Tuesday, November 27, 2007.

A week from now the smoke will have cleared. The Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl has the inside track on Boise State, but anything can happen in the next seven days, and only Karl Benson might know for sure. On the WAC’s weekly conference call yesterday, the commissioner said he’s looking to “create the best possible situation for BSU”, but that might be in the H-Bowl, since it features an ACC team (probably Maryland). Benson hasn’t ruled out the Las Vegas Bowl or some other mystery location, saying, “There’s always deals to be made.”

On Idaho SportsTalk yesterday, Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl executive director Kevin McDonald said, “It’s going to come down to matchup.” And he called Maryland deceivingly good despite its 6-6 record. The Terrapins were beset by injuries in midseason when they hit the skids, but they’re relatively healthy now—witness their 37-0 waxing of North Carolina State last Saturday. McDonald said Georgia Tech and Florida State aren’t out of the question yet, though. The Yellow Jackets wouldn’t be that attractive to higher bowls considering the coaching tumult created by the firing of Chan Gailey yesterday, which may send them here. If two ACC teams go to BCS bowls (unlikely), leaving no ACC representative for the H-Bowl, McDonald is looking at schools like South Carolina, Michigan State and Purdue, who could be left out after the SEC and Big 10 bids are handed out.

Chris Petersen’s name will no longer be thrown around in association with the Texas A&M job, filled yesterday by Mike Sherman. But it will be with Nebraska’s until Bill Callahan’s replacement is determined. And various others. Petersen repeated one of his mantras yesterday: “You never say never.” But he repeated another as well: “From the bottom of my heart, I love it here, and I don’t see myself going anyplace else.” The BSU coach said he expects many of his assistants to get feelers from other schools and won’t stand in the way of any coach trying to advance his career. Amazingly, only one member of his staff took a new job after the Fiesta Bowl season (offensive line coach Sean Kugler to the Buffalo Bills).

Petersen revealed yesterday that Tad Miller’s college football career could be over. The four-year starter at left guard tore two knee ligaments in the first quarter at Hawaii. Miller, the former Bishop Kelly star who has started all 50 games of his four-year career, would be replaced by fellow senior Pete Cavender in the Broncos’ bowl game. The status of cornerback and kick returner Rashaun Scott, who also injured a knee in Aloha Stadium, is uncertain. But starting corner Orlando Scandrick will wrap up his dislocated thumb and likely play in the bowl. The Broncos still expect to have freshman safety Jeron Johnson and freshman running back D.J. Harper for the postseason. Johnson, who suffered a tailbone injury in the win over Idaho, was sorely missed in the loss at Hawaii.

A couple wraps from the BSU-Hawaii game last Friday—going unnoticed but worth noticing: Hawaii’s kneel-down at the end of the game. Sean McDonough noted on the ESPN2 telecast at the moment that it would be an appropriate show of respect to the outgoing champion. And I’ll be darned if June Jones didn’t do it. Also, players from the championship game swept WAC Player of the Week honors. Hawaii’s Colt Brennan got the award on offense and the Warriors’ Solomon Elimimian on defense, and Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman got the nod on special teams. Brotzman would have set a school record for punting average with one more attempt; he had 55½ yards per punt, including a 71-yarder, longest in the WAC this year. The freshman from Meridian also connected on his 14th and 15th field goals and is 61-for-61 on extra points this season.

You’d have to guess that Hawaii is still interested in Mountain View graduate Jake Bower as a possible successor to Colt Brennan next year. Bower, who will have three years of Division I-A eligibility if he transfers this winter, led Bakersfield College to a 48-45 double-overtime win over College of the Canyons Saturday, leading a last-minute comeback in regulation and throwing for 364 yards in the SoCal JC semi-finals. Bakersfield will take on Mt. San Antonio in the Southern California JC championship game. Mt. SAC includes former Boise State wide receiver Aiona Key, who didn’t qualify academically this season after gaining fame with the game-changing punt that hit the back of his calf in the Fiesta Bowl. Key has 57 catches for 830 yards and 15 touchdowns in 11 games.

Fresno State did favors for many last Saturday with its 45-29 conquest of Kansas State at Bulldog Stadium. Not only did the Bulldogs cement a winning season after last year’s 4-8 debacle, they gave the WAC its first win over a BCS school this season after 15 losses. The Fresno State victory also knocked the Wildcats out of the bowl picture and ensured former BSU coach Dan Hawkins a bowl berth in his second season at Colorado. The most likely destination right now appears to be Tempe and the Insight Bowl, and a possible date with Indiana.

The Buffaloes improved from 2-10 to 6-6, leading Hawk to reflect: “Everybody is kind of going, 'OK, we got our teeth drilled with no Novacaine. That happens sometimes, but let's not do that two years in a row.'" Hawkins put up some big points in his BSU days—77 against San Jose State in 2003, 70 versus Idaho in 2005, 69 against Hawaii in 2004, 67 versus Fresno State in 2002. But the 65 his Buffs laid on Nebraska last Saturday had to really push Hawk’s fun-o-meter.

Almost exactly 10 years after he bolted Boise State on a private plane in the middle of the night, Houston Nutt is out as coach at Arkansas. But he’s in at Mississippi, according to ESPN.com. Officially, Nutt resigned yesterday, but the Razorback fans had become so polarized over him he had no choice, even with last Saturday’s triple-overtime upset of top-ranked LSU. Nutt reportedly reached agreement on a contract with Ole Miss last night. Even though he’s not part of BSU’s Koetter-Hawkins-Petersen coaching brotherhood, Nutt has to get credit for bringing the Broncos’ mindset out of the doldrums following the death of Pokey Allen. He finished his one-year stint at BSU a decade ago with a turning point overtime win at Idaho, the Broncos’ first victory in Moscow in 16 years.

The Idaho Stampede are ramping up for their home opener Friday night in Qwest Arena. But first they take on the L.A. D-Fenders in Staples Center tonight, a preliminary to the Lakers game against the Sonics. There’ll be several “old home” opportunities, as Stampede forward Jason Ellis hopes to catch up with his former Boise State teammate, Coby Karl. Who knows—Karl might be a member of the D-Fenders by the time the game tips off. He’s been sitting at the end of the Lakers bench all season, playing just four minutes total and scoring two points. Stampede coach Bryan Gates will also be able to stick around tonight and catch Sonics backup center Mouhamed Sene, the 6-11 project who was assigned to Idaho for awhile last winter, and might be again.

This Day In Sports…November 27, 2004:

With six inches of snow having been cleared off the field at Mackay Stadium, and Boise State fans literally outnumbering Wolf Pack fans, the Broncos proceed to pummel the Wolf Pack 58-21 to complete their first undefeated season. Jared Zabransky threw for three touchdowns and BSU scored three more on the ground to set a season rushing TD record with 46, as the Broncos notched their third straight WAC championship.

(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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