Boise State safety Travis Stanaway earns start this week;

Senior Travis Stanaway, who played most of the second half in the opener against Georgia, is expected to start Friday at Toledo, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said.

Redshirt freshman Jeremy Ioane, who started against Georgia, also is expected to play. Senior Cedric Febis, the preseason starter, remains in eligibility limbo.

Kwiatkowski said Stanaway got the nod because he was more consistent. The former walk-on has been a key special-teamer for years but never has been a defensive starter.

“Not many guys on our team came here with the idea of being first and foremost a really good special teams player,” coach Chris Petersen said. “It’s now his fifth year and he’s getting a chance to play on defense, which is why guys come here. So it’s nice to see a guy work so hard and finally get a crack at some good game-time experience.”

•••

Losing tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, who is in limbo with Febis, forced Kwiatkowski to go with a reduced rotation on the defensive line against Georgia.

He rotated three players at tackle and three players at end, with true freshman Tyler Horn getting some spot time as the fourth end. The main ends were Shea McClellin, Jarrell Root and Tyrone Crawford and the tackles were Chase Baker, Billy Winn and Mike Atkinson.

Kwiatkowski prefers to rotate two full defensive lines but isn’t sure if he’ll be able to do that this week, either.

•••

Petersen, Kwiatkowski and several defensive players have mentioned that the Broncos need to play harder on defense this week.

“In the second half (against Georgia), I don’t know if we got tired or just eased up, but the intensity was not like it was in the first half,” Kwiatkowski said. “There was a noticeable difference.”

On the plus side, Kwiatkowski was impressed with “just how physical we were.”

“The stuff we’ve got to get better at is communication and making sure we’re making the right reads and checks so we don’t give up easy touchdowns,” he said. “Two of them were based off of that. The third one was bad leverage and that guy (Brandon Boykin) was fast.”

•••

Atkinson and Crawford are from Windsor, Ontario, which is about 90 minutes from Toledo. They expect to have about 30 friends and family members in the stands for the game.

•••

If Boise State wins at Toledo on Friday night, the Broncos have a pretty clear path to a 12-0 season. They are going to garner serious consideration to play for the national championship.

But here’s what I’d love to know the answer to: If Boise State were invited to join the Big 12, do you think they would accept?

If so, why are they not publicly campaigning to replace Texas A&M?

Or do we think Boise State likes where they are as the “fly in the ointment” school? Could Boise actually lose significance and relevance being in the Big 12?

How do you think Boise State would fare it it had Texas A&M’s schedule this year and vice versa? Here is a comparison.

The Aggies’ schedule include SMU, Idaho, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas.

Boise plays Georgia, Toledo, Tulsa, Fresno State, Colorado State, Air Force, UNLV, TCU, San Diego State, Wyoming and New Mexico.

If Boise State really wants to play for the national title they should campaign to join (and save) the Big 12. Until they do …

• By DAVID MOULTON

Toledo gets another shot to make a point

Last Saturday could have been one of the great days in Toledo football history. Now, the Rockets have a chance to make this Friday a night to remember.

After falling short against then-No. 15 Ohio State 27-22, Toledo on Friday takes on No. 4 Boise State (8 ET, ESPN) in a home game that has the campus buzzing with anticipation.

“We all feel we should have won that game,” running back Adonis Thomas says of the narrow loss in Columbus, Ohio. “The team is really looking forward to learning from the mistakes we made. It was just a few plays here and there that changed the direction of that game.”

The Rockets (1-1) were penalized 14 times for 102 yards, and the flags plus several other gaffes made it hard to get over the hump in what would have been a huge upset of the state’s flagship program.

They allowed a touchdown on a punt return, missed a 45-yard field goal try and botched a chance at another field goal.

The Rockets still had a shot but turned the ball over on downs at the Ohio State 16-yard line with 48 seconds left.

“We went into that game to win it,” coach Tim Beckmansays. “If you preach to the players to be right there in the fourth quarter, you can be successful.”

Now, looking forward instead of playing the what-if game is going to be paramount. Beckman’s club not only has to deal with the high-flying Broncos after a heartbreaking loss, but it also has a short week to prepare. Boise State, which beat Georgia in its opener, was off last week.

“Our players are resilient,” Beckman says. “In today’s game, the way players are, they seem to bounce back faster than the coaches.”

Thomas’ attitude is evidence.

“There’s nothing better than to be able to come back against a team like Boise State,” he says. “We play a very hard, competitive schedule, but that’s what you want: compete against the best.”

Beckman, whose team is expected to contend for the Mid-American Conference title, says he has studied how programs such as Boise State and TCU have built national contenders. “We’re still making strides, but we’re not at that level,” he says.

The process could get a big boost Friday, but Toledo lost in Boise last year 57-14, so the Rockets know what to expect.

“They’re very consistent, hardworking and well-disciplined,” Thomas says.

Cornerback Desmond Marrow says he has been hearing semicongratulatory messages from some Toledo students since the Ohio State near-miss, but that can be frustrating.

“They’re saying ‘Good game,’ and stuff like that, but we’re not satisfied,” Marrow says. “We think we can come out against Boise and prove some things.

“We’re going to get everybody’s best shot after what happened Saturday. We’ll have a target on our back the rest of the season. Coach always says you have to prepare like a perfectionist. I think we’re real close to being where we want to be.”

Says Thomas, “If we’re in the same situation, we know what we have to do.”

Should be a rowdy night at the glass Bowl just 2 more days.

Broncos’ Miller reserved, yet explosive

BOISE — Talented, yet quiet, calm, cool and collected — those words are held in high regard around Boise State, normally reserved for those special few standouts like Kellen Moore and Shea McClellin.

There’s a new member of that club, redshirt freshman receiver Matt Miller. After the season opener Sept. 3 against Georgia, coach Chris Petersen deadpanned his assessment of Miller’s demeanor.

“You think Kellen has no emotion? Matt Miller takes it to a new low,” he said.

Miller, who earned offers out of high school from Arkansas and North Carolina, among plenty of others, had five catches in his collegiate debut, and led the team with 57 yards. His first catch was a 17-yard touchdown pass from Moore for the first score of the season.

“He’s even-keeled, he doesn’t get too low or too excited, and I think on a big stage, that can really help you,” Petersen said.

Much as Moore came from little Prosser, Wash., Miller was raised in Helena, Mont. The capital city of The Treasure State is bigger, but more remote. The 6-foot-3 receiver, who claims roping as a hobby, is the essence of laidback frontier attitude.

“When I was getting recruited, one of the first things coach (Jeff) Choate asked me was if I played poker,” Miller said. “I told him no, and he said I should because I’ve got a heck of a poker face.”

Despite that ability to show little emotion, Miller couldn’t resist but crack a big smile when he thinks about his first catch, saying it was “like a first kiss, but multiplied by quite a bit.”

Lining up against Miller can be a challenge before the snap, as you’ll get the same look play after play.

“You never know what he’s thinking, he’s kinda like Frankenstein,” junior cornerback Jamar Taylor said. “When the ball’s snapped, he knows exactly where he’s got to be. When it’s coming to him, he knows how to get the ball.

“He’s a lot like Kellen. You see them on the street and probably don’t know they play football, but they get on the field and it’s tough to stop them.”

Though his exterior exudes confidence and a subdued demeanor, Miller was just like any other player in his first-ever collegiate action. He laughed when thinking of the first snap when he was on the field.

“It was nerve-wracking, I kept thinking in my head ‘don’t mess up,’” Miller said. “I’m glad it was a run play.”

With Geraldo Boldewijn’s future still uncertain, coupled with his strong debut, Miller is listed as a starter at receiver for Friday’s game at Toledo. Still, his quick start will not equate into complacency, especially with a hungry unit looking to see more passes come their way.

“It gave me a little bit of confidence, playing pretty well against Georgia,” Miller said. “I need to keep playing well, though. There’s a lot of guys pushing for time, and if we all can improve, the group will be as strong as it was (Sept. 3).”