4 things Kellen Moore did well last night in his NFL debut:

1. He got on the radar. Tweets from Michael Irvin, favorable comments from Jerry Jones and the entire NFL Network post game crew and tons of media reviews and positive feedback. This kinda buzz helps convince other NFL teams of his value. So, if the Cowboys let him go again, and I don’t think that will happen for a few years, other NFL teams will come calling. He can be now seen as a solution, fan favorite and media darling. They all want to root for a small left handed QB.
2. He showed poise. How a QB handles the huddle, adjustments at the line of scrimmage and making quick decisions is key to gaining your teammates confidence. He was comfortable and looked the part. He continued to make tough throws even though he had 2 horrible interceptions.
3. He distributed the ball. One problem, amongst many, the cowboys have had is not getting the ball to its wide receivers. Kellen changed all that with throws to all 3 Dallas Wr’s and really targeted Dez Bryant to keep him happy. Players like that. Offensive lineman will like the fact he gets rid of the ball fast so they don’t have to hold their pass blocks as long as well.
4. His mistakes were correctable. If he gets more game experience. He doesn’t just heave the ball into the middle of the field on his first interception if he isn’t so desperate to get the ball to Bryant. He has taken care of that now. He knows he has to get rid of the ball sooner when looking for crossing routes across the middle in the red zone.

He rarely makes the same mistake twice.

He will not need to throw Hail Mary’s if the team scores more early. Which I think they can if he is the starter. I think he will vs Buffalo at 11am next Sunday.

4 things Boise State must do to beat Northern Illinois:

1. Do not turnover the ball more than 1 or 2 times. And make sure that happens deep in NIU territory. When Boise State loses games it almost always loses the turnover battle. The exception was the Air Force loss this year where Boise State won 4-0 in turnovers but lost 37-30.
2. Beat man coverage and handle the blitz. NIU doesn’t bring as much pressure as other defenses Boise State has played. They play a lot of man and base fronts ala UNLV, Hawaii and Virginia. When they do bring blitz pressures, Rypien has proven he can read it and the wide receivers must catch 50-50 balls. The return of Shane Williams Rhodes is huge because he is dependable and has such great yards after the catch. This team needs that desperately.
3. The defense must dominate. They have to give the offense short fields, turnovers and tons of chances. This is a fragile team facing a hostile opponent in an empty stadium. The NIU QB Graham is fighting a leg injury, rust and being 3^rd team. Make him beat you, stack the line of scrimmage and force 3 and outs.
4. Play with passion. These seniors committed to a winning program that won bowl games on the biggest stages. All of these seniors know what the loss to Oregon State in 2013 felt like when they were distracted, playing a so –so opponent in front of an half empty stadium. Oregon State had lost 5 straight games and still dominated Boise State. Boise State was down 38-6 half way into the 3^rd quarter and had allowed 2 turnovers for touchdowns. They lost 38-23 and were never in the game. Lesson learned? Leadership counts and they need to will this team to a very important win.