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Wednesday Weekly…July 16, 2025.
It’s Boise State’s last go-round at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas, and this morning, for the last time, the Broncos were picked to win the conference crown. It’s nothing new, though, as it’s the 18th consecutive year Boise State has been picked to win its league or division, as the case may be. The run dates back to the WAC (where the Broncos won eight titles in their 10 years in the conference). The last time they weren’t the pick was in 2007, when Hawaii got the nod. And that poll was correct—that’s the year the Rainbow Warriors made the Sugar Bowl.
‘MAD DOG’ MAKES THE GRADE
Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen isn’t at Mountain West Media Days this week, but he’s getting plenty of run down there. The guy who was buried on the depth chart three years ago, jumped ahead of Taylen Green two years ago, and debunked the assumption that Malachi Nelson would be the guy last year, is a mild surprise as preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. Coach Spencer Danielson was interviewed by Zach Gelb on Infinity Sports Network last week. “He’s a quiet, calm, just cutthroat competitor,” said Danielson of Madsen. “He’s a guy you want on your team if you’re out playing chess, or checkers, or throwin’ cornhole.” Ashton Jeanty or no Ashton Jeanty, Danielson gives Madsen the kudos for the Boise State offense preventing sacks and interceptions last season.
BRONCOS DOT THE ALL-MW DOCKET
Madsen was one of a conference-high 10 Broncos named to the preseason All-Mountain West team this morning. Leading the rest of the list is edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan, who was beaten out by San Diego State’s Trey White for preseason MW Defensive Player of the Year honors. This will be an interesting season for Virgin-Morgan. He benefitted by the attention paid to Ahmed Hassanein last year, as Hassanein’s sacks dropped to 9.5 from 12.5 in 2023. Virgin-Morgan logged 10.0 sacks last year—second in the Mountain West and 15th in the nation. The only guy in the conference above him? White. So maybe the question is, who will be the beneficiary of the attention paid to JVM this season? It could be a breakout year for Max Stege, the German whose football IQ should be peaking now.
WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED?
What a difference a year makes at Mountain West Media Days. One year ago, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty went to Las Vegas and held his own press conference at a different hotel because he wasn’t 21 yet. And he was that much in demand, even before he rushed for the second-most yards in college football history. Now Jeanty lives there, and tomorrow, while media and selected players and coaches do their thing at Circa Sports, he’ll be walking onto the training camp field for the first time as a Las Vegas Raider. That will be a serious distraction. Also a year ago, the 12 football teams in the Mountain West were moseying along as members of what billed itself as the top Group of 5 conference. Two months later, five of them bolted for the rebuilding Pac-12, and there hasn’t been peace in the valley since.
LAWRENCE’S LONGEVITY
As NFL training camps open this week, a post by a site called SuperWest Sports pointed something out to me. When DeMarcus Lawrence takes the field for the Seattle Seahawks this season, he’ll become the second-longest tenured NFL player in Boise State history. Lawrence, who joined the Seahawks after 11 standout years with the Dallas Cowboys, is entering his 12th NFL season. That will be two short of the record-holder, Kimo von Oelhoffen, who played 14 seasons, most of them for the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers from 1994-2007. Lawrence is currently tied with Orlando Scandrick, Quintin Mikell and—with a nod to the glory days of junior college football—Pro Football Hall of Famer Dave Wilcox, who all played 11 NFL seasons.
A VANDAL ON THE VERGE
The Athletic has picked one player from each NFL team “who has breakout potential and could become more of a household name this season.” And for Atlanta, it’s none other than former Idaho Vandal Kaden Elliss, who’s going into his seventh NFL season already. Writer Josh Kendall thinks Elliss may be the Falcons’ “most impactful pass rusher.” In fact, he leads the NFL in the percentage of times he’s pressured the quarterback over the past three seasons. Elliss was a seventh round draft pick with New Orleans in 2019, but he has quietly compiled a very nice NFL career. He worked his way from fringe special teams player to rock-solid linebacker with the Saints. Elliss has been with the Falcons the past two seasons, amassing 273 tackles and nine sacks.
GIVE TYSON A CHANCE
While Mountain West Media Days occupy their own little corner of Las Vegas, an all-time great Bronco in another sport is at work across town. Tyson Degenhart just wants to get noticed at this point. In Game 3 of the NBA Summer League for Toronto Tuesday night, for the second straight time, Tyson did not play. So in three games, Degenhart has been on the floor for four minutes, with zero points, one rebound and three fouls. We can only cross our fingers that he gets minutes Thursday when the Raptors face the Golden State Warriors’ summer league entry. Will it be worth it to try to last 60 days on Toronto’s G League roster to get an $85,000 contract bonus, or should Degenhart just seek a spot overseas where would thrive (and no doubt be very popular)?
HAWKS SURGE – THANKS PARTLY TO SCHEDULE
Once they got the first-place Oakland Ballers out of town, the Boise Hawks strength-of-schedule dropped, and the team has taken advantage. The Hawks have gone 10-3 against the Billings Mustangs and Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Tuesday night’s 13-10 loss to the latter in Memorial Stadium notwithstanding. Boise has bumped up into third place in the Pioneer League with a 30-19 record. Gotta get back to beating the Sky Sox, though. They’re in last place and have just 10 victories this season. Pitching is always hard to find at this level—exhibit No. 1 is the Hawks’ .345 batting average as a team. Infielder Taylor Darden leads the club and is second in the league at an eye-popping .452.
SOMETHING SHOULD BE NAMED AFTER HIM
I was sad to hear last week of the passing of Bill Pereira, a trail blazer in Boise minor league sports. Perreira bought the fledgling Boise Hawks and built Memorial Stadium in 1989 with $1 million. He founded Diamond Sports and was one of the original investors in the market’s first full-time sportstalk station, KTIK. Perreira also created the Idaho Sneakers of World Team Tennis and was in on the ground floor of the Idaho Steelheads in 1997. He was an incredible businessman and a game-changer in local sports. I did a lot of public address announcing for Bill Perreira.
MATTEO MAKES VINGEGAARD’S LIFE EASIER
After Monday’s grueling, mountainous Stage 10 of the Tour de France, Tuesday was a rest day, the first of two in the 21-stage event. Good time to check in on Boise High grad Matteo Jorgenson. He finished 12th in Monday’s stage and is fifth overall. Jorgenson’s still the top American in the field so far, and he’s still true to his role, which is to protect Team Visma/Lease A Bike team leader Jonas Vingegaard. So far, so good. Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France champion, is one spot ahead of him in fourth place.
AND A COUPLE OF GOLF NOTES…
Boise State’s Cole Rueck won the 97th Idaho Men’s Amateur by four strokes last weekend at Jug Mountain Ranch in McCall. Rueck thus qualifies for the U.S. Amateur one month from now in San Francisco. He was All-Mountain West this year and won the conference individual title in 2024. And former Boise State star Troy Merritt, who didn’t retain his PGA Tour card this season, played his first tour event in two months last week. He started out the ISCO Championship in Louisville with a 66 and made the cut—but ended up tied for 54th.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by VETERANS PLUMBING…we care about your water!
July 16, 2013: Pitching the eighth instead of the ninth, legendary New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera throws a perfect inning and earns MVP honors in the All-Star Game. It was the final All-Star appearance for baseball’s 43-year-old all-time saves leader as the American League blanked the National League, 3-0. In nine appearances in the Midsummer Classic, Rivera never allowed an earned run. He amassed 652 career saves in 19 seasons, all of them in pinstripes.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
