The
roar of the crowds. Music blaring
through the loud speakers. The cadence
of drums in the distance. All of this
can only signify one thing: the arrival of the 2014 Boise State Broncos
football season.
After
an 8-5 campaign last year and the transfer of head coach Chris Petersen to the
University of Washington, expectations around the Treasure Valley have
certainly been tempered. Yes, new head coach Bryan Harsin has brought a lot of buzz and energy to the team, yet
expectations are nowhere near the levels of years past. This is the same program that over the last
seven years has won two Fiesta Bowls and defeated highly ranked teams such as
Oregon, Georgia, and Virginia Tech. If
attendance at the last scrimmage is to be of any indication, Boise State fans
aren’t quite ready to jump back on the Boise State bandwagon.
Coach
Harsin has brought with him a slogan of “Attack the Future”. He lived up to those words at the scrimmage
by getting plenty of situational action for the second and third team,
especially on offense. Senior Grant
Hedrick (69% completion rate, 16 TD’s, 1825 yards) returns to quarterback the
Broncos. The senior should have more
opportunities to use his legs in the running game this year. Hedrick proved to be an ideal dual threat
quarterback in certain situations last year.
It wasn’t until he became the full time starting quarterback in which
his running game was virtually taken away from him. Ryan Finley, returning from shoulder injury
last year, has shown no ill effects from the injury and appears to have locked
up the No. 2 quarterback position.
At
the skill positions, Boise State returns some of the top stat leaders to appear
in a Bronco uniform. The questions
remain as to who will provide depth at these positions. Junior Jay Ajayi (1425 yards, 18 Rushing TD’s)
returns at running back. He proved to be
durable last year, but should he fall a group of young and inexperienced
running backs waits behind him. Devan Demas
showed flashes of electricity late last year and has the inside track as the
No. 2 back.
The
same worries can be said for wide receiver.
Matt Miller (88 rec., 1140 yds., 12 TD’s) and jack-of-all trades
playmaker Shane Williams Rhodes (77, 702, 6) return as two of the top receivers
in the Mountain West. The battle for the
third receiver was on full display at the scrimmage as Coach Harsin rotated
candidates in and out during the two hour scrimmage. Troy Ware and Dallas Burroughs are two
returning players who have seen adequate playing time throughout their careers
with very little production.
The
offensive line has to replace three starters and is very young. If the limited plays during the scrimmage seem to
be any indication, the tight end position seems to be a returning part missing from the offense the last two years.
On
defense, coordinator Marcel Yates is looking to instill swagger back into a
unit that slumped mightily last year. Gone were the hard hitting days of Jeron Johnson in last years downward spiral of the defense. It didn't take long for the defense to announce their new authoritative arrival this year. On the first play from scrimmage, cornerback Jonathan Moxey delivering a bone crushing hit to receiver Thomas Sperbeck. The hit drew a penalty flag for targeting, but with that first play the tone had been set.
The defensive line lost a few players, including second round draft pick
DeMarcus Lawrence, and is looking to build depth to unit that dealt with many
injuries last year. The linebackers are
a solid group, led by top returning tackle leader Ben Weaver. It is the secondary that appears to be the
strongest unit on this defense. Both safeties return, as do five players at the cornerback position that saw significant playing time last year. Also waiting in the wings is four star
recruit and true freshman Dylan Sumner Gardner.
With
all these unknowns heading into the season, the die-hard fans showed up for the
scrimmage and rose to their feet as the Broncos raced from the tunnel. The crowd roared and showed their
appreciation to the hometown team. The
roar subsided to a mere applause until Bryan Douglas took the opening kick of
the scrimmage and returned it for a touchdown.
Through the yelling and screaming of joy, one thing was for
certain: Football was back and the fall atmosphere
was here to stay
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