Last week, Keller made a big splash in a class-action lawsuit against video game maker EA Sports, to quote the AP he's...read more

The Idaho Vandal football team has struggled for very long time, according to the N.Y. Times' blog, they'll again be one of college football's bottom-feeders.

Read it here

Former Boise State lineman Jon Gott seems to have found a home with the Calgary Stampeders, despite having to clean up his look.

For those who forgot, Gott was a fifth round pick in last season's CFL draft.

We all know Chris Petersen is among the top coaches in the country given his record with Boise State.

Here's a take on why he's one of the best after the NFL Draft

I love college football but I hate how many coaches operate when it comes to open practices.

I like how Pete Carroll at USC does it: anyone and everyone is welcome.

Or as one of his Twitter updates stated this past week: "Next practice is at 11:30am on Sunday, should be a great day... Open to everyone! Will you be there? Come on, let's go!"

Boise State coach Chris Petersen has allowed...read more

I just ran across this on the AP wire. Boise State fans might rememeber the 2007 season when Boise State was unable to stop Lippincott ...

NV RB Lippincott back for 6th season in fall

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada running back Luke Lippincott has been granted a sixth year of eligibility due to a knee injury that forced him to miss most last season after leading the Western Athletic Conference...read more

Forty yards may not seem like a long distance, but this past weekend at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, it's quick way to make some serious cash.

Take Chris Johnson for example. Last year at the Combine, Johnson ran his 40-yard in less than 4.3 seconds. His reward: Selected in the first round of the NFL Draft with a $12 million contract.

Many coaches will say, 'You can't coach speed...read more

The recruiting game is dirty, we all know that, but Lane Kiffin may want to get the rules down before he tattles on a two-time national championship coach.

The player in question is Nu'Keese Richardson, a four-star prospect from Pahokee, Fla.

When Richardson was visiting Tennessee, he was called by Florida coach Urban Meyer.

The new Vols' coach didn't like that too much and told...read more

Even on the short end of Super Bowl XLIII, Kurt Warner still comes out a winner in my mind.

There's no doubt Warner has a legitimate case for enshrinement to the NFL Hall of Fame.

Here are a few reasons why:

— Three trips to the Super Bowl with one championship. Also, his three performances rank as the top three passing efforts of all time with a combined total of 1,156 yards.

—...read more

I think the clich is something like this: Strike while the iron is hot.

That's exactly what the Mountain West Conference is doing.

Early Monday morning, USA Today reported on its Web site the MWC is making a push for the big time — a seat at the table among the elite of college football.

With the current Bowl Championship Series structure, six conferences are in the mix —ACC,...read more

Fourth quarter

Colin Kaepernick added a late TD for Nevada, but it was too late as Maryland ran out the clock to win the 12th Humanitarian Bowl, 42-35.

Scott goes for another

Da' Rel Scott added his second TD to give the Terps a 14-point lead. Scott now has 153 yards in less than a half of play. 

With 7:44 to play in the game, Maryland now has a 42-28 lead over Nevada.

Maryland back on top

De'...read more

So far, the Western Athletic Conference is 0-for-3 in bowl games. Ouch!

I must confess, I was pretty torn on which team to pick in the Poinsettia Bowl ( I went with the Broncos by a slim margin), but for the New Mexico Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl, I was pretty confident Fresno State would beat Colorado State and Hawaii would beat a less-than-spectacular Notre Dame team at home.

What do I know? They...read more

Fourth quarter

Boise State gets within 1

With 4:47 to go in the game, Boise State added a 32-yard FG by Kyle Brotzman to get within one point, 17-16 of TCU.

TCU takes the lead

Boise State's lead is gone as Joseph Turner scored the Frogs' second TD on the game to take a 17-13 lead.

Boise State had led all game long until the 17-yard run by Turner. With 8:51 to play, TCU holds a...read more

Kickoff about 40 minutes away

Just got back up to the press box after going down to the field level and I must say, it is a bit wet. Not too wet, but you can tell the rain Monday will make it a bit slippery in some spots - mostly corners - of the field.

Oh and the clouds are starting to roll in so it may get a bit chilly as the night goes on.

That's about it for now, check back during the...read more

It's finally here! After a long week of anticipation, Boise State and TCU are set to battle at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego later this afternoon

My take: I think it should be a great game of two of the top-ranked teams in the nation. I root for a solid game from each squad. Let the best team win.

I did, though, pick the Broncos to win by a narrow margin, you can read that here.

It looks...read more

The weather for the team's visit to the USS Midway was miserable, but coach Petersen was OK with it.

"I don't know why anyone is talking about the weather 'cause this is paradise to us where we came from," he said at his morning news conference. "It can stay like...read more

There's not too much else going on today. It appears that the Broncos are pretty focused on the game against TCU on Tuesday night.

I was watching ESPN and they seem to be pumping it a bunch. Can't really blame them.

I did take a few minutes to...read more

I left Boise this morning while it was snowing and now I'm here in San Diego. I ditched the fleece pretty quick after I got off the plane.

Dave Southorn and Greg Kreller have been down here for a few days and we'll all be here through Wednesday. 

I'll have more later, but for now, we're off to run down some Boise State players for some interviews. 

It's no secret that offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox are hot commodities given the team's success the past three seasons.

It's hard to hide the Broncos' defense, which is...read more

Boise State is going to San Diego to play TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23, but in the process, the team got there after not getting a BCS bid, despite being ranked ahead of the Ohio State Buckeyes, which did.

Boise State finished No. 9 in the final BCS rankings, while Ohio State was No. 10. The Buckeyes will take on Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.

Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson...read more

According to a slew of Internet rumors, that’s what they’re saying. Boise State head coach Chris Petersen is going to be the next head man at Mississippi.

Here’s a link from a local TV station down there.

It's been reported that the deal for Petersen at MSU is four years and $9 million. He makes about $1 million — with bonuses — at Boise State.

Petersen said this...read more

That may be what many members of the WAC may be saying for the second-year La.Tech coach.

It looks like Dooley is on the short list for several jobs, including the vacancy at Mississippi State — a job Boise State coach Chris Petersen was talked about for.

Here’s the story from the Monroe (La.) News Star.

In Fresno, as Matt James puts it, the divorce is starting to take hold...read more

Broncos score again

Boise State added another TD, this time a 10-yard run by D.J. Harper. With 4:35 to play, Boise State leads 61-10.

Johnson adds another TD

Ian Johnson adds another rushing TD, which ties him for first all-time in the WAC with 57. Marshall Faulk, who played at San Diego State, also scored 57 rushing TDs. 

With less than 7 minutes to play, Boise State leads 54-10. ...read more

Fourth Quarter

Broncos defeat Wolf Pack. 41-34

Wolf Pack add FG

Brett Jaekle added a 23-yard FG for Nevada. Boise State now leads 41-34 with 2:36 to play. 

Nevada hangs in there

Colin Kaepernick found Marko Mitchell for a 9-yard TD to get the Wolf Pack within 10 points. 

With 4:36 to play, Boise State leads 41-31.

Broncos add FG

With 7:20 to play, Boise State added a...read more

Boise State defeated Idaho 45-10 on Saturday inside the Kibbie Dome. The win was the Broncos 10th straight in the series. Boise State also clinched a share of the WAC title win the win. 

Broncos add another

Ian Johnson added to the scoring with a 2-yard TD run to give the Broncos a 45-10 lead. The TD for Johnson was his 55th career, which places him second all-time in the WAC behind Marshall...read more

We finally made it to the Palouse. I'm up here with our beat writer Dave Southorn and photographer Charlie Litchfield. We had a nice drive up on a great fall Idaho afternoon day.

Not sure how excited I am about the game tomorrow, after all, the spread is Boise State by 36.5 point. I hope it's competitive like it was two years ago. The crowd was great and the whole experience was pretty impressive...read more

Broncos add another TD

Boise State added to its lead as backup QB Mike Coughlin passed for a 7-yard score to Austin Pettis. 

With 9:01 to play in the game, the Broncos now lead 49-14.

Iloka picks Setzer; Broncos score

Utah State was starting to drive down the field in the final minutes of the third quarter, but George Iloka picked off Aggies QB Sean Setzer to give the Broncos the ball...read more

Boise State 27, Hawaii 7

Boise State added another score, a 43-yard FG from Brotzman. The FG was set up by Thompson, who added yet another interception, his third on the game.

Boise State 24, Hawaii 7

Boise State got another turnover, and another pick, this time from Jeron Johnson. Boise State took advantage and went 41 yards for another TD, this time another TD from Moore to Austin Pettis...read more

Check out Dave's blog for more details on how to win one of four pairs of tickets to Friday night's game against the Warriors.

Dave's blog 

So I know I didn't think New Mexico State had much of chance against Nevada. But what do I know?

I knew the Aggies would be able to move the ball, but I thought the Nevada offense would be too strong at home. New Mexico State won 48-45 behind 400-plus yards from QB Chase Holbrook. The Aggies may not be contenders yet, basically because they don't have a defense, but what they do have is a winning...read more

Broncos now 4-0

Boise State finished off the Bulldogs, and now are 4-0 on the season.

I gotta say it, but I was pretty close on this one. I said Boise State would win 38-12. I guess I underestimated the Broncos' defense.

Harper adds another TD

Boise State scored once more as D.J. Harper scooted for another TD, this time a 6-yarder.

The Broncos now lead 38-3 with 10:59 to play in the...read more

It was another bad week for the Idaho Vandals — on and off the field.

If you missed it, Idaho lost its third football game this season in another blowout. This time it was fellow WAC bottom feeder Utah State that took it to the Vandals with a 42-17 loss.

According to Sportsline, the Vandals are only better than five other teams in the nation.

The good news: Idaho is playing a team...read more

Running game blog from Eugene, Ore.

Boise State holds on

The Broncos took out Oregon with a 37-32, a victory that has to be at least the second best in school history.

And the Ducks are back in it

Oregon isn't going to go away as Darron Thomas hooked up with Ed Dickson for a 19-yard pass. The PAT, though, failed.

With 7:19 to play, the Broncos are hanging on to a 37-26 lead.

We may have a game yet

Oregon...read more

Falcons finally score

Boise State is simply unable to put this one away. The Broncos allowed Bowling Green a 14-play drive to end with a 4-yard TD grab by Jimmy Scheidler.

The score got the Falcons within 13 points with 11:10 to play. 

Third quarter is pretty slow

There has been a few turnovers and a few long dives by Bowling Green, but no change in score.

With 4:18 to play in the...read more

It looks like Bowling Green really isn't that good, or at least beating Pitt wasn't really that big of a deal.

The Falcons looked pretty poor at home versus the worst team in the Big Ten, Minnesota.

Apparently, Bowling Green had some turnover trouble.

— Colorado almost lost its second game to a Big Sky team in the last three seasons. The Buffs got a last-minute pick six to upend Eastern Washington...read more

... It was nice to sit back and enjoy a Saturday where I didn't have to work (that translates to: There was no Boise State game this week).

So with that, I watched a bunch of games. Here are a few observations:

— Jake Locker, who is a super-nice guy, has to be the worst Division I passing QB. Seriously, put the celebration penalty aside, this guy missed more open receivers than Ryan...read more

... I thought Louisiana Tech would be a pretty good team this season (that’s why I picked it to finish third in the WAC), but even I didn’t think they’d have enough to knock off Mississippi State during the opening weekend.

I picked them to lose by one point.

That win over Mississippi State as well as Fresno State’s win over Rutgers showed that this year’s WAC champ...read more

I grew up only a few short miles from the University of Michigan, and as a young man, I saw more Wolverine games than I care to remember.

Heck, I even attended their football camp when I was in high school.

So trust me when I say this, I know what Michigan football means to its millions of fans.

What I saw Saturday — in Michigan’s 2-point loss to Utah — was not the...read more

... after the game against Idaho State I caught Kellen Moore for a few minutes in the hallway of the football center.

He's not going to brag much about himself, but overall, I think he thought he did a pretty solid job. And he did.

On the game, as wrote about in my column, I thought Moore was more than credible to lead this team.

The lone bad decision I think he made that stood out was a pass...read more

The first thing I noticed -- in true sportswriter fashion -- was the buffet. It was pretty solid. Pork, salad, and yes, potatoes ... yummy.

But back the game, it should be an interesting one, at least from the standpoint...read more

... That’s right, it’s been a while (or at least it felt like it did until I got back to work this afternoon) since I’ve posted. It’s back to the grind from now to the end of football season.

If you're wondering, I took the family to SoCal a bit of a break. 

This afternoon, myself and a few dozen other fellow media folks, were invited to take a look at the Stueckle...read more

It’s that time of year once again for the annual Western Athletic Conference football preview.

Dave Southorn and I are heading to Salt Lake City this morning to get ready for two days of football, football and yes, more football.

During the next few days we’ll have more than enough coverage of the upcoming football season, which is about five weeks away.

Some of the storylines to...read more

According to ESPN and the video game College Football ’09, it’s Tiger Stadium, the home of the Louisiana State Tigers.

Of the 25 toughest places on the list, only one was a mid-major team. Any guesses which team that is?

It’s Boise State!

The Broncos cracked the list at No. 24, a well-deserved honor for sure. Let me just say that I have only seen the Broncos lose one home game...read more

Reported by our friends at the Las Cruces Sun-News, it appears New Mexico State is on the verge of becoming irrelevant in the college football world. As if they weren't already, right?

Anyway, take a look at this report about how NMSU, Utah State and Idaho -- all teams with little fan support -- could be getting the boot from the WAC in the coming years if attendance doesn't improve quickly.

I was pretty surprised Boise State locked in a verbal from NoCals Joe Southwick so soon, I think that has to be the earliest commitment ever in Boise State history (I could be wrong, though).

Last season, SoCals Chris Potter committed in mid-June.

Southwick seems like he is a legitimate prospect (three-star rating according to Scout.com) with still a senior year to play. And I think it's really impressive that coach Pete and Co., told him he would be the lone QB for the 2009 class.

Read Dave Southorn's story that ran in Friday's paper

It looks like there will be a few more commits this weekend, stay tuned for that as Dave will have a report on a few more guys who are looking to play their college ball on The Blue in the coming days.

This is not good news for Utah State.

It was reported by our sister paper in Logan, Utah former high school All-American Riley Nelson will not be part of the future for the Aggie football program.

Nelson is best known for his efforts which helped upend Fresno State in 2006 with a 13-12 win. He’s been away from the program the last year and half as he went on a mission for The Church of Jesus...read more

... that according to ESPN as far as non-BCS teams go. Boise State's 2006 team was ranked No. 1 right a head of the 2004 Utah team that also won the Fiesta Bowl.

The No. 1 game of course was the Broncos' win over Oklahoma, which topped Notre Dame's (they were included as an independent) three-point loss to USC on Oct. 12, 2005. I remember that game as well. A bunch of us media folk were keeping...read more

As we reported last week, the Montana State football program is about to add some more seats to its stadium.

That’s pretty good news and sign that yes, Division I-AA football (FBS as its called now) apparently is making money and attracting more and more fans.

The blueprint calls for 38 luxury suits as well as adding 6,360 new seats. In total, when the construction is finished, Bobcat Stadium...read more

During the past few years the focus on high school recruiting — specifically in football and basketball — has become a focal point for fans and journalists alike.

It’s pretty fitting that we just ran a story by Dave Southorn on local Idaho kids trying to get noticed by big-time school and coaches (here’s the link to that).

There are two or three major online sources...read more

The Honolulu Advertiser reports Tuesday that the WAC will not have such a large payout for future BCS bowl teams.

Hawaii will get about $4.4 million from the Sugar Bowl appearance, which is about 70 percent of the total money the WAC gets.

By comparison, Georgia — the team that beat Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl — gets about $1.74 million, with a much large portion divided up...read more

It’s kinda funny how things work out in the end.

Take for example Taylor Bennett, the quarterback for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets when they played in Boise’s Humanitarian Bowl last December.

If you don’t remember, the storyline then was how Bennett, who first decided to de-commit from Georgia Tech to play his college ball at Boise State. But right before signing day, he re...read more

According to the latest news out of Kansas City, it looks pretty good that it will be in Kansas City.

The Chiefs wanted Jake Long, but as reported Tuesday, Miami scooped up the mammoth Michigan lineman with a huge deal Tuesday.

Here's the latest out of the KC about who they may take at No. 5

Last year it was the Ian and Colt show, remember that cover of the two potential Heisman hopefuls standing next to each other?

Well, actually, they were Photoshoped in. The first time they got together for a photo shoot was in San Jose, Calif., for the media ...

... this year's cover is again all about the Broncos and Warriors. Why wouldn’t it be? The two schools have been the last two teams...read more

The money is about to come rolling in pretty soon for the former Boise State Bronco. The NFL Draft is a week away and Clady looks like a bona fide top pick.

The boys at ESPN think Clady could go as high as No. 8 to the Ravens. WOW! I remember when he was a freshman and just another one of the guys on the team.