Wednesday, September 13, 2006.

Finally, Boise State faces a team whose calling card is defense. In Wyoming, they’re billing Saturday’s game as “one of the nation’s top defenses against one of the NCAA’s top offenses”. BSU will be dealing with a Cowboy defense that is coming off a stellar effort at Virginia. The Pokes held the Cavaliers to a scant 202 yards in the 13-12 overtime loss. Wyo’s “D” has not allowed a touchdown in regulation this season, while the Bronco unit has yielded only one. Could there be a defensive struggle in the Laramie wind? Probably not. You get the sense that the BSU offense is supremely confident and still has some tasty morsels sitting on the shelf.

The Pokes offense is already starting to find itself in the post-Bramlet era, with coach Joe Glenn getting the balance back in the attack. Casey and Cody Bramlet have moved on now after quarterbacking the Cowboys the last six years. Jacob Doss is the new QB, and he has Wyoming averaging 386 yards a game. It’s getting 195 of that on the ground behind the running back tandem of Wynel Seldon and Devin Moore. It should be noted that the Cowboys gained 60 of their 313 yards at Virginia on a couple of fake punts, a tactic the Broncos witnessed last week on the blue. Joe Glenn is rolling the dice this year—one of the fakes was from Wyoming’s own 15-yard-line. It gained 31 yards.

There are fewer “ors” on the Boise State depth chart for the Wyoming game. Senior Dennis Ellis, despite an adventurous game against Oregon State that included some offside penalties, has taken the starting spot at defensive tackle ahead of Phillip Edwards. And outside linebacker Kyle Gingg has risen to the proverbial occasion and is now listed as the starter ahead of David Shields. Still marked a starter at tight end is Eagle senior Derek Schouman, whom coach Chris Petersen hopes will be on the field in Laramie. Schouman’s ailing hamstring kept him out of the Oregon State game, but the “backup committee” performed well (that would be Ryan Putnam, Jared Hunter, Richie Brockel, Chris O’Neill and Julian Hawkins).

This must be the last “watch list” to be finalized, but maybe it comes out at a good time—a couple weeks into the season when we know who’s hot. Boise State punter Kyle Stringer is definitely that, and he’s on the Ray Guy Award watch list for the nation’s best punter in 2006. After two games, Stringer is tied for fourth in the country with a 48-yard average. All nine of his boots have been at the 50-yard mark, give-or-take—the average comes down because of a short-field kick versus Oregon State. Stringer is making good on his vow to erase the memory of last season’s down year (for him), when he notched 41½ yards per punt. The senior from Humble, TX, averaged just under 44 as a sophomore. Stringer’s one guy who’s not going to mind elevation 7200 in Laramie Saturday.

A lot has happened since Idaho and Idaho State last played each other in football in 1998. At that time, after the Vandals blasted the Bengals 43-0 and 52-3 in consecutive years, the series was discontinued. Tom Walsh was ISU coach back then and left following two sour seasons. You may have heard Colin Cowherd on KTIK roasting the Raiders for pulling Walsh out of a bed-and-breakfast in Swan Valley, Idaho, and bringing him back as offensive coordinator. At any rate, Larry Lewis has stabilized the upset-minded Bengals, in his eighth season since succeeding Walsh. And Dennis Erickson is now looking to stabilize the Vandals after 39 losses in their last 50 games.

You would think Saturday’s Fresno State-Washington game in Seattle would be a statement opportunity for the Bulldogs. After all, they’re tackling a BCS opponent—again—coming off a narrow defeat to another one, the 31-24 loss to Oregon. And their dream of BCS bowl isn’t entirely dead. Fresno State’s stumble came early against a worthy opponent, and TCU, Boise State and whomever could still stub their toes. But the other Dawgs are the ones who can actually make a statement Saturday. The Huskies are anxious to prove that they’re on the road back under Tyrone Willingham and haven’t quite done that yet, with a narrow win over San Jose State and a thumping at the hands of Oklahoma. An upset of the Bulldogs, a strong and nationally-visible foe, would be the tonic.

A check on defending Albertson’s Boise Open champion Greg Chalmers as the 17th edition of the Nationwide Tour event prepares for tomorrow morning’s teeoff. Chalmers has played 22 PGA Tour events this season and has generally struggled—he’s made the cut only eight times, with his best finish a tie for 32nd. The 12th-year Australian pro is currently 197th on the tour money list. Chalmers beat Danny Ellis with a birdie on the first playoff hole in the Boise Open last September for his first American victory.

With Bobby Abreu tearing it up for the Yankees since his trade from the Phillies (hey, he only had seven RBIs last night), it’s amazing that for Boise Hawk Aaron Guiel is still on the Yanks roster. Last night he got an at-bat in mopup time of a 12-4 rout of the Devil Rays, subbing for Johnny Damon in centerfield. In fact, Guiel has played in eight games so far in September and is hitting over .300 for the month. So maybe he can stick for the postseason. That would be pretty good fortune for a guy who was cut loose around Memorial Day by the worst team in baseball, the Kansas City Royals. Guiel was picked up by the Yankees around the 4th of July when injuries to Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui were starting to take their toll on the Yanks outfield.

This Day In Sports…September 13, 1986:

A creative gimmick makes its debut at Bronco Stadium. One that has become a signature of one of the most-recognizable sports venues in the country. Boise State played its first game on blue turf, annihilating Division II Humboldt State, 74-0. The Broncos went on to their first losing season at 5-6, and it would be 11 years before the rest of the nation saw the blue turf on national TV in the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl. But now, after years of ESPN exposure, “the blue” has become a calling card for the university and the city.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on ESPN Radio 1350 KTIK.)

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