Presented by THE JAMES.
Wednesday Weekly…August 20, 2025.
The Boise State coaching staff may not be trying to keep everybody guessing, but the running backs themselves are doing a pretty good job of it. Breezy Dubar had a big “not so fast my friend” at his media session the other day. In a fall camp that’s been dominated by talk of Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod, Dubar has regained his health, he says (despite a “precautionary walking boot”), and his hat is very much in the ring. He may have been plagued by injury last fall, but who did the Broncos turn to when a battered Ashton Jeanty needed to be spelled as they were trailing 13-10 in the fourth quarter at Wyoming? Dubar came on to score what would be the winning touchdown. Boise State still has faith in the guy. If two Broncos rush for 1,000 yards this season, Dubar wants to be one of them.
GANTER MOVES UP HIS SPOTLIGHT
Derek Ganter Jr.’s name was naturally going to come up in Week 2 of Boise State’s season, when the Broncos play their home opener on the Blue against Eastern Washington. That’s because Boise State nabbed Ganter out of the transfer portal from Eastern, where he was an FCS Freshman All-American. But we’d better be thinking about Ganter in Week 1 at South Florida, because he’s had a great fall camp and he’ll likely be playing somewhere in the secondary, probably at safety. He had the only interception in the Broncos’ first camp scrimmage. Ganter has a hitter’s size at 6-0, 212 pounds, and he led the Eagles with 95 tackles last season. He won’t be bumping Ty Benefield or Zion Washington, but he might be spelling them.
THE POINT SPREAD IN THE STICKY SOUTH
We are eight days away from Boise State’s opener at South Florida—let’s check up on the odds for the game in Tampa. At one point the Broncos were favored by nine points, but the spread is down to 6.5 according to FanDuel. That’s not due to reports coming out of Boise State’s fall camp, but because of the ones coming from South Florida. The Bulls are much deeper and more skilled than their predecessors that have run up an 18-game losing streak against ranked teams. Coach Alex Goresh says that the Bulls turned their attention to Boise State “full force” five days ago.
AND THE POINT SPREAD UP NORTH
Odds for openers in college football are fine-tuning elsewhere, too, and the one for the Battle of the Palouse at Martin Stadium on August 31st is a little eye-catching. FanDuel has Washington State favored over Idaho by 10.5 points, the closest spread between the two teams in recent memory. The boys from over the border are within shouting distance. People are liking how things are coming together for the Vandals under new coach Thomas Ford, and apparently they’re wondering if the same thing is happening at Wazzu under new coach Jimmy Rogers. Both teams were seriously dented by the transfer portal, but the Cougars had it worse. How exhilarating would a victory be in this game for Idaho? The Cougs won by just a touchdown three years ago. And that’s when Cam Ward was the quarterback.
JEANTY AND ‘TRUCK’ WERE SYNONYMS SATURDAY
Now that was the real Ashton Jeanty. The Boise State great played the first two series for the Raiders in their eventual 22-19 preseason loss to the 49ers last Saturday, rushing for 33 yards on seven carries and scoring his first touchdown. Included was a textbook tackle-busting 13-yard gain that flattened (er, “trucked”) Niners cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, a starter. That was shortly after Jeanty had taken a hit on a short pass reception and had to make a quick visit to the medical tent. What Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll said after the game was no surprise: “Jeanty looked tough as hell.”
NOBODY MORE DETERMINED
Ahmed Hassanein’s weekend started with a photo alongside Barry Sanders. It ended in heartbreak. The former Boise State star suffered a pectoral injury in Detroit’s preseason loss to Miami last Saturday. Hassanein was hurt in the third quarter and went straight to the locker room. Lions coach Dan Campbell said he wasn’t sure if it was a season-ending injury. If it is, it’ll be tough for Hassanein to start all over again next year. But Hassanein says he won’t need surgery. And, as Campbell said in the Detroit Free Press, “He’s going to do everything it takes to heal up, to rehab, to be back, you already know that.” Training camp had started so well for Hassanein. He was Detroit’s highest-graded defensive player in the Hall of Fame Game last month and was headed toward significant snaps this season.
DEGGIE KEEPS HIS CHIN UP – WAY UP
I’ve been in contact with Tyson Degenhart, and Boise State’s career scoring leader has an update for fans. Degenhart has been working out in Boise since NBA Summer League, but he’s headed for Toronto Raptors rookie camp next month. There, he’ll try to earn a spot in training camp. On playing just six minutes in Toronto’s five Summer League games, he reacted just as you’d expect: “It was definitely a challenge, but I attacked it head-on and controlled what I could control. I showed up early, stayed late and tried to be the best teammate I could be, no matter how many minutes I played.” Degenhart said the pre-draft process was a grind, but he wouldn’t trade it. “It was a blessing to me,” Tyson said. “I know people would trade places for that experience in a heartbeat, so I tried to enjoy it as much as I can.”
WOULD THIS BECOME A PAC-12 RIVALRY?
It’s becoming what you might call an “Eastern Idaho neutral court tradition.” For the third straight season, Boise State will face Saint Mary’s at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls, this time on December 14. The Broncos won the first two meetings—by three points and by two. Last season, the Gaels went on to a 29-6 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Two years ago after the loss to the Broncos, Saint Mary’s went 23-3 the rest of the season and also made the NCAAs. I just wonder if it’s a precursor to future Pac-12 conference games.
IF THE TEAM ITSELF IS TALKING HIM UP…
When the official X account of Boise State men’s basketball posts a video of an incoming player—with commentary by longtime assistant coach Tim Duryea—we’ve got to take note. The player is Aginaldo “A.G.” Neto, a 6-3 true freshman guard. Neto’s from Angola and is a product of NBA Academy Africa who’s been part of the Angolan national team. He most recently played for Bella Vista Prep in Arizona. “Anytime you see a kid who’s got a really good natural feel for the game, that excites you as an offensive coach,” said Duryea. “He always sees one play ahead—he knows where the next pass is.” And how’s Neto on the other side of the ball? “He’s a difference-maker Day 1 at this level.” It sounds like “Day 1” could mean the Broncos’ season opener in November. Aginaldo “A.G.” Neto. Will we hear his name?
A NEW BOISE OPEN WINNER TO FOLLOW
After serious heat during practice rounds last week, the Albertsons Boise Open got through its 36th edition with some really nice days at Hillcrest Country Club, even including a brief and rare August downpour on Sunday. It ended with another great story, as Mexico’s Emilio Gonzalez rallied with a 10-under-par 61 at Hillcrest Country Club to earn his first Korn Ferry Tour victory by one stroke over Jeffrey Kang. Gonzalez also secured his PGA Tour card for the 2026 season—the first of his career. He’s the first player from Mexico to win a Korn Ferry event in four years. His 61 was the low round of the week, and Gonzalez became just the fourth player in Korn Ferry Tour history shoot that score or lower in the final round and win a 72-hole tournament. I, for one, am going to be following Emilio Gonzalez.
THERE ARE RUTS IN THESE ROAD GAMES
There have been some tough Western Idaho Fair road trips in the 36 seasons that the Boise Hawks have had to clear out of the Expo Idaho parking lot in late August. This is another one of those. The first half of the Northern California expedition saw the Hawks drop five of six games to the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers in Marysville. Boise salvaged the final game of that series in a 6-5 victory on Sunday. Then Tuesday night the Hawks began a six-game set against the best team in the Pioneer League, and the Oakland Ballers took Game 1, 6-2. The Hawks are still above .500 for the season, though, at 42-37.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by BBSI BOISE…payroll, process and prosperity for your business.
August 20, 2008: Usain Bolt of Jamaica breaks the world record in the 200-meters, winning in 19.30 seconds at the Beijing Olympics. Bolt thus became the first runner since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the men’s 100 and 200 gold medals in the Summer Games. He was also the first man to break the world marks in both sprints at a single Olympics—a feat that neither Lewis nor Jesse Owens accomplished. Bolt would go on to top the 200 record of 19.32 set by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
(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.)
