Fresno State vs. Boise State
TIME: 09:00 P.M. EST
VENUE: Bulldog Stadium
Boise State coach Chris Petersen wasn’t concerned about Kellen Moore’s uncharacteristic performance in his team’s most recent game. Instead, he was pleased to see an improved rushing attack.
After dropping a spot in the latest AP Poll, the fifth-ranked Broncos will try to get Moore back on track while hoping for another strong effort from running back Doug Martin on Friday night at Fresno State.
By completing 68.8 percent of his throws, Moore has been one of the nation’s most accurate passers during his four seasons in Boise. But he connected on only 57.6 percent of his attempts (19 of 33) and threw a rare pair of first-half interceptions during last week’s 30-10 victory over Nevada.
The senior finished with a career-low 142 yards and threw multiple picks for only the third time in 44 collegiate games. Yet, Moore also threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes, helping guide the Broncos (4-0) to a 20-0 lead at the break.
Martin also scored twice, finishing with 126 yards after failing to top 75 in the first three games. Martin gained 6.0 yards per carry Saturday, nearly double his 3.2-yard average in September.
“Fortunately our run game came to life a little bit,” Petersen said. “I care more about that than the pass game, because I know we’ll get that figured out, so I think we made a step there.”
They should have an excellent chance to perfect their passing game against Fresno State (2-3) with the return of receiver Geraldo Boldewijn. The sophomore was one of three Broncos with Dutch ties who were suspended by the university as the NCAA investigated their eligibility, but the 6-foot-4 target returned to practice this week and is expected to play Friday.
That isn’t good news for the Bulldogs, who were hurt by big plays in a 38-28 loss to Mississippi on Saturday. Fresno State gave up a 69-yard touchdown run to Rebels tailback Jeff Scott and an average of 26.8 yards per pass play.
Those breakdowns were an all-too-familiar theme. The Bulldogs had a chance to upset then-No. 10 Nebraska on Sept. 10, but after pulling within two points allowed a 100-yard kickoff return and a 46-yard TD run in a 42-29 defeat.
“You can’t give up the big play,” coach Pat Hill said. “In the end, Mississippi made the plays in the fourth quarter just like Nebraska did to us.”
Hill’s team had plenty of trouble stopping the Broncos last season on Boise’s blue turf despite forcing Moore to fumble on one possession and throw an interception on another in the first quarter.
Moore shook off those miscues to finish with 333 yards and four TDs in a 51-0 rout. He’s thrown for 727 yards, nine touchdowns and one pick in three games against the Bulldogs, who will soon play again in the same conference as their former WAC rival.
Fresno State will join Boise State in the Mountain West before next season. For now, the Broncos’ visit will make them the highest-ranked opponent to play at Bulldog Stadium.
“I think Boise State is the best team we will play and I think it will be a great challenge to our football team,” Hill said.
Getting another strong rushing performance from Robbie Rouse would boost the Bulldogs’ chances for an upset. The junior has topped 100 yards in four straight games and ranks 12th in FBS with 120.0 per contest.
Rouse had 70 yards on 17 carries in last season’s game.
Even if Rouse can’t get going, quarterback Derek Carr and Fresno State’s passing attack may be able to move the ball. Starting Broncos cornerback Jerrell Gavins, who has a team-high three interceptions, is expected to miss the rest of the season after hurting his knee in practice.
Boise State has won five in a row over the Bulldogs since a 27-7 loss at Fresno in 2005, and leads the series 9-4.
Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
UT’s Harsin relives Boise miracle as OU looms again
By MIKE FINGER, AUSTIN BUREAU
Updated 02:01 a.m., Tuesday, October 4, 2011
AUSTIN – It all just as easily could have never happened.
Without the three play calls Bryan Harsin made late on Jan. 1, 2007, one of the most memorable finishes in college football history would’ve been nothing but a wild dream. Mack Brown would’ve never developed an obsession with Boise State’s offense. And no private plane from Texas would’ve been dispatched last winter to fetch Harsin, who would’ve had to scrape by in Idaho on something less than $625,000 per year.
But almost five years after the night that changed his life, Harsin had a confession Monday. The three calls that gave him his reputation for boldness? They really weren’t bold at all.
“Those last plays were all we had,” Harsin said.
Whether there were other options in his 2007 Fiesta Bowl playbook, the ones Harsin used were good enough to beat Oklahoma. And now, as he prepares for his first Red River Rivalry experience, the Longhorns are expecting similar results.
When No. 11 UT faces No. 3 OU at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Harsin might not dial up the hook-and-lateral play that Boise State used to tie the Fiesta Bowl or the halfback pass the Broncos used to score an overtime touchdown or the Statue of Liberty handoff that won the game. But based on his first four games as the Longhorns’ play-caller, he won’t be boring, either.
So far this season, UT has had two wide receivers throw touchdown passes. The Longhorns have multiple touchdowns on direct snaps to tailbacks, and Saturday at Iowa State they scored on a play featuring two reverses and a pass.
Brown, who said Boise State’s 43-42 victory over OU “opened all our eyes” to what that style of play could accomplish, said by the time he saw that play at ISU, it no longer seemed extraordinary.
“He’s got four or five of those that he runs every day,” Brown said of Harsin, now UT’s co-offensive coordinator. “Some people have a knack for calling plays. Everybody develops a personality.”
Harsin’s was forged in part by his first matchup with OU, which the Sooners led 35-28 in the final minute. Harsin, then just a 29-year-old offensive coordinator, was faced with making a call on fourth-and-18 and time running out.
On that play, Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky fired a pass to Drisan James, who flipped the ball to Jerard Rabb for a 50-yard touchdown. In overtime, the Broncos completed the upset on Vinny Perratta’s halfback pass and Ian Johnson‘s Statue of Liberty run.
Even though he called the plays, Harsin downplays his role.
“At the time, what do you do?” Harsin said. “There’s really nothing left in the tank. You’ve got a couple of shots and opportunities there that you’ve worked on and the kids believe in. You take advantage of it. … It really came down to the players.”
Harsin didn’t know it at the time, but his future players were taking notice, too. UT wide receiverMarquise Goodwin said he knows the 2007 Fiesta Bowl “like the back of (his) hand.” He hasn’t been disappointed by his close-up view of how the trick plays come about.
“It is cool to be a part of,” Goodwin said.
Saturday, with OU again playing the foil, Harsin can help the Longhorns feel even cooler.
BSU professor’s work helps set Amanda Knox free
Posted on October 3, 2011 at 4:46 PM
Updated yesterday at 10:01 PM
BOISE — A key component of the appeal process that set Amanda Knox free began at Boise State University.
Dr. Greg Hampikian, professor of forensic biology and director of the Idaho Innocence Project, played a key role in the analysis of the DNA that was at the center of Knox’s appeal. After his team reviewed the DNA evidence Italian prosecutors used to convict Amanda Knox, he came to the conclusion that Knox was innocent.
“The DNA evidence was so clear to me that one man did this, Rudy Guede,” said Hampikian. “All of the evidence pointed to him it was so obvious. Everything in that room that had to do with the murder had his DNA on it.”
Hampikian said by chance he began looking at the DNA evidence in the Amanda Knox case two-and-a-half years ago.
“I was trying to study how DNA evidence is used in other countries, and when I looked at the data, I was appalled,” said Hampikian.
The DNA evidence in question was found on a knife, the alleged murder weapon and the only piece of evidence that tied Knox to the crime.
But after a closer look, Hampikian determined the trace amounts of Knox’s DNA found on the knife were so small, they could only be tested once. His team at the Idaho Innocence Project also determined there was no blood on the weapon.
“When the DNA comes back and tells you you are wrong, you need to let those suspects go home and they should have done that four years ago,” said Hampikian.
Hampikian said Knox’s DNA on the knife likely came for what he calls casual transfer.
“We replicated those conditions in my laboratory at Boise State University. In my lab, the team took knives from the Dollar Store. They collected coke cans from the office staff at the dean’s office, and I told them don’t change your gloves between every piece of evidence, do it between every other piece of evidence. And what happened is DNA from innocent staff people in the dean’s office got onto their gloves, got transferred to the knives, and when we swabbed the knives when we looked at those very low levels like they did in the Amanda Knox case, you start to see contamination,” said Hampikian.
The findings started the ball rolling in Italy, where authorities decided Knox’s case should get a second look. And on Monday, she was set free.
“It was quite a relief. For them it’s been hard. And for us at the Idaho Innocence Project, it’s been a lot of work, a really amazing amount of work. And I’m very glad that we got this just result,” said Hampikian.
According to its website, the Idaho Innocence Project at Boise State has helped exonerate eight wrongly convicted people all around the nation since 2005. In four of those cases, the new DNA evidence identified the actual perpetrator.
Bronco Nation lacks student support
Posted by alishagraefeMain Feature, Opinion, Opinion Main FeatureMonday, October 3rd, 2011
There are two reasons Boise State students leave football games early — the weather and the often-lopsided score.
When our fans start leaving the games at about halftime, it doesn’t reflect well on our team and hurts our chances at being picked to play in a bowl game.
Big-name people in sports look at our games every weekend and a lot of politics goes into picking teams for bowl games — part of which is who can bring the most enthusiastic and spirited fans into the stands.
The No. 4 Broncos football team has had a great season so far, winning all four of their games this season by at least 14 points. They have a great chance of making it to another bowl game this year, but for some reason, they can’t keep their student fans in the stands.
This epidemic of student fans leaving the stands in masses before the game is over isn’t new. Many home games follow a pattern, one that has repeated ever since the Broncos’ last regular-season home loss in 2001.
The fans are all excited in the beginning; the boys start winning and by the time the second half rolls around, the team is so far ahead it’s unlikely the other team will ever catch up. Given this and the oftentimes unpredictable Boise weather, it comes as no surprise that students start to exit the stadium.
“I think it’s the same for most sports and the idea is that once you reach a certain point in the game where you’re 30 points ahead, 40 points ahead your brain goes through something that says ‘they would need to score five touchdowns, they only have 30 minutes to do that, we’re one of the best teams in the nation, it’s probably not going to happen,’” said senior Sam Hall, a visual arts major. “So then people say it’s not worth my time to stay here. The opportunity cost of me staying here isn’t worth it; I’d rather do something else that is more fun.”
“I feel if it was a closer game people would stay,” said freshman Karen Gellerman.
The weather is another big reason that students leave home football games early.
“I don’t like sitting around when it’s freezing and it’s a blowout and the starters are on the bench already,” said junior Marcus Boone, a general studies major.
During the first two home games the weather shot up into the ‘90s and some students didn’t feel like sticking around through the suffocating heat. All those bodies packed together in the student section make it even hotter.
Student fans need to remember even though their tickets are free, the weather sucks and the game is a blow-out, they should still show their support and not leave early.
So next time you are out at a home Boise State football game, stay the whole time and enjoy the glory that is Boise State University football.
Student voices:
Tiara Wright, English major, Freshman.(David Wuerth/The Arbiter)
Tiara Wright, freshman English major:
“The scores (are) so different that you know the Broncos are going to win and they keep Kellen (Moore) in and it just gets boring.”
Marcus Boone, general studies major:
“I leave early because a) it’s too cold or b) it’s a blowout in the first quarter” (could add more: “I don’t like sitting around when it’s freezing and it’s a blowout and the starters are on the bench already.”)
Karen Gellerman, criminal justice major:
“Since we’re really good this year we beat teams by so many points, it’s like we’re going to win anyway.”
Megan Forsell, Business major, Freshman (David Wuerth/The Arbiter)
Megan Forsell, freshman business major:
“The older kids drink before the game and I think they’re alcohol is starting to wear off a little bit and they’re not as excited. The energy just dies down.”
Sam Hall, visual arts major:
“I leave the games early because we’re winning and don’t think they’ll lose.”
Jessica Thrasher, junior psychology major:
“In the winter time probably because it’s freezing and they can’t bear to be there anymore or they predict the outcome and they’re going to a party or something afterwards.”
Do you always stay at football games? vote here.
Last years success appears to have gone to the Wolf Packs head.
Dan Hinxman: Blame is spread equally for Nevada
BOISE, Idaho — This isn’t all on Nevada quarterback Tyler Lantrip, the first-year senior starter who hasn’t been able to consistently put points on the board. Cody Fajardo would not have fared a whole lot better against a stout Bronco defense on Saturday in a 30-10 Nevada loss at Bronco Stadium.
The Pistol was a squirt gun Saturday, robbed of ammunition by an offensive line that could not open holes and that struggled to protect its quarterbacks. It led to the sorriest offensive display for Nevada since coach Chris Ault introduced the offense in 2005.
Sure, the Pack was shut out against New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl in 2007 and lost to Notre Dame, 35-0, to open the 2009 season, but at least it sniffed the other side of the 50-yard line in those games. Nevada mustered just 50 yards on 30 plays and three first downs in the first half as the Broncos took a 20-0 lead. The Pack’s first 10 possessions ended on its side of the field, eight of those on three-and-outs.
It spoiled what was otherwise a stellar defensive effort.
Nevada could have played 10 quarters Saturday and there was never an inkling that it was going to have any offensive success. First downs should have been celebrated with the gusto of a quinceanera.
The Broncos, who last season gave up 239 rushing yards after halftime in Nevada’s 34-31 upset victory, allowed just 59 yards rushing all day.
This one is on everyone — Lantrip, the offensive line, receivers, running backs, offensive coaches, even the offensive grad assistant and the guy who cleans the offensive players’ jerseys. The team arrives in two buses, one filled with defensive players and one with offensive players. We’ll even give the driver of the offense’s bus a demerit.
It’s also apparently on Fajardo, whom Ault said after the game wasn’t working hard enough. The redshirt freshman quarterback injured his left (non-throwing) shoulder against Texas Tech last week. Ault announced before Saturday’s game that Fajardo “likely” would not play.
“I really felt like Cody could have possibly played this week, and yet there wasn’t much of an effort from his side of it,” a very frustrated Ault said.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
