Friday, November 16, 2007.

So what about the guts of the 37th Bronco-Vandal game tomorrow? If Boise State can stop the run, which it has been very good at doing the past three games, things could fall right into place for the Broncos. BSU yielded just 89 rushing yards to Fresno State, 50 to San Jose State, and 82 last Saturday at Utah State. The Broncos could very well stack the box, zero in on Deonte Jackson, and take their chances from there. Idaho’s best shot lies in forcing turnovers—lots of them. It’s possible; the Vandals just have to hang onto the ball themselves. They still have a bizarre turnover ratio, leading the WAC in takeaways with 25…and leading the WAC in giveaways with a staggering 29, almost three per game. Idaho would need an out-of-character Taylor Tharp, as the Boise State senior quarterback has been taking tremendous care of the ball.

We may see Tharp scan the field tomorrow, find Stanley Franks, and go the other way. That’s been happening lot this fall to the Idaho senior cornerback who last year tied for the Division I-A lead in interceptions with nine. Franks only has one pick this season for five yards. Shiloh Keo has benefited from teams ignoring Franks—Keo leads the Vandals with four interceptions. The Broncos will also be paying attention to the location of linebacker David Vobora, but it might not matter much in Vobora’s box score line. Idaho’s defensive leader always finds the play and has racked up 124 tackles this season, first in the WAC and second in the nation.

Every time you see Idaho highlights on TV these days, No. 18 seems to fly across the screen, be it on a touchdown catch or a reverse. That’s Eddie Williams, the do-all tight end who Boise State coach Chris Petersen says would fit perfectly in his team’s offensive scheme. The junior from San Mateo, CA, is listed as a tight end, but he’ll line up in the slot and at wide receiver. And Williams runs well for a 6-1, 249-pound guy, having rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns. He’s caught 25 passes for 317 yards and three scores. Williams puts spice into a Vandal offense that looks to unleash a lot of it tomorrow.

Petersen isn’t asked about it much locally, because you always know what answer you’re going to get. Is it any different nationally? Not really. The BSU coach was on The Herd yesterday on ESPN Radio and was asked about the UCLA job, which could come open sooner rather than later. Said Pete: “I’ve always been different in that whole job thing,” while extolling the virtues of living in Boise and being involved in the Broncos’ evolution. Cowherd asked him if he would just flat-out say no, and Petersen said, “I don’t say forever about anything.” But he reiterated that he sees himself here for a long time. Meanwhile, Petersen’s been named to the watch list for the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

Warning: Sugar Bowl-coated distraction in the house tomorrow. If the Broncos let it be, anyway. The executive director of the New Orleans game, Paul Hoolahan, will be perched high above the blue turf tomorrow after watching Hawaii play at Nevada tonight. Hoolahan will scout Boise State just in case the Broncos 1) win out; 2) rise enough in the BCS standings to be eligible for a BCS bowl, and 3) are, therefore, the only at-large team left for the Sugar Bowl to take. BSU hosted two bowl executives in one night last November, as the Fiesta and Orange Bowls were represented at the Fresno State game. They weren’t a distraction, nor was ESPN, as the Broncos beat the Bulldogs, 45-21.

Well, Colt Brennan has gone from questionable to probable to out, and back to “gametime decision” for tonight’s game at Nevada. According to this morning’s Honolulu Advertiser, doctors actually have not yet cleared him to play. An ESPN report yesterday that Brennan would not play was later retracted by the network. There are many people worried about the record-smashing quarterback, inside and outside the Islands, after he was nailed by Fresno State’s Marcus Riley last Saturday and suffered a concussion. Brennan or no Brennan, the Wolf Pack could use help from its fans tonight—and probably won’t get it. About 22,000 fans are expected at Mackay Stadium at a game that deserves a sellout. And a chunk of those will be rooting for Hawaii.

Former BSU star Quintin Mikell filled Brian Dawkins starting spot while the Philadelphia All-Pro missed six games with a neck injury. Dawkins returned last week, but Mikell stayed in the lineup at the other safety spot as the most notable season of his five-year NFL career continues. Mikell had eight tackles and a forced fumble in the Eagles’ 33-25 win at Washington last Sunday. His enhanced status has also made him quotable in Philly, and he passionately defended embattled Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb this week. “(People question) Donovan's heart?" Q-Mike asked. "He had a hernia in his stomach (in 2005). He played his butt off through that. I consider myself a pretty tough guy. I'm not throwing the ball. I know when you throw, you've got to use your abs. He played through that stuff. I wouldn't do it. He's got heart. He'll fight, he'll go 'til the death, you know?”

If only for perception’s sake, tonight’s game at Montana State is an important road test for Boise State. The Broncos played at Montana early last season, 0-3 on the road at the time. They really needed to show some road moxie, especially against a decent Big Sky team, but they fell 62-58. Tonight in Bozeman, BSU takes on the Bobcats, who were 10-18 last season but are coming off an 18-point win over Long Beach State. This is an early chance for the Broncos to see what they’re made of after the second half fade against No. 9 Washington State. If it was a year from now, they’d be able to take the 15th ranked junior college player in the country with them. Coach Greg Graham yesterday announced the signing of 6-7 guard Robert Arnold out of Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, CA.

The 21st annual Duane Wolfe Golden Rule Shootout, one of the best-run basketball tournaments you’ll see, unfolds tonight at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. The College of Idaho has Willamette tonight and Westminster tomorrow night. After starting the season 0-2, the Coyotes appear to be catching fire after sweeping Montana-Western and Montana Tech at the Quinn Classic last weekend in La Grande and getting the big comeback win in Tuesday night’s exhibition against NNU in the Idaho Center.

Idaho Stampede training camp continues, with one week left before the season opener at Albuquerque. The team’s roster was trimmed to 12 yesterday, with lower-round D-League draft picks Dwaun Rice, Tim Jennings and Marlon London released. That means former BSU standout Jason Ellis, the Stamps’ sixth-round selection, remains on the roster. The Stampede faces the Utah Flash in an exhibition game Monday night in Burley.

The Idaho Steelheads are coming to realize two things about a couple of their rookies: Mike Sullivan can score a lot, and Mark Bomersback can do more than just score. Sullivan had his second straight two-goal game Wednesday night in the victory over Utah, and Bomersback, the Steelheads’ leading goal-scorer, got a major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct with nine seconds left in the game. The other primary combatant, Utah forward Justin Bourne, instigated the fight and has been suspended for tonight’s rematch in Qwest Arena for doing that during the last five minutes of the game. Look for more chippiness in Downtown Boise.

This Day In Sports…November 16, 1996:

In one of the most emotional games in Boise State history, cancer-stricken Pokey Allen returns to the sidelines to lead the Broncos against New Mexico State in Las Cruces. BSU was struggling with a school record eight-game losing streak, but three Tony Hilde-to-Ryan Ikebe touchdown passes—the last with less than a minute left—gave Pokey his first and only victory as a Division I-A football coach. The cancer would claim his life a month and a half later.

(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 1350 KTIK/The Ticket. He also handles color commentary on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football.)

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