Friday, October 16, 2009.

I've said this before, but Boise State did not ask to be ranked No. 5, nor did its fans. And that's what's so interesting when you hear the discontent nationally about the Broncos' ranking--people thinking Boise has a sense of entitlement, trying to force itself into the conversation. The BSU team has just gone about its business, refusing to be baited into the debate. It was the pollsters who started the Broncos so high going into the Oregon game, jumped them way up after the victory over the Ducks, and bumped them up bit by bit as teams ahead of them in the rankings lost. And now the salvos are fired at BSU and its fans, as if they're "demanding" to be included. Naw, they were just enjoying the ride, although sometimes these days the national publicity is about as much fun as the old road up White Bird Hill. The first BCS rankings of the season come out Sunday afternoon. Hoo boy.

I found two different takes on BSU's 28-21 win at Tulsa Wednesday night from Oklahoma columnists. John Rohde in the Daily Oklahoman, one of the primary papers covering the Oklahoma Sooners, wrote, "This year's Boise State team is not as stout as the gang that beat Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime at the Fiesta Bowl three seasons ago. Despite inconsistent play throughout the season, Boise State has managed to remain unscathed. Barely."

John Klein in the Tulsa World acknowledged Tulsa's sudden comeback in the fourth quarter, but put it in perspective. "It was a dramatic end to what was for much of the game a dominating performance by Boise State. 'The third quarter was difficult for us,' said Golden Hurricane coach Todd Graham. 'But, they have a great defense. You have to give them credit. They were on the road and in a hostile environment.' Tulsa played with poise, it didn't have a turnover, but it got pushed around up front. Boise ran for 193 yards and passed for 187. At times, it was a clinic on how to run an effective offense."

Here's a possible new role for Boise State wide receivers Tyler Shoemaker and Austin Pettis. How about "sideline trick play recognizers?" If you flash back to the Blue & Orange Game that ended spring football in April, you'll recall that the duo burned the Bronco defense with an 85-yard reverse pass for the winning touchdown--Pettis throwing and Shoemaker catching. This has happened to the BSU secondary a couple times when it counts during the regular season, including the 53-yard TD Tulsa pulled off with the same play in the first quarter Wednesday. Maybe Shoemaker and Pettis can watch formations and motions...and yell "Stay home! Stay home!"

Idaho tries to get all-important win No. 6 tomorrow when it hosts Hawaii in the Kibbie Dome. A sixth win would make the Vandals bowl-eligible, but not necessarily bowl-guaranteed. They'd want a seventh win to be comfortable. The WAC only has three guaranteed bowl spots--and one of them, the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, goes to Hawaii if the Warriors are eligible. Idaho can help put the Warriors on the fast track to staying home for Christmas with a victory tomorrow. Even so, if Boise State were to stumble somewhere along the way this season, the Broncos would likely have to take one of the three WAC bowl berths. That would leave the Vandals jockeying with, say, Nevada and Fresno State for the other two spots. It would be tough for a 6-6 Idaho team to get a bowl invite if it wasn't guaranteed.

It's hard to find anything compelling in the WAC tomorrow beyond the Idaho-Hawaii game. Nevada should run all over Utah State. Fresno State should run all over San Jose State. And Louisiana Tech should run all over New Mexico State. A running theme here? All three favorites have rushing attacks that are poised to overwhelm their struggling opponents. And all three favorites can even their records at 3-3 with victories.

A bye week has done wonders for Green Bay's Swiss cheese pass protection, as left tackle Chad Clifton appears to be ready to return to the lineup. That means former Boise State star Daryn Colledge can return to his natural position, left guard, after getting spun around routinely by the Vikings' Jared Allen on Monday Night Football a week and a half ago. Hopes are suddenly high again for the Packers' offensive line. "I think everybody has a chip," Colledge said in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. "We all feel we haven't played up to our potential. Potential is a scary word, but we feel like we've left a lot out there that we haven't gotten done." The Pack hosts the Detroit Lions Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Time flies. When the puck drops tonight in Qwest Arena, Derek Laxdal will begin his fifth season as head coach for the Idaho Steelheads. Laxdal is 169-91-28 in the regular season, with the Steelheads winning 40 games each of his first four campaigns. The Steelies had 44 wins last season, a club record in the ECHL era. But it's the postseason where things get dicey. The Steelheads won the Kelly Cup championship in Laxdal's second season but have been ushered out of the playoffs with first-round sweeps the past two years. The regular season will be fun this fall and winter with expectations high for the Steelies, but part of the drama will be delayed until spring.

Rejean Beauchemin is expected to get the start between the pipes tonight for the Steelheads. Last season, the 24-year-old Winnipeg native was second-fiddle to Matt Climie, but his role increased as the season progressed, especially when Climie got his NHL call with the Dallas Stars. Beauchemin was 17-11-3 for the Steelheads in 2008-09, with a goals-against average of 2.64, a career-best. Both Steelies netminders logged wins in the exhibition games last weekend against Utah. Richard Bachman went the distance last Friday, allowing three goals (two of them on power plays). Beauchemin was in net last Saturday, stopping 18 of 20 Grizzlies shots.

Former Boise Hawk John Lackey may not be consciously positioning himself for the free agent market this off-season, but the Angels star is being handed a hot stage to display his wares. Lackey already has one impressive start under his belt in the playoffs, pitching 7 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-0 L.A. win in Game 1 of the American League Division Series last week. That was the first postseason win by the 6-6 righthander since he became the first rookie in 93 years to win a Game 7 of the World Series in 2002 against the Giants. Tonight Lackey takes the mound at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the ALCS, and it's a marquee matchup, as he goes against the Yanks' C.C. Sabathia.

This Day In Sports...October 16, 1962:

Second baseman Bobby Richardson catches Willie McCovey's wicked line drive with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the winning runs in scoring position, as the New York Yankees hold on to beat the San Francisco Giants in the seventh game of the World Series, 1-0. I was in a sixth grade classroom in the Bay Area, where everything had shut down to watch or listen to the drama. That day, there was indeed crying in baseball.

(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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