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Thursday, November 5, 2015.
The Mountain West week begins tonight when Nevada faces Fresno State at Bulldog Stadium. Does it have you reflecting on interrupted rivalries, especially with Boise State off this week? Unfortunately, the Broncos play neither this year nor next due to the conference’s divisional rotation. This is the first season since 2000 Boise State and the Wolf Pack haven’t met in a rivalry that dates back to 1971. It’s also the first year since 2000 without a Bronco-Bulldog game. BSU and Nevada have played a litany of classic games—a list too long to detail. Last year’s wasn’t too bad, a 51-46 Bronco victory in Reno. Boise State-Fresno State became an instant rivalry in 2001 when the upstart Broncos stunned the No. 8 Bulldogs in Fresno. The Pack and the ‘Dogs have been marginal at best this season, though.
As long as Boise State is in the Mountain West—and as long as the league has divisions—there are going to be gaps in the series versus Nevada and Fresno State. But we can now say that Utah State can fill that void. Hey, these two teams still play every year. On Friday morning, October 16, I wrote that the Bronco-Aggie matchup is a “game that’s not quite a rivalry. What would it take to become one? A USU upset.” Well, it happened in a thunderous way that night with the Aggies’ 52-26 rout. Sometime about four months from now the 2016 Mountain West schedule will be released, including Utah State’s date in Albertsons Stadium. I’d be surprised if it’s not circled on the calendar by players and fans alike.
For its part, Boise State is positively recharging during its only bye week of the season. “You can’t win the bye week if you don’t win the week before,” defensive tackle Sam McCaskill said of the Broncos’ focus going into the UNLV victory last Saturday. After games in nine straight weeks, players are welcoming this break, and coaches are relishing the opportunity to hit the recruiting trail hard. Boise State is also able to spend some quality time preparing for two funky triple-option offenses it’ll face when New Mexico and Air Force visit the blue turf the next two weeks.
How much healing is going on during the bye week remains to be seen. Tanner Vallejo might be ready to go against New Mexico a week from Saturday. There are no updates on the Broncos who have been out long-term but are expected to return. The first major injury was to Ryan Finley in mid-September. Coach Bryan Harsin said at the time Finley would be out “about eight weeks” with a broken bone in his ankle. That would time his return for the game against the Lobos, but it’s not a time to upset the Brett Rypien apple cart. Dylan Sumner-Gardner was hurt a week later at Virginia, also with a broken bone in his ankle. No timeline was initially given on DSG, though. And Donte Deayon’s rehab from a “knee cleanup” procedure was tabbed at four weeks. The New Mexico game will mark four weeks since Deayon’s last appearance at Utah State, but that may be a bit early.
Washington football is taking fewer shots and is receiving more props in the national media. The Huskies are looking resurgent as they prepare for Utah Saturday. ESPN staff writer Adam Rittenberg zeroes in on a former Boise State player who spent two stints totaling 17 seasons on the Broncos’ coaching staff. Writes Rittenberg: “Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has done the best job of reloading a group that lost so many stars, but Washington defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is a close second. Washington lost three All-Americans (Danny Shelton, Shaq Thompson and Hau’oli Kikaha) but leads the Pac-12 in both scoring defense and red zone defense. Linebacker Travis Feeney and others have filled the voids. The Huskies are not a league title contender but could shape the race down the stretch before a big 2016 season.”
After Capital High’s Friday night 5A playoff game against Mountain View, Eagles coach Todd Simis will be heading down I-84, no doubt. His son, Makena, will be suited up for Montana when it faces Idaho State Saturday in Holt Arena. The younger Simis was lights-out in his first start two weeks ago, with six touchdown passes against North Dakota. The Grizzlies’ trip to Portland State last Saturday was sobering, though, as Simis was just 15-of-36 for 134 yards with three interceptions in a 35-16 loss. He did gain 102 yards rushing, but five sacks clipped his net yardage on the ground to 62. Montana has won nine straight against the Bengals and leads the series 42-13. ISU’s last win over the Griz was a 43-40 double overtime victory in 2003.
How much credibility does Dick Vitale still have at the tender age of 76? Not that a 76-year-old shouldn’t have credibility. From ESPN.com comes “Dickie V’s Too Early Tournament Field.” “Clip and save this, baby!” exclaims Vitale. “I am sure fans will remind me how I did at the end of the season!” Vitale has scribbled down his first field of 68 for the 2016 NCAA Tournament, and he has two Mountain West teams making the field, San Diego State and Boise State. That sounds credible He has Montana representing the Big Sky. That’s a trap game right out of the gate for the Broncos, just eight days away in Missoula. Boise State’s exhibition game is tomorrow night against Northwest University in Taco Bell Arena.
The Idaho Stampede didn’t even make it to the season opener before they had their first NBA call-up of the season, as Phil Pressey has signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. The former Missouri standout was, in effect, being stashed in Boise by Utah after the Jazz waived him last week, but he was still available to any other NBA club, and the Sixers came calling. Pressey, who has played in 125 NBA games, was in training camp this fall with the Portland Trail Blazers, for whom he scored 4.8 points per game in four preseason contests.
Atlanta bookended three first-period goals and two in the final period around four Idaho Steelheads tallies for a 5-4 win in CenturyLink Arena last night. The game-winner came off the stick of the Gladiators’ Derek Nesbitt, who scored in his fifth straight game. Does that name ring a bell? Nesbitt, now 33 years old, was a key part of the Steelies’ 2007 Kelly Cup championship team, scoring 81 points in 66 games. He added 18 points in the playoffs. Nesbitt’s goal last night chased Steelheads netminder Eric Hartzell midway through the third period. Philippe Desrosiers went the rest of the way and faced only two shots, rejecting both. The Steelheads and Atlanta meet again tomorrow night and Saturday night.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by BBSI…partners in profitability.
November 5, 1988: The Miami Heat play their first game in franchise history. The moribund L.A. Clippers were Miami’s Opening Night opponent, but it didn’t matter as the Heat were blown out, 111-91. The Heat would go on to lose their first 17 games before finally breaking through with their first victory on December 17—against the Clippers. Miami would go 15-67 in that first season.
(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 93.1 The Ticket. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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